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 s...
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Jan 30, 2012
Manny
rated it: 
For the Celebrity Death Match Review Tournament, Pride and Prejudice (1) versus Mary Poppins (32)
NARRATOR: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an impecunious father with four unmarried daughters is in urgent need of a magic nanny. And so it came to pass that Miss Mary Poppins took up residence in the Bennet household...
Scene 1
[Breakfast at the Bennets. The four sisters are laughing, talking loudly, reaching after toast etc]
MARY POPPINS: L More...
NARRATOR: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an impecunious father with four unmarried daughters is in urgent need of a magic nanny. And so it came to pass that Miss Mary Poppins took up residence in the Bennet household...
Scene 1
[Breakfast at the Bennets. The four sisters are laughing, talking loudly, reaching after toast etc]
MARY POPPINS: L More...
3 comments
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(20 people liked it)
Oct 09, 2011
Celebrity Death Match tournament review versus Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management.
Mary Poppins: How do you do. It is a fine morning, is it not? That's a lovely frock.
Mrs. Beeton: What's that supposed to mean?
Mary Poppins: That's a lovely frock?
Mrs. Beeton: At least I am not covered in baby vomit.
Mary Poppins: At least I didn't have to remove the stick from my rear end to get dressed this morning.
Mrs. Beeton: At least I wasn't ripped off in Home Alone 2: Lost in the City!
Mary Poppins: Y More...
Mary Poppins: How do you do. It is a fine morning, is it not? That's a lovely frock.
Mrs. Beeton: What's that supposed to mean?
Mary Poppins: That's a lovely frock?
Mrs. Beeton: At least I am not covered in baby vomit.
Mary Poppins: At least I didn't have to remove the stick from my rear end to get dressed this morning.
Mrs. Beeton: At least I wasn't ripped off in Home Alone 2: Lost in the City!
Mary Poppins: Y More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Stephanie
rated it: 
OK, here's the thing: P.L. Travers's Mary Poppins is not Walt Disney's Mary Poppins. Weirdly, I love both versions equally, although Travers's portrayal of adult-child relationships is more accurate, I think. In the book, the kids clearly inhabit a fantasy world of which their parents are completely oblivious. Mary Poppins, an acid-tongued nanny, serves as a conduit to these fantasy worlds, which are often quite dangerous. Under Mary's protection, the Banks children explore some dark, glorious w
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Dec 17, 2009
Lp
rated it:
OK, I know it's not unusual for Disney to eviscerate classics, but I was really surprised when I finally read this book to my children how little it resembled the Disney movie (which I liked!).
I adore this book. Mary is vain and crabby and a bit of a mystic, and bizarre things happen when she is around. But it's really about the ephemeral magic of childhood. I laughed out loud and wept openly when I read this to my kids. It is a wonderful book. I wish I'd read it earlier.
I adore this book. Mary is vain and crabby and a bit of a mystic, and bizarre things happen when she is around. But it's really about the ephemeral magic of childhood. I laughed out loud and wept openly when I read this to my kids. It is a wonderful book. I wish I'd read it earlier.
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Jan 23, 2011
Bridget
rated it: 
So I decided this weekend to read every book in my "501 Must-Read Books" book. I'd read 22 books (that I could remember) before starting and this was the first book from the list that I hadn't read prior to making the decision...and what a WEIRD book!
I can only give it two stars because I spent the vast majority of the book thinking/saying to myself - STRANGE. This book is just strange. Mary Poppins is the most unlikeable character and yet Jane and Michael adore her. It is More...
I can only give it two stars because I spent the vast majority of the book thinking/saying to myself - STRANGE. This book is just strange. Mary Poppins is the most unlikeable character and yet Jane and Michael adore her. It is More...
9 comments
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Oct 04, 2009
Ayu
rated it: 
I understand why so many children and even adults fall in love with Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins is a cranky nurse, yet she has a golden heart and brings wonder to every kid in the world. What makes Mary cute is the fact that she doesn’t want to show off her kindness. All chapters in Mary Poppins are simply fun, and reading them gives me this innocent amazement. Seeing what Mary does, I was in awe like Jane and Michael Banks are. One chapter that I found very moving is the chapter about the twins
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Sep 02, 2007
Nightfalltwen
rated it:
Delayed review:
I think what I like most about this book is it is neat to see how differently we view things now than, say, when the story was first published in 1934. Of course it's not going to be the same as the Disney movie because there are just some things and subject matters that don't exactly come out well on film and it's unfortunate that Walt Disney insisted on changing so much of Traver's work (as well as adding in nonsensical animation that had little to do with the origi More...
