“Mary Poppins,” Jane said, looking very hard at her, “were you at the Zoo last night?”
“Certainly not — the idea!” said Mary Poppins. “And I’ll thank you to eat up your porridge and no nonsense.”
The delight of P. L. Travers’ Mary Poppins (the original, not Disney’s remakes) is the marvel of unusual happenings that never receive or require explanation. What did happen at the zoo last night? The children swear that the animals of the zoo provided a great birthday part for Mary Poppins under the full moon, but the mystery is never acknowledged by Mary and the children’s wonder must be whispered between them.
Mary Poppins is a fierce and vain character — without any of Julie Andrews’ softness, much as I love her in the movie — but also the “unusual happenings” in the book are even wilder than the movie portrays: gingerbread cookies for stars, trips around the world by a spinning compass, an ancient woman whose fingers are sweet candies.
Those who only know Mary Poppins through the lens of Disney may not be familiar with Jane and Michael’s younger siblings, twins John and Barbara, who have one of my favorite scenes in the book as they discuss with Mary Poppins why their older siblings no longer understand the language of the wind and the starling. It’s a dialogue that I quote in my upcoming book, Sacred Pause, for its reminder that adults (even and especially adults of faith) need to cultivate a spirit of curiosity and wonder.
I love including (so-called) children’s books in my summer reading, and I often return to a handful of favorites to re-experience the fanciful spaces that capture and uplift my spirit’s imagination! What youthful books are you enjoying this summer?
A few days late reading this post but it is funny I see it this morning. Somehow Mary Poppins keeps “popping” up as a topic in conversations lately.
I loved the Mary Poppins books as a kid and read them over and over (I am not sure many people realize that there are several books. I gave myself the movie as a present on my 18th birthday (it was playing in a local theater) and I was so very dissapointed because it was cut together the way it was and missed some of the mystery.
I do not have a children’s book on my list this summer (Just read the Hunger Games series), but you may want to check out the actual PIPPI LONGSTOCKING books…I think you will love them. Actually, any of the books by that same author, Astrid Lindgren, will get your imagination going (at least the ones I know..I grew up with them).
Also, one of the books I read as a child and go back to every few years is “Mister God, This is Anna” by Fynn. Not really a children’s book but I read it first as a child (then again, I was a strange child…I also read Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning as a child…).
I LOVE the Pippi Longstocking books, though I haven’t read them in years! I’m thinking they hold a similarity to the Mary Poppins series, in that children in both series experience mystery (“Who is Mary/Pippi and how does she do such fantastical things?”) as well as risk (going places/seeing things they didn’t know were possible). Some wonderful “children’s” literature!