A group of children go out to play one day in old gravel pits and come across a sand-fairy - Psammead. "It's eyes were on long horns like a snail's eyes, and it could move them in and out like telescopes; it had ears like a bat's ears, and its tubby body was shaped like a spider's and covered with thick, soft fur; it's legs and arms were furry too, and it had hands and feet like a monkey's." The unusual sand-fairy grants the children one wish a day, each lasting until sunset. Though wishes can come true, they are not always as pleasant as they might seem, which the children soon discover.