Mary Poppins in the Park (Hardcover)

by Dr. P. L. Travers (Author), Mary Shepard (Illustrator) "The summer day was hot and still..." (more)
Key Phrases: parrot umbrella, tulip hat, blue duck, Mary Poppins, Park Keeper, Miss Lark (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As good as ever, and that's very good."--Providence Sunday-Journal

Product 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!

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152058281
• ISBN-13: 978-0152058289
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #125,020 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mary Poppins Pops In For Parties in the Park, July 3, 2000

By	Lynn Bulmahn (Waco, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mary Poppins in the Park (Harcourt Brace Young Classics) (Hardcover)

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.

How does she do it? No one knows. Mary Poppins, you see, never, ever explains. But, she always entertains. Have some fun in the park with this magical nanny.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not A Fourth Book...More Like *DELETED* Scenes From Other *POPPINS* Books., January 14, 2009

By	Alex Honda "onyx575" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed MARY POPPINS IN THE PARK, but this book is more like an "extras" rather than a complete book.

There are a collection of stories and magical happenings that surround Mary Poppins and the Banks kids, and of course they all take place in the park.

The stories and illustrations are still charming and I really like that in the beginning of the book there's a two-page spread showing an illustrative map of Cherry Tree Lane, the park, and the various locations that were used in the stories including Number 17, Miss Lark's house and Admiral Boom's, and Neleus the statue. And there's a personal note from author P.L. Travers that explains this book.

Another good book for bedtime stories.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Poppins in the Park, January 11, 2009

By	Taffy - See all my reviews

This was really a great choice for my granddaughter at Christmas..now she is able to enjoy reading a story I enjoyed when I was her age.