I think what I like most about this book is it is neat to see how differently we view things now than, say, when the story was first published in 1934. Of course it's not going to be the same as the Disney movie because there are just some things and subject matters that don't exactly come out well on film and it's unfortunate that Walt Disney insisted on changing so much of Traver's work (as well as adding in nonsensical animation that had little to do with the origi More...
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Jul 02, 2007
Tiffany
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I LOVED reading this book in elementary school. I seem to remember checking it out ALL THE TIME (whether I really did or not, I'm not sure. I could just be misremembering). The one I checked out (I always checked out the same copy) was a worn yellow hardback without a dustjacket (then again, in school libraries [especially elementary libraries], aren't they all without jackets?). I remember going to the library during recess just to check out this book.
After not reading this book fo More...
After not reading this book fo More...
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Apr 16, 2009
Jessica
rated it:
I loved this book. Fast and easy. Each chapter is a new adventure. Great childrens book.
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Jan 14, 2012
Gerald
rated it:
Mary Poppins
This was a fun and entertaining, but also disappointing book.
I wanted to read it when I found, in the biography of Walt Disney, that his studio fussed and fought with the author for over ten years before producing a final version of the movie – which is one of my all-time favorites. So I was anxious to compare the book to the movie and found it quite different. It was obvious what issues the author must have had, for the movie was probably 90 – 95% Disney i More...
This was a fun and entertaining, but also disappointing book.
I wanted to read it when I found, in the biography of Walt Disney, that his studio fussed and fought with the author for over ten years before producing a final version of the movie – which is one of my all-time favorites. So I was anxious to compare the book to the movie and found it quite different. It was obvious what issues the author must have had, for the movie was probably 90 – 95% Disney i More...
Nov 16, 2011
Mary_stephens
rated it:
My mother read this story to me a child, and being a long-time Disney whore and Julie Andrews fan I can, of course, recite the movie. So now I read it as an adult.
There is something loverly about British children's literature. There is a timber to it that warms the heart. I'm not quite sure what it is. And this story combines that with the wonder and joy of Mary. But she isn't really the Mary Poppins all us little American kids know and love, is she? Travers's Mary was much more Victorian More...
There is something loverly about British children's literature. There is a timber to it that warms the heart. I'm not quite sure what it is. And this story combines that with the wonder and joy of Mary. But she isn't really the Mary Poppins all us little American kids know and love, is she? Travers's Mary was much more Victorian More...
Oct 13, 2011
Winnie the Pooh is wandering around outside the beautiful church of St Martin-in-the-Fields disconsolately. He appears slightly lost. Just a few yards away, perched on the low wall which surrounds Trafalgar Square, a smartly dressed woman is singing sweetly :
Feed the bear, tuppence a bag
Tuppence... tuppence... tuppence a bag
Two small children wander up to her.
"Please Miss, we want to feed the bear"
She smiles at the little girl. " More...
Feed the bear, tuppence a bag
Tuppence... tuppence... tuppence a bag
Two small children wander up to her.
"Please Miss, we want to feed the bear"
She smiles at the little girl. " More...
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Jun 16, 2011
Juushika
rated it:
When their nanny leaves without warning, Mary Poppins blows in on the East Wind to care for the four Banks children. Strange, contrary, and undoubtedly magical, Poppins brings adventure and changes their lives for the better. I have a fair bit of love for episodic storytelling, but in novels I still need the episodes to be tied together by an overarching plot; with only the most generous exceptions, Mary Poppins is not, and this is only my real complaint with the book. Each chapter is effectivel
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May 28, 2011
Joe
rated it:
A ton of fun.
So, I've seen the movie like a hundred times.
(Three year old getting into it.)
I feel like it's the perfect movie--tightly written, funny...
So I had to read the book.
They're definitely a little different--
but every now and then, stuff word for word.
"Not another word, or I'll have to call a police-man."
Book a little more disjointed. A chapter here, doing this--then doing that.
Not More...
So, I've seen the movie like a hundred times.
(Three year old getting into it.)
I feel like it's the perfect movie--tightly written, funny...
So I had to read the book.
They're definitely a little different--
but every now and then, stuff word for word.
"Not another word, or I'll have to call a police-man."
Book a little more disjointed. A chapter here, doing this--then doing that.
Not More...
Oct 12, 2010
Kate
rated it:
Being a fan of the Disney version of Mary Poppins, I was anxious to get another version of the story. Mary Poppins is a family favorite that the majority of people are familiar with. Mary Poppins is about a nanny who takes the Banks children on all kinds of magical adventures. After reading P.L Travers' version, it is obvious that the book differs from the Disney version.
The book contains episodes of their adventures, where the movie has an overall plot. Even though I am a huge fan of the More...
The book contains episodes of their adventures, where the movie has an overall plot. Even though I am a huge fan of the More...
