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A review by book_concierge
Mary Poppins Comes Back by P.L. Travers
3.0
Audiobook performed by Sophie Thompson
From the book jacket: Pulled down from the clouds at the end of a kite string, Mary Poppins is here again to take the Banks children in hand, leading them from one head-spinning adventure to another.
My reactions
Oh, My! I read these books when I was about nine or ten years old. My best friend and I would share the books back and forth, spending countless hours at recess and over lunch talking about Mary Poppins, the Banks children and their fantastical adventures. There were only four books in the series at that time, and I think we read each of them three or four times. This was before the Disney movie adaptation, which we eventually saw and loved, though we recognized the differences and were a little disappointed that some of our favorite adventures were missing.
I re-read the first book when my first niece was about six (she’s 19 now), thinking I might want to give her the series. I was struck by how mean and unpleasant Mary Poppins was – definitely not the lovable nanny of my memory!
I had no such reaction this time, although Mary Poppins is certainly a stern taskmaster at times, not to mention vain. But I just loved the adventures she and the children had! Who would not smile at Mr Turvy, the Balloon Woman, or the trip to the Constellations?!
Sophie Thompson does a marvelous job narrating the audio version. Like many children’s books, this one lends itself easily to being read aloud. Thompson has great pacing, and a gift for voices that really helps to bring these characters to life.
From the book jacket: Pulled down from the clouds at the end of a kite string, Mary Poppins is here again to take the Banks children in hand, leading them from one head-spinning adventure to another.
My reactions
Oh, My! I read these books when I was about nine or ten years old. My best friend and I would share the books back and forth, spending countless hours at recess and over lunch talking about Mary Poppins, the Banks children and their fantastical adventures. There were only four books in the series at that time, and I think we read each of them three or four times. This was before the Disney movie adaptation, which we eventually saw and loved, though we recognized the differences and were a little disappointed that some of our favorite adventures were missing.
I re-read the first book when my first niece was about six (she’s 19 now), thinking I might want to give her the series. I was struck by how mean and unpleasant Mary Poppins was – definitely not the lovable nanny of my memory!
I had no such reaction this time, although Mary Poppins is certainly a stern taskmaster at times, not to mention vain. But I just loved the adventures she and the children had! Who would not smile at Mr Turvy, the Balloon Woman, or the trip to the Constellations?!
Sophie Thompson does a marvelous job narrating the audio version. Like many children’s books, this one lends itself easily to being read aloud. Thompson has great pacing, and a gift for voices that really helps to bring these characters to life.