Mary Poppins: Three Enchanting Classics: Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Comes Back, and Mary Poppins Opens the Door

Book Description

Who can slide up banisters, banish naughtiness with a swift "Spit-spot," and turn a make-believe sidewalk drawing into a lovely day in the park? Mary Poppins, of course! From the moment the beloved nanny arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life for the Banks family is full of excitement. With the smash-hit London musical adaptation of Mary Poppins coming to Broadway in November 2006, this is the time for everyone's favorite nanny to find a place in the hearts of the next generation of fans--and the ideal moment for this boxed set, featuring three adventures in paperback: Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Comes Back, and Mary Poppins Opens the Door.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable.......2007-01-16

I purchased these books for my wife and upon my recent inquiries she has informed me that they are delightful.

Remember the days.......2006-09-19

when you used to find a nice quiet spot, away from all disturbances
and jump headfirst into the adventures of the Banks children and Mary Poppins? I do. These stories are among the best children's literature ever written. They are right up there with the Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland and all those British classics. Take my advice. Grab the entire series. Find a nice quiet spot. And go and visit Cherry Tree Lane.

Average customer rating:

A Great book to read aloud
Magical.
Don't expect Julie Andrews

Mary Poppins
P. L. Travers
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Mary Poppins Comes Back
Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins from A to Z
Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story

ASIN: 0152058109

Book Description

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.

It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!

Customer Reviews:

A Great book to read aloud.......2007-02-15

After my daughter (and I) fell in love with the movie and the Broadway musical, we wanted to read the book. She's in [...], and she appreciated the wry humor of this book. This book is full of fantasy and descriptive imagery and imagination. P.L. Travers is a great storyteller. The book is quite different from the movie, but it is a wonderful story that will stick with you for a long time leaving you thinking about dancing cows, talking dogs, fallen stars and the secret life of babies.

Magical........2006-12-27

The entire Mary Poppins book series by the wonderful P.L. Travers is fantastic. I'm so glad to see they have finally arrived in hardcover with the original covers. No, this is not the sugary Disney movie--but this, the original story, will take your breath away with its magic and wonder. Give it a try. I think if you take these stories for what they are you will appreciate the wit and the adventure.

Don't expect Julie Andrews.......2006-11-28

We are pretty selective in our bedtime reading, and chose this as a classic. Unfortunately it wasn't what we expected. It should come as no surprise that Disney rewrites books, but in this case most of what we loved about the movie were things they added. While this, the original, Mary is magical, she is also strict, vein and not particularly loving. While it didn't actually scare anyone out of bed (like the original Wizard of Oz has), it wasn't particularly soothing either. By the end of it I was a bit of a loss as to why the children were sorry to see her fly away. I know I wasn't.

Average customer rating:

love it
Love these books
When the Wind Blows.....
Even "Right-Wingers" love Mary!

Mary Poppins Comes Back
P. L. Travers
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (Odyssey Classics)
Mary Poppins from A to Z

ASIN: 0152058168

Book Description

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.

Pulled down from the clouds at the end of a kite string, Mary Poppins is back. In Mary’s care, the Banks children meet the King of the Castle and the Dirty Rascal, visit the upside-down world of Mr. Turvy and his bride, Miss Topsy, and spend a breathless afternoon above the park, dangling from a clutch of balloons. Surprises are sure to pop up when Mary Poppins is around!

Customer Reviews:

love it.......2006-12-16

Marry Poppins comes back in this book.
Before Marry Poppins came back the Bank's life was a mess.
A new Banks child appeared in this book.
Her name was Annabelle.
Marry Poppins is mean.
She leaves at the end.

