🎧 Emma's Library Audiobook cover: The Phoenix and the Carpet

The Phoenix and the Carpet

Classic Fiction · No. 37 — Five siblings discover a magical carpet and a vain, ancient bird that fly them into chaotic adventures..

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About this audiobook

Cyril, Robert, Anthea, Jane, and their baby brother have already known one kind of magic, but a Guy Fawkes fireworks accident ruins their nursery carpet and leads their parents to buy a second-hand replacement. Rolled inside it is a shining egg that hatches in the fire into a golden, magnificently vain Phoenix. The bird reveals that the carpet can carry the children wherever they wish, three times a day. Their wishes create comic disasters: a tropical island, hundreds of Persian cats and a cow crowded into the house, a charitable expedition, and a London bazaar thrown into confusion. The carpet frays under the strain, while the Phoenix's pride and affection make it both unreliable guide and loyal friend. After helping save a theatre audience from fire, the exhausted bird reaches the end of its life cycle. The children prepare fragrant materials for its pyre. The Phoenix leaves a new egg, sends it away wrapped in the last of the carpet, and asks the Psammead to grant one final wish. A box of long-desired gifts arrives for the whole family, while Robert briefly finds one golden feather—the tender last trace of their friend.

Why it's worth a listen

Step into a whimsical Edwardian world where a magical second-hand carpet and a pompous, fire-loving Phoenix turn ordinary life upside down. This delightful adventure balances high-flying fantasy with the realistic, humorous bickering of five charming siblings. It is a masterful exploration of consequences, loyalty, and the enduring comfort of returning home.

A question to keep

How do we balance the thrilling desire for extraordinary adventure with the quiet responsibilities of home and family?

Based on the book by Retold from E. Nesbit, published by Emma's Library original retelling

Chapters

  1. The Smoulder and the Shell
  2. The Flight of the Five
  3. Cats, Cows, and Chaos
  4. The Curate and the Orphans
  5. The Thread Bare and the Golden Pyre
  6. A Question to Keep