Oct 12, 2010
Rachel
rated it:
Mary Poppins was a great book, who does not enjoy the story of Mary Poppins. I was mostly familiar with Disney movie but, getting a feeling for the book was great. It was great reading the book because although I have seen the movie dozens of times I got to make my own image of the different characters.I felt like i was a child again reading Mary Poppins. I think that this would be a great book to incorporate into a lesson plan with a middle level elementary class. This books is a classic, it is
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Oct 12, 2010
Becca
rated it:
This was one of the best children's books that I have read in a long time. I have never seen the Disney movie or read the book, but I have seen the Broadway play in Chicago. I thought it was awesome and I loved the story, but I definitely liked the book a lot better.
I've noticed that the book is entirely different from the production that I saw. For some reason, the book seems so much more detailed and magical. In the book, you get a much different perspective on Mary Poppins than I ob More...
I've noticed that the book is entirely different from the production that I saw. For some reason, the book seems so much more detailed and magical. In the book, you get a much different perspective on Mary Poppins than I ob More...
Oct 03, 2010
Courtney
rated it:
I've been wondering over the last week whether kids today still read an love the authors I adored as a kid. The really English, kind of girly, totally anachronistic ones; Rosemary Sutcliff, Noel Streatfield, P.L. Travers. [Although I devoured Enid Blyton - a neighbour on the farm opposite-and-down-the-road from us had magical shelves full of Blytons that belonged to her daughter and my sister and I would visit her with plastic super market bags and load up - I have no desire to go back there.]
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May 30, 2010
Natalie
rated it:
The saving grace of this book, for me, was that it was the basis of a wonderful musical by Disney. I didn't enjoy the book at all. I was surprised at that because, the majority of the time, the books are better than the movies.
The Mary Poppins in the book is vain, obnoxious, dishonest, and cross all the time. There wasn't any sweetness or enchantment in the character at all. In part of the story, the children are taken to a gingerbread shop where Mary Poppins is friends with the own More...
The Mary Poppins in the book is vain, obnoxious, dishonest, and cross all the time. There wasn't any sweetness or enchantment in the character at all. In part of the story, the children are taken to a gingerbread shop where Mary Poppins is friends with the own More...
Mar 29, 2010
Rachelterry
rated it:
The children in Mary Poppins are wonderful. Jane and Michael are so sincere and genuine, and the little twins John and Barbara are fun. I love the chapter where the babies are talking to the sunshine and the wind, and they are warned that pretty soon they'll get their teeth and won't be able to talk to the sunshine anymore.
But Mary Poppins--you can keep her. Some people are just not cut out for the childcare industry. I simply couldn't understand why Michael was so upset when the wes More...
But Mary Poppins--you can keep her. Some people are just not cut out for the childcare industry. I simply couldn't understand why Michael was so upset when the wes More...
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Mar 22, 2010
Sri
rated it:
<!--Mungkin ada spoiler-->
Kalau biasanya di buku-buku anak-anak yang lain karakter yang aneh adalah anak-anak, di buku ini karakter anehnya adalah seorang nanny yang bernama Mary Poppins. Mary ini tampak luar bukanlah nanny idola anak-anak. Dia galak, tidak suka ditanya-tanya dan kalau sedang pergi jalan-jalan dia selalu mementingkan penampilannya dan keinginannya sendiri daripada keinginan anak-anak :D. Tapi Jane, Michael, John dan Barbara mengidolakan Mary karena Mary membawa hal-ha More...
Kalau biasanya di buku-buku anak-anak yang lain karakter yang aneh adalah anak-anak, di buku ini karakter anehnya adalah seorang nanny yang bernama Mary Poppins. Mary ini tampak luar bukanlah nanny idola anak-anak. Dia galak, tidak suka ditanya-tanya dan kalau sedang pergi jalan-jalan dia selalu mementingkan penampilannya dan keinginannya sendiri daripada keinginan anak-anak :D. Tapi Jane, Michael, John dan Barbara mengidolakan Mary karena Mary membawa hal-ha More...
Mar 09, 2010
Tamra
rated it:
Before seeing this book on the library shelves, I was unaware that it was a book at all. But of course it is. Of course.
I was unhappy to find out that the "real" Mary Poppins is less like Julie Andrews and more like, ... well, more like me. Mary Poppins says things like, "If you say one more word, you're walking home by yourself, and I don't CARE if we're in the middle of the city." I mean, is Julie Andrews even CAPABLE of saying that?
Mary Poppins is s More...
I was unhappy to find out that the "real" Mary Poppins is less like Julie Andrews and more like, ... well, more like me. Mary Poppins says things like, "If you say one more word, you're walking home by yourself, and I don't CARE if we're in the middle of the city." I mean, is Julie Andrews even CAPABLE of saying that?
Mary Poppins is s More...
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May 25, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
If you ask me, (and let's just pretend you did okay?), P.L. Travers is the Original J.K. Rowling. Mary Poppins is full of wild fantasy that would delight children and make their imaginations go crazy. While the story is clearly geared for younger children than Rowling's audience, they still have the ability to suck you into a world full of imagination and magic.
I love Mary Poppins even more now because she isn't a super mega cheery nanny... she's strict, she's tough and she's terribl More...
I love Mary Poppins even more now because she isn't a super mega cheery nanny... she's strict, she's tough and she's terribl More...
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May 05, 2009
Lesli
rated it:
Once I found out this was a book before the Disney movie I went to my library to pick it up. I should have waited a few years until my son was old enough to read it with me. It was a good children's book, but it doesn't have much in the way of adult interest. Winne the Pooh by A A Milne can be enjoy on many different levels what you see with book Mary Poppins is what you get, unlike the character's relationship with other characters in the plot.
Mary Poppins personality is slight differ More...
Mary Poppins personality is slight differ More...
May 12, 2011
Wendy Darling
rated it:
If you've never read Mary Poppins, you're missing out on one of the great classics of children's literature. It's been a long time since I've read these books that I loved so much as a child, but I immediately felt as though I was visiting with old friends.
The thing of it is, I'm quite sure that I felt this way the very first time I read the book as well. P.L. Travers writes incredibly imaginative stories that tickle the fancy and will surprise even the most jaded reader. Many of the More...
The thing of it is, I'm quite sure that I felt this way the very first time I read the book as well. P.L. Travers writes incredibly imaginative stories that tickle the fancy and will surprise even the most jaded reader. Many of the More...
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Dec 28, 2010
Tricia
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WHO HAS NEVER HEARD OF MARY POPPINS? You know, the handsome nice lady... Oppss. Sorry Mary Poppins, I am truly sorry. So here we go, the thing is Mary Poppins is the cranky nurse by the Banks children from Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane. She arrived with a bang that shook and changed the lives of the Banks children namely Jane, Michael, John and Barbara. It's funny because Mary Poppins is such a very nice and kind lady but she never showed it. She is so cranky and irritable all th More...
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Oct 09, 2010
Abigail
rated it:
It seems that many readers, particularly those who are picking this up for the first time as adults, come to Mary Poppins with a host of expectations and preconceptions fostered by the famous Disney film adaptation, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. For whatever reason, the movie Mary Poppins was never one of the fixtures of my childhood - I think I've seen it once, and save for that maddeningly persistent Spoonful of Sugar song, which I have only to think of, for it to be determinedly l
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14 comments
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(9 people liked it)
Jun 17, 2011
Oleg
rated it:
Some responses to this book:
"Lots of charm here!"
"A veritable gala for Anglophiles."
"Maybe I was spoiled by the movie, but the Mary P. in this book was not nice at all. In fact, she was like a mean friend - the type of friend that will drop acid with you, participate in the trip, and then stand there the next morning acting like you're crazy."
"Mary Poppins is like a charismatic drug-addict parent...She shows up wh More...
"Lots of charm here!"
"A veritable gala for Anglophiles."
"Maybe I was spoiled by the movie, but the Mary P. in this book was not nice at all. In fact, she was like a mean friend - the type of friend that will drop acid with you, participate in the trip, and then stand there the next morning acting like you're crazy."
"Mary Poppins is like a charismatic drug-addict parent...She shows up wh More...
Nov 14, 2009
Beverly
rated it:
I have to say, I was a bit reserve about reading this book. I heard Mary Poppins was "mean." Well, although she wasn't warm & fuzzy, she wasn't mean, per se. She was a bit stern. She reminded me of some of the best preschool teachers I've met; they create a magical atmosphere & let the children live w/in it, but they also expect a certain level of respect & decorum. I have to say, as the mother of a 5yr old, I can't say this is not a totally bad concept. Anyway, my daughter loved
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Jun 10, 2009
Jeanette
rated it:
P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins is wonderfully vain and strict.
She is always thinking about and checking on her appearance every chance she gets. She is also rather strict with the Banks children and I found myself wondering why they adored her so much since she was often so harsh with them. I suppose it was knowing that she had some kind of magic and really, who wouldn't want a nanny with magical powers to take them on fun adventures? Even if she was a bit stern on those adventures.
A fun More...
She is always thinking about and checking on her appearance every chance she gets. She is also rather strict with the Banks children and I found myself wondering why they adored her so much since she was often so harsh with them. I suppose it was knowing that she had some kind of magic and really, who wouldn't want a nanny with magical powers to take them on fun adventures? Even if she was a bit stern on those adventures.
A fun More...