Love these books.......2006-07-14

I loved all the Mary Poppins books, they really fired my imagination as a child and are now doing it for my daughter. One quick correction to an earlier review, PL Travers has written other books, just not to the same acclaim as the Mary Poppins series

When the Wind Blows............2005-03-02

Many fantasy stories tell tales of brave knights, battling wizards, and beautiful princesses who need to be rescued. This fantasy, however, is nowhere near that. It is a story of an English nursemaid whose name just happens to be Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins is a classic tale of one woman who changes the lives of four siblings. The author, P. L. Travers, has not written any other books. Mary Poppins has won six awards including: Horn Book, ALA Booklist, and Library Journal. I enjoyed this book in and out which truly shows. The one I read, being worded and formatted like the originals, had the old English that made it stand out. Just reading the pages in this book makes me want to jump around and yell: This Book ROCKS!
The story that inspired the movie Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick van Dike, doesn't go along as most would think the book would. As an east wind blows it carries a woman named Mary Poppins to the door of 17 Cherry Tree Lane, where she is to be the nanny of Jane, Michael, John, and Barbara Banks. One day, out on a walk, all of them find a compass that takes them all around the world, meeting Eskimos, Indians, Caribbean Natives, and a Chinese man. Later that day, they go to a lady named Mrs. Corry and her two daughters to buy gingerbread from them that comes with little stars. When they leave, Jane and Michael turn around and notice something......the shop is no longer there! That night they watched out their bedroom window to see Mary Poppins, Mrs. Corry, and her two daughters gluing the stars Jane and Michael got with their gingerbread to the sky, and the stars actually stayed there! About a week later, as Jane and Michael stare out their window they watched Mary Poppins leave with the west wind. Jane wobbles to her bed and slumps down. Then, she felt something under her pillow! What could it be?
As I read, the description made me melt into the pages of the book. It was like I was there and I could see the characters smiling at me. Listen to this excerpt from the text of the story: It was one of those curious windows where there seem to be three of you instead of one, so that when you look long enough at them you begin to feel you are not yourself, but a whole crowd of somebody else. As I read it I felt the same way the author said you would feel as you stare into the panes of the glass. The author also described the pigeons and doves as though they were real people. The fussy, chatty, gray dove Grandmothers, rough-voiced brown pigeon Uncles, no-I've-no-money-today, greedy Fathers, and the soft blue silly and anxious mother doves. I love the way the author brings forth the little detail of how Jane and Michael see the birds.
P. L. Travers made it an amusing, enjoyable story to read. I, for instance, loved it when Mary poppins took out her bottle of "Magic Medicine." When Mary Poppins took some out for Michael it was Raspberry Ice, then when she took some out for Jane it was Lemon-Lime Cordial. Next, she poured a teaspoon for each of the twins, it came out as milk! Finally, she poured out some Rum Punch for herself. In another chapter of the book the whole thing is written in the infant twins' point of view. Since the twins had not yet turned one they could still speak the language of the Starling bird, trees, Sun, and wind. Mary Poppins also could consult with the twins. That chapter of the story was so charming.
This book was amusing, adorable, and illuminating from cover to cover. It has been a sensation ever since it was first published in 1934, that's 71 years! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a desirable fantasy story that's down to Earth. It is a delightful tale for adults and children alike. You will not be disappointed, and who knows? Maybe next time when the wind blows.........

Even "Right-Wingers" love Mary!.......2004-07-08

Contrary to what SOME people may think not ALL "Right Wing"ers (I assume they mean conservative, Pro-life Christians, which I am)are book burners or anti-Mary Poppins. I LOVE M.P. and so do my six children. I read it as a child and loved it and am now reading it to my younger kids. It's wonderful literature, everyone should own it for their home library, especially homeschoolers like us! Great vocabulary, literary elements, geographical/historical info. and pure FUN!

As to the "Bad Tuesday" chapter, we just read it (revised version) and loved it. Every child has times when they feel that way - mad at the world. Forcing them to "be nice" may not always be the answer. Even kids need to vent sometimes! I think this chapter was great. Seems like everyone mostly ignored Michaels bad behavior, instead of giving him the attention he was after and then he suffered the "consequences" of his own misbehavior in the end when the animals turned on him! Then Mary was there to comfort him in her very distinct way (I think she only pretends not to care and the kids know it!) and he was apologetic and a changed little boy. I think this chapter is good because it shows kids that feeling and acting "bad" sometimes is normal and that even good kids (as Michael usually is) sometimes misbehave but that their family still loves them and will forgive them. (And that if you're TOO bad wild animals may get you!!!)

And to anyone trying to read something into it (witchcraft, Eastern religion) - GET REAL! It's a fun children's book, nothing more. It's pure fun and fantasy. No different or more evil than Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Winnie the Pooh, or any classic fairy tale (Cinderella, Snow White, etc). Fantasies stimulate the imagination, expand the mind, foster a love of reading and literature, and make the heart sing! Good books are one of the best part of childhood - let's not spoil them for kids with our conspiracy theories.

Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story
Average customer rating:

Supernanny recipes

A wisp of a story with recipes

Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story
P. L. Travers
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mary Poppins from A to Z

Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins)

Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)

Mary Poppins Comes Back

Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook

ASIN: 0152060804

Book Description

Get a unique glimpse at the famous Poppins cast as the spit-spot English nanny and the Banks children take over the kitchen for a week. With the help of familiar visitors like the Bird Woman, Admiral Boom, and Mr. and Mrs. Turvy, Mary Poppins teaches her irrepressible young charges the basics of cooking, from A to Z. And young readers can re-create the week's menus by following the thirty different recipes. Kitchen adventures were never so much fun!

In full color for the first time, this enchanting new edition will delight both old and new fans of the inimitable Mary Poppins.

Customer Reviews:

Supernanny recipes.......2006-12-13

Everything for kids to cook from Apple Brown Betty to Zodiac Cake. In between you'll find Beff Patties, Bread and Butter Pudding, Cherry Pie, Date Bread, Dressing for Salads, Easter Cake, Fruit Salad, Gingerbread Stars, Honey and Bananas, Irish Stew, Jam Tarts, Kale (Cabbage) Kings Cake, Lanchashire Hot Pot, Lemon Souffle, Meringues, Nut Loaf, Oatmeal Cookies, Potatoes, Queen of Puddings, Roast Chicken and Bread Sauce, Shepherd's Pie, Trout, Upside Down Cake, Very Plain Cake, Walnut Cake, XXX Candy Kisses, and Yorkshire Pudding. A cute little cookbook for kids ten to fourteen or even younger ones who love Mary Poppins and things British.

A wisp of a story with recipes.......2006-11-05

This is a perfect beginners cookbook/gift for a child that's a major Mary Poppins fan, otherwise there are many other children's cookbooks that would serve this purpose better. The recipes are decent, a bit too British for most American kids tastes however. That is an issue with the audience and not the book obviously.
For collectors of P.L. Travers writings you will want this, it is but a pale shadow of the series. But any work by Travers is a quirky cause for fun, enjoy it for what it is.

Average customer rating:

What a bonus for young book lovers!

Mary Poppins from A to Z
P. L. Travers
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story
Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins Comes Back
Mary Poppins

ASIN: 0152058346

Book Description

P. L. Travers introduced Mary Poppins to the world in 1934. Ever since, the no-nonsense English nanny has been beloved by children and adults everywhere.

Originally published in 1962 and long unavailable, Mary Poppins from A to Z offers a unique glimpse of the famous Poppins cast. Twenty-six vignettes--one for each letter of the alphabet--weave unexpected tales of Mary Poppins, the Banks children, and other characters from Travers's timeless novels. As an added twist, each vignette is filled with fun and unusual words that start with the featured letter.

In full color for the first time, this enchanting new edition will delight both old and new fans of the inimitable Mary Poppins.

Customer Reviews:

What a bonus for young book lovers!.......1999-06-20

My daughter and I love this book. She is learning her alphabet and understanding the sounds that go with the letters! Each letter of the alphabet has a clever story involving PL Travers delightful characters. It is verbose if your child doesn't love to listen to stories and be challenged by vocabulary, this is not for you. But if yours is like mine...you will both enjoy it!

Average customer rating:

Mary Poppins Pops In For Parties in the Park

Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins)
P. L. Travers
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins Comes Back
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins: Three Enchanting Classics: Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Comes Back, and Mary Poppins Opens the Door
Mary Poppins from A to Z

ASIN: 0152058281

Book Description

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.

Only the incomparable Mary Poppins can lead the Banks children on one marvelous adventure after another. Together they meet the Goosegirl and the Swineherd, argue with talking cats on a distant planet, make the acquaintance of the folks who live under dandelions, and celebrate a birthday by dancing with their own shadows. And that’s just for starters!

Customer Reviews:

Mary Poppins Pops In For Parties in the Park.......2000-07-04

When adults forget their childhood pals, daydreamers make foolish wishes and the wind blows unusually strong, it always leads to something quite out of the ordinary -- that is, whenever Mary Poppins is around.

In this, the final Mary Poppins book that P.L. Travers gave us before her death at age 90, we share the five Banks' childrens' adventures. Besides Jane and Michael, who were in the classic Disney movie, there are also toddler twins John and Barbara and infant Annabel.

A big departure from the Disney flick is Mary Poppins herself. Here, she is not the smiling, syrupy sweet nanny that young Julie Andrews portrayed; rather, the book's title character is strict, stern, often sarcastic and very taken with herself. Her strong personality makes her a unique storybook character and readers will find this Mary Poppins more of an enigma. Which, frankly, makes for better stories.

Everything in this book is G-rated but not preachy. Travers gives her young readers many fascinating, but never frightening, fantasy situations. Or are they real? Jane and Michael can never quite tell. The lines between what's real and what's not always blur around Mary Poppins.

This book is a series of unrelated chapters, self-contained stories, all dealing with the same main characters. Nothing is ever as it seems in the nursery of No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane -- or in the nearby park.

On a hot summer's day, Mary Poppins tells the children a tale of a hobo who was an angel in disguise, shedding his rags and growing wings as he flies away.

In another chapter, Michael, upset that he's caught a cold, finds that some days when everything seems to be going all right, it's actually going all wrong. He's taught a valuable lesson on a planet full of cats.

Later in the book, the children find messages on falling leaves. And witness a delightful, but not frightening, Halloween shadow dance in the park.

The nanny's magical cousin, Mr. Mo, is introduced. Jane finds the little toy figures she's created and destroyed do have lives of their own.

Around Mary Poppins, adults -- including favorites such as Admiral Boom, Miss Lark and her two dogs Andrew and Willoughby, the Bird Woman and Bert -- are caught off balance. Zookeepers, policemen and taxi drivers react to a flurry of frenzied events. Characters pop out of storybooks, out of Jane's mind, and off ceramic bookends. Lions and unicorns and even Indian chiefs prance through the park.

We are taken to worlds that exist between the blades of grass in the lawn, and up in the sky, to where felines and children disappear. There are traffic snarls, wedding breakfasts and birthday parties. And through it all, stalks Mary Poppins, with not a hair out of place. In very short order, characters get what they deserve, if not what they expect, and things are set right.

Book Description

Twenty-five bestselling and award-winning female writers explore the emotional minefield of mother-nanny relationships

From coast to coast, articles and commentary on the new nanny culture abound. Nanny novels have captured public imagination to bestselling results, and thousands of “how to hire a nanny” guides are purchased every year. But no book has addressed the unique intimacy and intensity of the nanny-mother relationship through narrative with the depth and sensitivity found in Searching for Mary Poppins.

Susan Cheever, Marisa de los Santos, Joyce Maynard, Daphne Merkin, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Roxana Robinson, Rebecca Walker, and Elizabeth Graver, along with seventeen other leading women writers, explore the nanny conundrum, delving into the complex issues that today's mothers experience when they turn the care of their children over to a stranger. Raising questions that reach beyond money, race, class, gender, immigration, and legality into the darkest areas of love and fear that a mother feels, they offer viewpoints both rivetingly disparate and hauntingly familiar.

Providing hope, solace, and welcome perspective on this one-of-a-kind relationship, Searching for Mary Poppins sheds light on why nannies make us think so hard about who we are and what we want. BACKCOVER: “If you are a mother, a father, a child, a nanny, a prospective parent, or merely interested in the fascinating, complicated, intense, and poignant relationship between nannies and parents, you will find this book very hard to put down.”
—Susan Orlean, author, The Orchid Thief

“This marvelous, often moving, collection of essays contains at least two deeply comforting lessons: one: there are no perfect nannies; two: there are no perfect mothers. How miraculous then, that so many of us manage to produce perfect children. And, with insights from this book, they will multiply.”
—Susan Stamberg, Special Correspondent, National Public Radio

“Deeply personal and cumulatively political, these powerful essays are cautionary tales, love letters brimming with gratitude, dark confessions. They are full of true heartache, hard-earned wisdom, and inspiration.”
—Julianna Baggott, co-author, Which Brings Me to You

Customer Reviews:

Like therapy for moms with nannies!.......2007-07-12

This book is FABULOUS. I was sad when it ended. It's good for a few reasons: it consists of short stories, so you can read when you only have a few minutes, it brings out the feelings you didn't know you had about having a nanny (besides sometimes guilt), you see life and motherhood from many mom's perspectives, and you find yourself saying, "yes, I know!" to many statements made. It's a great read.

A Great Read!.......2006-12-07

I was quite excited to read this book having been a (British) professional nanny for a long time. I found the book to be very touching and felt like I could go on reading about the relationships between mother's and nannies forever, it was really interesting to take a glimpse into the lives of these families. (I was hoping for a great story about a Brit nanny and mother relationship). I really do recommend that parents and nannies read this fabulous collection of stories.

Interesting Book.......2006-10-19

This book contains essays by mothers who have employed nannies (most illegal) in the past. It analyzes the relationship between mothers and nannies and really explores the wealth of emotions that mothers go through. Highly recommeded!

Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. L. Travers

Average customer rating:

Some Light on and Elusive Personality
A Story Worth Telling
STILL AN ENIGMA

Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. L. Travers
Valerie Lawson
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mary Poppins from A to Z
Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story
Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins Comes Back

ASIN: 0743298160

Book Description

The story of Mary Poppins, the quintessentially English and utterly magical children's nanny, is remarkable enough. She flew into the lives of the unsuspecting Banks family in a children's book that was instantly hailed as a classic, then became a household name when Julie Andrews stepped into the starring role in Walt Disney's hugely successful and equally classic film. Now she is a Broadway sensation all over again.

But the story of Mary Poppins's creator, as this first biography reveals, is just as unexpected and remarkable. The fabulous English nanny was conceived by an Australian, Pamela Lyndon Travers, who in 1924 came to London from Sydney as a journalist. She became involved with theosophy and traveled in the literary circles of W. B. Yeats and T. S. Eliot. Most famously, she clashed with "the great convincer" Walt Disney over the adaptation of the Mary Poppins books into film.

Travers, whom Disney accused of vanity for "thinking you [Travers] know more about Mary Poppins than I do," was as tart and opinionated as Julie Andrews's big-screen Mary Poppins was cheery and porcelain beautiful. "You've got the nose for it," Travers candidly assessed the star. Yet it was a love of mysticism and magic that shaped P. L. Travers's life as well as the character of Mary Poppins. The clipped, strict and ultimately mysterious nanny was the conception of someone who remained thoroughly inscrutable and enigmatic to the end of her ninety-six years.

"Who is P. L. Travers?" the American press inquired of "this unknown Englishwoman" whose creation resulting in Hollywood gold had won her international fame. Valerie Lawson's illuminating biography, Mary Poppins, She Wrote, provides the first and only glimpse into the mind of a writer who fervently believed that "Everyday life is the miracle."

