P.L. Travers
Mary Poppins gave a superior sniff. “Don’t you know,” she said pityingly, “that everybody’s got a Fairyland of their own?” And with another sniff she went upstairs to take off her white gloves and put the umbrella away.
Mary Poppins is a British classic children’s series, it is also found on Time’s 100 YA List. The adventures Mary Poppins and the twins go on will delight a younger reader but were too nonsensical for me. I recommend you give Mary Poppins a try. It is different from the Disney movie, which is refreshing if you know what you’re in for.
Mary Poppins Series:
- Mary Poppins
- Mary Poppins Comes Back
- Mary Poppins Opens the Door
- Mary Poppins in the Park
- Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane
- Mary Poppins and the House Next Door
- Mary Poppins from A to Z
- Mary Poppin in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story
Mary is the conduit for the children’s imagination and whimsical adventures. Travers’s Poppins is not the Disney’s Mary Popping, she does not have rosy cheesy or charming songs. Drop everything you know about Mary.
Mary Poppins arrives on umbrella floating in the wind to the twins, Jane and Micheal, home. The twins require a new nanny, their previous nannies have been pushed to their wits ends due to Jane and Micheal’s behavior. Mary Poppins sweeps in and takes the children on strange adventures. The children seem to enjoy them, but when they question Mary Poppins or try to recall what happened, Mary becomes angry and denies anything unusual happened. This was confusing to me.
They said nothing, for they had learnt that it was better not to argue with Mary Poppins, no matter how odd anything seemed.
Mary and the twins jump through painting, float on chairs, shop, and play under the moon. Some of their adventures are hard to follow, but they hold a whimsy. The story ends with Mary leaving on to her next adventure. No room for propper goodbyes, but one that is sweet and changed my view of Mary.
The children like Mary, but I’m not sold. Mary Poppins is not a typical loveable character. She is rude, mean, and at times, a little frightening. She is snarky and may or may not be a witch. I am still not sure how I feel about Mary. She challenged my views of how a nanny should be. You will have to give Mary Poppins a read to discover the strange magic for yourself.
Have you read Mary Poppins? Do you like the book or movie more?
Where to read?
Mary Poppins box set:
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