Customer Reviews

Mary Poppins Comes Back

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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.

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.........

I'm not sure that P. L. Travers' classic, "Mary Poppins" really needed a sequel. She is a beloved character whose crusty exterior hides a heart-of-magical-gold. This 2nd installment is more of the same...she takes the children on magical journeys where they meet amazing people/creatures, and then she denies it ever happened. Each chapter is a stand-alone tale, perfect for bedtime reading to a child. And, just like in the last book (upcoming spoiler!), she leaves again. As before, Travers does a nice job with the characterization, but it just seems repetitive and actually diminishes the special quality of the first book.

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

I cannot recommend this edition of Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back more highly. You get the first two P.L. Travers books in one book! These stories are very bittersweet and sentimental, full of the fun and magic we remember so well from the Disney movie. Mary Poppins is a very quirky personality. She helps everyone become a little more aware and considerate of their affects on one another. She talks to animals, and comes from somewhere in the clouds! Literally! Her friend, Burt, is in love with her... Like anyone (including the children who know her) he wants to be with her all the time. This book is symbolic of the times when the industrial world was growing. Many of the "lower class" continued to have to work to keep a roof over their heads, and women were advocating for their human rights. One would always hope someday Mary Poppins would fall in love? Have her own family? But as Mary Poppins might respond, what is meant to be will be. Strange and inexplicable events happen around Mary Poppins, events which could only be described as magic. But Mary Poppins has no time for explanations, especially in regard to what she thinks of as being "nonsense".

This book measures 9 x 7; it has a good-sized font for reading at night. Further, this hard-to-find edition carries the super-cute cameo on the dust jacket of Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. She is holding the beak of her parrot to get him to quiet down... It's just adorable. But the one thing that makes this edition so special is - many of the illustrations are done in COLOR.

There were some first edition color-illustrated books done combining these two stories in the mid-1930's. These editions are very hard to find. This particular one is republished in the same format as the first editions, printed shortly after the Disney film came out in the '60's. If you are a big fan of Mary Poppins and a Disney affection-ado, don't pass your copy by! I have been looking for mine for 40 years, since I was eight years old. I was lucky to find a beautiful, affordable edition right here on Amazon! Did I mention this book has COLOR illustrations?

The vain and haughty, quick-witted beloved nanny is back in P.L. Travers's MARY POPPINS COMES BACK.

Poppins takes the Banks children and the reader on more fantastic adventures and meeting her colorful friends, where anything can happen.

From being pulled into plates to welcoming a new addition to the Banks family to an evening in the sky with a circus full of stars, it's wonderful whenever Mary Poppins is around!

Illustrator Mary Shepard is back lending her talents with the great drawings for the book that compliment the wild stories.

The book is perfect for bedtime story-telling and can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. No wonder these books have endured for so long!

Book is in excellent condition; will be a gift for my adult daughter who still loves anything connected with Mary Poppins!

The book was given as a gift. I still do not have any feedback. It is being transcribed into braille.

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.