Customer Reviews:

Some Light on and Elusive Personality.......2007-05-09

Lawson provides some information on a fellow Australian, who despite protestations to the contrary, may have wanted someone to present a biography of her. Travers left notes and diaries but it appears to be information and not real knowledge. Her life was mirage, down to her name, national allegiance and way of relating to her mentors, adopted son and sponsor, Walt Disney and his staff.

The book tells the story as much as it can be told.

A Story Worth Telling.......2006-12-30

The story of Pamela Travers is one that has surely been largely overlooked; and in large part overshadowed by her own creation.

We enjoyed the author's retelling of Travers' own story; as well as the inside track of her dealings and perspective on Walt Disney and the film of "Mary Poppins." It's not a furious read... but one to be taken slowly, with a cup of tea on an unhurried morning. It is certainly worth the diversion.

The resurgance of interest in the backstory behind twentieth century books and movies will surely include this excellent text.

Highly Recommended.

STILL AN ENIGMA.......2006-10-18

Valerie Lawson has done something P. L. Travers claimed she didn't want anyone to do: write her biography. It's a very good book. Travers discouraged personal questions in interviews, and preferred to discuss her work and, in later years, her philosophy of life -- the essence of experience as opposed to the mundane details of living. Lawson makes the case that if Travers had been serious about this she would have destroyed her papers -- which she decidedly did not do. Whatever her true feelings on the matter, this is a fascinating book, filled with insights into Travers' life and work, and with a respectable amount of attention to the work itself, especially the meanings and importance of the Mary Poppins books.

I think Lawson gives somewhat short shrift to Travers work with Parabola magazine, which is some of her most brilliant writing -- inspiring to thousands of her readers, and collected in the now out of print "What the Bee Knows." (Note to publishers: bring it back!) You may also find out more than you want to known about her endless toing and froing with Disney, and the ways in which the movie deal echoed through the last thirty years of her life.

But Lawson also gives the first comprehensive account of Travers' private life, her involvement AE and Gurdieff, her adoption of one twin, her son Camillus, and her early career as an actress. Her love affairs are touched on.

I'm not sure, in the end, if all the private matters, interesting as they may be, really add to our understanding of Travers' work, though Lawson makes some persuasive connections between the fantasy and the reality. Mary Poppins herself, the Great Exception, survives the biography with her mystery intact, and in spite of Lawson's sympathetic and thorough craftsmanship, so does Travers. For those of us lucky ones who count Travers as a touchstone in our lives, that's just fine. Questions without answers can often be more satisfying than the other kind.

Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)

Average customer rating:

She's Baaack
funny and exciting
A Good but not Great book
Not the best,but still quite good.
an unforgetable book

Mary Poppins Opens the Door (Mary Poppins)
P. L. Travers
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Mary Poppins Comes Back
Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins from A to Z
Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story

ASIN: 0152058222

Book Description

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.

Mary Poppins reappears just in time! According to her tape measure, Jane and Michael have grown "Worse and Worse" since she went away. But the children won't have time to be naughty with all that Mary has planned for them. A visit to Mr. Twigley’s music box-filled attic, an encounter with the Marble Boy, and a ride on Miss Calico’s enchanted candy canes are all part of an average day out with everyone's favorite nanny.

Customer Reviews:

She's Baaack.......2007-09-03

This is the third book in the delightful Mary Poppins series. As the story opens it is Guy Fawkes Day and the Banks children are hoping to be able to celebrate in style but unfortunately their father is in a foul mood and their mother is struggling to manage the household. Nothing has gone right in the Banks house in a long time....not since Mary Poppins left. While at the park though she returns, floating down from the sky and suddenly Father is happier, Mother is able to manage the house and the children discover that they are having fun again as they, and their reader, gone on a series of magical adventures over the next few weeks.

The reader of this series is transportated by these stories in more ways than one, besides the imaginative stories themselves the forward to this one with it's references to the British holiday of Guy Fawkes Day and it's wartime nonobservance make it clear from the beginning that these stories are about another place and time.

