Mary Poppins - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

Mary Poppins is a fictional children's literature book series written by P. L. Travers, published by HarperCollins and illustrated by Mary Shepard.

There are 8 books in the Mary Poppins series, which were published between 1934 and 1988.

The first book in the series is Mary Poppins which was published in 1934. It introduces the Banks family from number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, their children Jane and Michael, and baby twins John and Barbara. When the children's nanny, Katie Nanna, storms out in a huff, Mary Poppins arrives at their home, complete with her travelling carpet bag, blown in by a very strong East wind. She accepts the job, and the children soon learn that their nanny, though stern, vain and usually cross, has a magical touch that makes her wonderful.

Mary Poppins contained a version of the chapter "Bad Tuesday" in which Mary and the children use a compass to visit places all over the world in a remarkably short period of time. The original story in the 1934 edition contained a variety of cultural and ethnic types of Chinese, Native Alaskan, Sub-Saharan Africans and Native Americans. Travers responded to criticism by revising the chapter twice. A 1967 revision removed offensive words and stereotypical descriptions and dialogue, but kept the plot of visiting foreign people. In 1981 a second revision replaced people with animals.

Mary Poppins had been banned from circulation in the San Francisco Public Library System in 1980 due to the negative stereotyping.

The books were adapted by Walt Disney into a musical film title Mary Poppins and released in 1964, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The film Saving Mr. Banks released in 2013, depicted the making of the 1964 film.

In 2004, Disney Theatrical in collaboration with Sir Cameron Mackintosh produced a stage musical also called Mary Poppins in London's West End Theatre. The stage musical was transferred to Broadway, in New York, in 2006, where it ran until it's closing on the 3rd of March 2013.

P. L. Travers resisted selling the stage rights to the Mary Poppins stories for many years, as a result of her dislike of the 1964 film version, and her perception of being treated discourteously by Walt Disney at the films premiere.

When Jane and Michael Banks draw up an advertisement for a nanny, Mary Poppins arrives on a gust of the East wind and slides up the bannister, changing their lives forever. Mary Poppins is the most efficient and loveable character - strict but fair, full of surprises and, in spite of her airs and graces, a true fairy-tale creature with universal appeal.

Soon the Banks children are whisked off on the most exciting journey's they have ever had. But Mary Poppins has only promised to stay until the wind changes...

The original story of the world's most famous nanny is a timeless classic that has enchanted generations.

Mary Poppins is the first book to be completed as part of my 2021 Reading Challenge, like many others, I grew up with the film adaptation of Mary Poppins, and I'd also seen the film Saving Mr. Banks so I was aware of not only how wary P. L. Travers was about selling rights for her books to Disney but also of how much she disliked what they did with them. After reading the first book I can understand why, I've not read any of the other books so can only speak about the first book, but it seems to me a hell of a lot of the book was changed for the movie, so I can see why she was unhappy with the film, in her eyes, they had changed and ruined the vision she had of Mary Poppins.

I personally thought the book and story was written and well, it was nice to read the true plot and read about how the characters really are, I think it serves as the perfect start of the series and it's definitely made me curious on to read the rest to see how all the characters grow and develop over the series as well as reading about all the other journey's and adventures that will be taken.

I think Mary Poppins will be a book series that will forever stand the test of time and continue to be loved by all families as they grow.

We often look back at old books, stories, films etc and point out parts that today are seen as unacceptable, and I like that as the times changed P. L. Travers wanted to keep her stories and characters to be loved, so changed the parts that were seen as unacceptable and inappropriate, to fit with how the world was changing.

Have you read Mary Poppins?

What were your thoughts on the book?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye