202 pages
Target Audience: grades 3-6
Reading level: grades 2-4
Genre: Traditional Fantasy
Themes: Magic Nanny
Synopsis: An extraordinary English nanny blows in on the East Wind with her parrot-headed umbrella and magic carpetbag and introduces her charges, Jane and Michael, to some delightful people and experiences.
CHARACTER: ***
PLOT: ***
THEME: ***
LANGUAGE: ***
OVERALL RATING: ***
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.
Author Notes: Born in Australia to an Irish father and a Scottish mother, P. L. Travers was a voracious reader and began to write while she was still a child. She did some acting but quickly moved into literary and dramatic criticism; she wrote some highly respected poetry as well. However, it is her series of books for children, starting with Mary Poppins (1934), on which her fame rests. The prim, kindly, and enchanting nanny takes charge of the Banks's household and brings the children a seemingly endless stream of fantasy adventures. The book was an immediate success. Walt Disney's (see Vol. 3) musical version, in 1964, brought the stories to an even wider audience. Subsequent books about Mary Poppins include Mary Poppins Comes Back, Mary Poppins Opens the Door, Mary Poppins in the Park, Mary Poppins from A to Z, and Mary Poppins and the House Next Door. Other more recent books include About Sleeping Beauty (1975) and Two Pair of Shoes (1980).