The reading level of this volume is listed as 5th grade with an interest level from 8 to 12. Today schools typically assign much more sophisticated stories to 5th graders and Mary Poppins would definitely not be on the reading lists for the middle school set (11 and 12 year olds). More is the pity since this nonthreatening, lighthearted story is just the thing to convince a child that reading can be FUN!

funny and exciting.......2007-01-25

This is the third book in the Mary Poppins series. It's about all the adventures that the Banks children have with their nanny. In one adventure they go to the park and see a lady selling peppermint stick horses. They buy some and ride off into the sky! You never know what type of adventure Mary Poppins has in store for the kids!

A Good but not Great book.......2001-12-02

This book is an exciting book, but you have to get into it before it becomes exciting. The book is very long and the chapers are about 25 pages each. This book should be for good readers (in 5th grade). P.L. Travers made a very good book though. Mary Poppins will always be my favorite character.

Not the best,but still quite good........2000-03-31

This is (to my knowledge) the third Mary Poppins book. It would have been 5 stars,but Travers doesn't seem to think of any new plots,just twists on the same ones. Still, it has very good story lines. There is the usual relitive of Mary, an old woman selling some magic item in the park. The object makes the 5 children and Mary fly home after getting Mrs.Banks some supplies. There is thev outing at bedtime where Mary has gone out - andis a geust of honor along with Jane and Michael. This does not have a bad day, but it has Mary coming and going in unusual ways. Mary Poppins is a bit more strict than in the movie,but still enjoyable. P.L. Travers seems to haver written this as the last book, but there are more after this. Ther5e are five children, not two. You should read the books in the order they were written to get an idea about these books. This is in the top ten on my must-read list. It is fantastic!

an unforgetable book.......2000-02-12

Marry poppins brings me to a totally different and fantastic world that I can never imagine

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
Not a spoonful of sugar
The Nanny-The Myth-The Legend
My Favorite Book!
This book was horrible.

Mary Poppins (Odyssey Classics)
P. L. Travers , and P.L. Travers
Manufacturer: Odyssey Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152017178

Amazon.com

For all her offended sniffs and humphs, Mary Poppins is likely the most exciting nanny England--and the world--has ever seen. Young Jane and Michael Banks have no idea what's in store for them when Mary Poppins blows in on the east wind one autumn evening. Soon, though, the children are having tea on the ceiling, flying around the world in a minute (visiting polar bears and hyacinth macaws on the way), and secretly watching as their unusual nanny pastes gold paper stars to the sky. Mary's stern and haughty exterior belies the delightful nonsense she harbors; her charges, as well as her literary fans, respect and adore her.

Grownups who have forgotten Mary Poppins's true charms will be tickled pink to rediscover this uniquely unsentimental fantasy. Younger readers will walk into Mary's world without batting an eye--of course the animals in the zoo exchange places with people on the night of the full moon. Certainly a falling star landing on a cow's horn will make her dance ceaselessly. Why wouldn't one be able to enter into a chalk picture? The only disappointing aspect of this classic is that it doesn't go on forever! (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Life was never the same again for the Banks family after the astonishing Mary Poppins blew in with the east wind. This revised edition introduces some delightful new characters. “Delightful nonsense that defies an age boundary of appreciation.”--Booklist

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Thankfully this book does not have a nanny that is anywhere near as
annoying, or bursts into song in the same way as the painful movie.

She behaves much more as you would expect, telling the kids off a
lot. She does include them in a bunch of strange happenings and outings
to many different locations.

Not a spoonful of sugar.......2007-02-08

If you are expecting the Disney's Mary Poppins, you are best making another reading selection. Unfortunately, my expectations may have tainted my reading experience. The book is filled with fun imaginative adventures children would enjoy. However, Mary Poppins is stern and hard. Her tightly guarded compassionate side does pop up during different events, but overall she treats the Bank's children with a harsh and sometimes demeaning hand.

