Purpose of this Blog...

You may have noticed that not all books are equal in capturing children's imaginations and in cultivating those innocent, tender souls. My goal is to help you find the ones that do!
(Painting by Mary Cassatt: "Mrs Cassatt Reading to her Grandchildren" -1888)




Wednesday, October 3, 2012

"Straight on Till Morning"

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"Second to the right, and straight on till morning." 

That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to the Neverland; but even birds, carrying maps and consulting them at windy corners, could not have sighted it with these instructions. 

Peter, you see, just said anything that came into his head. 

At first his companions trusted him implicitly, and so great were the delights of flying that they wasted time circling round church spires or any other tall objects on the way that took their fancy... 

Sometimes he poised himself in the air, listening intently, with his hand to his ear, and again he would stare down with eyes so bright that they seemed to bore two holes to earth. Having done these things, he went on again. His courage was almost appalling. 

"Would you like an adventure now," he said casually to John, "or would you like to have your tea first?" 

Wendy said "tea first" quickly, and Michael pressed her hand in gratitude, but the braver John hesitated. 

"What kind of adventure?" he asked cautiously.

{from Peter Pan and Wendy, Chapter 4, "The Flight"}

Don't miss this amazing website, Neverpedia.  You can read online: Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (originally published in 1902 as chapters 13-18 of J.M. Barrie's novel The Little White Bird) and Peter Pan and Wendy (Barrie's 1911 novelization of his famous play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up -1904).

Looking for the best version of Peter Pan?  Look no further: The Annotated Peter Pan...

Anita Silvy recommends:
"I am absolutely delighted that The Annotated Peter Pan has been published. So much valuable material has been brought together in this volume that it is worth having—or giving as a gift—for any fan of Peter Pan.

Tatar masterfully re-creates Barrie’s life. With an even hand, she explores Barrie’s marriage and his relationships with the five sons of Arthur and Sylvia Llewlyn Davies, who provided both the inspiration for Peter Pan and an audience for early renditions. Certainly Barrie’s psyche, which produced a saga about the boy who never grew up, provides a great deal of material for any writer. Rather than aiming for the sensational, or even the speculative, Tatar uses impeccable scholarship to ground the book in what can be learned from primary documents found at the Beinecke Library at Yale.

She rounds out her analysis with fascinating photos and materials such as a reproduction of Arthur Rackham’s artwork for Peter Pan in Kensington Garden. Barrie’s early rendition of the story, The Boys Castaway of Black Lake Island, created for the Llewlyn Davies boys, has been included in its entirety. Pictures from the Walt Disney animated movie and even shots of Johnny Depp, portraying Barrie in the film Finding Neverland, round out the book. Rarely has such an extensive body of archival materials been pulled together to celebrate a cultural icon."

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