"Mary Poppins" - P. L. Travers

I adore the film, I love the show, but I've never actually known the drive behind those two.
Until this week :)

I was walking between the aisles of my library and then I saw something. With a stripped pink-white cover, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. I instantly grabbed it! And although I was reading another book, I started on it anyway ^^

Right from the first page, I was transported to the world of the 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Of course having seen the movie and the stage production I was slightly confused by the story line, but I quickly understood the plot. And how Mary Poppins is fierce.

Even though Julie Andrews was quite stern, and the Mary Poppins-es on stage were even more stern, Mary Poppins in the book is even more stern! Like, really! But at the same time, she's really nice ^^

What an adventure Jane and Michael went to. The tea party, the midnight zoo - birthday party, the compass trip around the world, the sweet shop visit. Now I'm hungry for some gingerbread. Hmm, gingerbread.

Sometimes I wonder if P.L.Travers would have various manuscripts and drafts of this work. She doesn't seem like the one who do, but how did such story and character came to her? :)


The ending was bittersweet. I think the stage show captured the sadness better, when the film chose to add the 'kite' scene and uplift the mood.

And still, both managed to capture (what I think) the most important person in the book: the bird woman. Having read the story now, I understood why the Sherman brothers started with "Feed the Bird", and why it became one of Walt Disney's favorite songs.


I feel like I need more of Mary Poppins!
The book, the movie, the show, Saving Mr. Banks.. I love Mary Poppins' world!
I heard a sequel is coming. I'm always unsure of sequels, hopefully it'll be a good one. We need one with fresh idioms and lessons and values.

A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down.


CHEERS!
-*^^*-