The children enter the fictional world of Narnia in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
The story follows Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, who are sent away from London during the Second World War. Lucy discovers a passage through a wardrobe and emerges into a snowy land inhabited by talking animals and other fantastic beings.
Narnia is ruled by the White Witch when the children arrive, and the land is trapped in a long winter. The children become involved in a conflict centered on Aslan, the great lion, and the restoration of rightful order. The novel was published in 1950 and became the first Narnia book released to readers.
Narnia is not the name of the wardrobe or the house where the story begins. It is the world on the other side of the passage. The book’s title is also sometimes shortened informally, but its full title identifies both the magical entryway and the central antagonist.