Peter Pan [Hardcover]

J. M. Barrie (Author), Scott Gustafson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up

In this handsome edition of one of the best-loved children's stories, Gustafson's lavishly detailed paintings send readers right into the magical world of Neverland. All the unforgettable adventures of Peter Pan are captured in more than 50 illustrations, each as captivating as Barrie's timeless text. Full color throughout.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"All children, except one, grow up." Thus begins a great classic of children's literature that we all remember as magical. What we tend to forget, because the tale of Peter Pan and Neverland has been so relentlessly boiled down, hashed up, and coated in saccharine, is that J.M. Barrie's original version is also witty, sophisticated, and delightfully odd. The Darling children, Wendy, John, and Michael, live a very proper middle-class life in Edwardian London, but they also happen to have a Newfoundland for a nurse. The text is full of such throwaway gems as "Mrs. Darling first heard of Peter Pan when she was tidying up her children's minds," and is peppered with deliberately obscure vocabulary including "embonpoint," "quietus," and "pluperfect." Lest we forget, it was written in 1904, a relatively innocent age in which a plot about abducted children must have seemed more safely fanciful. Also, perhaps, it was an age that expected more of its children's books, for Peter Pan has a suppleness, lightness, and intelligence that are "literary" in the best sense. In a typical exchange with the dastardly Captain Hook, Peter Pan describes himself as "youth... joy... a little bird that has broken out of the egg," and the author interjects: "This, of course, was nonsense; but it was proof to the unhappy Hook that Peter did not know in the least who or what he was, which is the very pinnacle of good form." A book for adult readers-aloud to revel in--and it just might teach young listeners to fly. (Ages 5 and older) --Richard Farr

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7-- A pleasure to view, read, and hold, this new edition of an old favorite deserves space in every collection. From jacket painting, to cover (with Tinker Bell embossed in gold), to endpapers (dark maps of Neverland), Gustafson's artwork opens doors to glimpses of old friends and to new interpretations. Fifty oil paintings reveal expressive, changing characters. Peter Pan is dewy-cheeked, spry, wicked. Maternal Wendy is tender, then stoic. Even Hook is at times downcast. The Indians, proud and handsome, avoid stereotype. Masterly composition and use of light create dramatic full-page illustrations, accompanied by cameos of ordinary objects (kite, bear, tea kettle). Compared to Hague's illustrations for Peter Pan (Holt, 1987), which were dark and surreal, these are light and vital. Handsome bookmaking, Barrie's text, and Gustafson's pictures combine to breathe new life into Peter Pan's old shadow. --Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670841803
• ISBN-13: 978-0670841806
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic To Be Discovered, June 14, 2004

By 

J. Fees "imaginart" (Port Carbon, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peter Pan (Hardcover)

Illustrated by one of today's most influential illustrators, Gustafson's Peter Pan is a delight to the eye. His painstaking illustrations bring the world of Peter, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys to glorious full color life. A lavish edition, the pages are filled with vignettes as well as vast full color landscapes of the world we know as Neverland. This book in particular captures all of the magic and childhood whimsy we know from Peter Pan and have come to expect from gustafson. The text is broken up into chapters as was Barrie's original story, so this edition will delight a new generation looking to know the full story of Peter Pan. Expect to see Peter and Tinkerbell at their most magical, The Darling children at their most adventuresome and Hook at his most dreadful in this classic brought to life by a favorite illustrator.A+

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid Illustrations Enhance a Complex Tale, June 27, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Peter Pan (Hardcover)

Although this book is certainly delightful, as many others have said, it's a classic that adds layers with each re-reading, and many of those layers are dark. In fact, Barrie does not so much tell us that children are innocent, as that they are "heartless" - we might say amoral, certainly oblivious of the heartache they cause others. As the author continually points out, the good and bad are interwined; Peter's most fascinating quality is his conceit. He is willing to sacrifice his own life for Wendy's (but might equally neglect to save her if his mind is elsewhere). Hook's cruelty combines with an obsession with "good form." Almost every character is richly drawn (in both prose and oils). Of the many editions I've seen of this story, this is far and away the most attractive, providing a rich setting for a tale that deserves to be discovered and enjoyed by a new generation, and an author that should not be forgotten.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely version., April 4, 2000

By 

Karen L. Vandusen "cloudpeak" (Woodinville, Washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peter Pan (Hardcover)

Peter Pan is among my favorite children's tales. This a particularly lovely version because it's unabridged and has beautiful illustrations. In this version, the story and characters take on a rich quality that is missing in the Disney and other shorter version. Nonetheless, I think the the original version of the story is better appreciated by teens and adults. For young children, some of the shortened versions work better. As your own Peter Pans start to grow up, hand them a copy of this book. Maybe they'll learn to fly in their imaginations for at least a little while longer!