The Psammead series by E. Nesbith.

In Five Children and It, the Psammead is described as having “eyes [that] were on long horn like a snail’s eyes, and it could move it in and out like t... (more)

The Psammead series by E. Nesbith.

In Five Children and It, the Psammead is described as having “eyes [that] were on long horn like a snail’s eyes, and it could move it in and out like telescopes; it had ears like bat’s ears, and its tubby body was shaped like a spider’s and covered with thick soft fur; its legs and arms were furry too, and it had hands and feet like a monkey’s” and had whiskers like a rat (chapter one).

Origin: The five children are digging a hole and find the Psammead in a quarry. The quarry is buried in the sea thousands of years ago. When the children find the Psammead sleeping they wake him up and he is very grumpy. If the Psammead gets wet and cold it will die. The other Psammeads died because they got cold and wet and he’s the only one of his kind left. When the Psammeads were around, they granted any wish but mostly he granted wishes for food for the families. However, the wishes would turn into stone at sunset if they were not used that day.

Source: Wikipedia