The Nanny-The Myth-The Legend.......2006-11-13

When P.L. Travers first wrote Mary Poppins in 1934, she probably didn't know how popular it would be with young people 72 years later. She also probably didn't know that this would end up being my favorite book of all time! I often thought that every book was my favorite (for example, The Wizard of Oz, Bunnicula, Detectives in Togas, Eye of the Storm, The Secret Garden, and the Little Princess) but I now KNOW this is my favorite book of all time. There is just something about this Nanny that I can't explain. I want to read the other books-not only about Mary Poppins, but all of P.L. Traver's books!
It starts when Mary Poppins comes to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane to take care of her charges-Jane, Michael, and the twins John and Barbara-after the other nanny, Katie Nanna, left. She takes them on crazy adventures such as floating in the air with her Uncle Albert, to going to a mysterious gingerbread shop to meet a lady who is nice to everyone, but verbally abusive to her to overweight daughters. Mary Poppins also goes on expeditions herself. She jumps in a sidewalk drawing with her friend Bert (love is in the air in this chapter...) and goes to a zoo at night.
The book (I thought) was much better than the movie. Mary Poppins was portrayed in the movie as a sweet, but stern nanny. She was always loving and was very pretty. In the book however, Mary Poppins is just plain stern. Sure she is always there to help, but she definitly doesn't take any guff. Mary Poppins was also kind of ugly in the book, with a sharp nose and in another book had big feet. I also loved the original illustrations by Mary Shepard (E.H. Shepard's-illustrator of the original Winnie the Pooh Books-daughter). So I thought (even though Julie Andrews did a spectacular job) that the book was better. However they were both suppose to be 27. I saw on the 40th edition DVD that Walt Disney was worried that P.L. Travers would not approve of the new actress Julie Andrews, so he asked her how old she thought Mary Poppins was. To Walt's surprise, she said that she thought of Mary Poppins being 27. It turned out that Julie Andrews was just that age! But I digress.
If you want a book that is sweet and charming, witty and clever, and has good morals, read this book! But if you want something that your young children will understand and cherish, watch the movie. They are two totally different feelings. This book is geared for ages 8 and up, but if you can get your young child's attention, you can read it to anyone, young or old. Children over 12 will understand where Mary Poppins is coming from, and children under 12 will understand where Jane and Michael are coming from. I give it a bazillion stars, but I can only choose 5. I like it because this book is absolutely charming!
I loved this book and I hope you will too...if you have the patience to read my review!

My Favorite Book!.......2006-07-16

Mary Poppins is the absolute best book I have read in a while. Mary Poppins is the worlds favorite nanny. The main characters in the book are the children; Jane, Michael, the twins (John and Barbara) and of course Mary Poppins (the nanny). There are a few neighbors and odd people Mary Poppins know, but not mentionable. My favorite chapter was The Day Out. It was so magical and entertaining! I would recommend this book 9 and up, because some things children wouldn't get and others might think it was boring. The chapters "Full Moon" and "The Dancing Cow" were very boring, but good to read.
Anyway, if you want a good book to read this summer, read this book! So creative and enjoyable!!!!!!!!!!!

This book was horrible........2006-05-11

I love to read, and have all my life. I don't know how I escaped reading "Mary Poppins" as a child, because I read nearly every other children's classic book. I decided to read this aloud to my children precisely because I hadn't read it. I was horrified as the book went on...if this Mary has a heart, I can't find it. You'd have to use a microscope to find it.

Yes, there are strange adventures that are interesting. I don't have a problem with that. My problem is Mary herself. She's nasty and mean, and there isn't one redeeming quality about her in the book. I found myself disliking her more and more as the book went on.

Perhaps I was tainted in my viewpoint by the Disney version. But I'll gladly take that version, for once, over the book. At least in the movie Mary could crack a smile and actually enjoy something. In the book she's as friendly as a block of ice.

Watch the movie. Forget the book.

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