Mary Poppins (book series)


Mary Poppins is a series of eight children's books written by Australian-British writer P. L. Travers and published over the period 1934 to 1988. Mary Shepard was the illustrator throughout the series. The series began with Mary Poppins in 1934.
The books centre on the magical English nanny Mary Poppins, who is blown by the East wind to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, and into the Banks household to care for their children. Encounters with pavement-painters and shopkeepers, and various adventures ensue, until Mary Poppins abruptly leaves, i.e., "pops out". Only the first three of the eight books feature Mary Poppins arriving and leaving. The later five books recount previously unrecorded adventures from her original three visits. As Travers explains in her introduction to Mary Poppins in the Park, "She cannot forever arrive and depart."
The books were adapted by Walt Disney into a musical film titled Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The film Saving Mr. Banks depicted the making of the 1964 film. Disney's sequel to the 1964 film, Mary Poppins Returns, was released in 2018, and stars Emily Blunt as Poppins.
In 2004, Disney Theatrical in collaboration with Sir Cameron Mackintosh produced a stage musical also called Mary Poppins in London's West End theatre. The stage musical was transferred to Broadway, in New York, in 2006, where it ran until its closing on 3 March 2013.

Books

''Mary Poppins'', published 1934

The first book introduces the Banks family from Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London, consisting of Mr and Mrs Banks, their children Jane and Michael, and baby twins John and Barbara. When the children's nanny, Katie Nanna, storms out in a huff, Mary Poppins arrives at their home, complete with her travelling carpet bag, blown in by a very strong east wind. She accepts the job, and the children soon learn that their nanny, though stern, vain and usually cross, has a magical touch that makes her wonderful. Among the things Jane and Michael experience are a tea party on a ceiling with Mr Wigg, a trip around the world with a compass, the purchase of gingerbread stars from the extremely old Mrs Corry, a meeting with the Bird Woman, a birthday party at the zoo among the animals, and a Christmas shopping trip with a star named Maia from the Pleiades cluster in the constellation Taurus. In the end, in what is perhaps the most iconic image associated with Mary Poppins, she opens her umbrella and the west wind carries her away. She leaves behind a note letting the children know that they will meet her again someday.

Original and revised versions of the "Bad Tuesday" chapter

Mary Poppins contained a version of the chapter "Bad Tuesday" in which Mary and the children use a compass to visit places all over the world in a remarkably short period of time. The original story in the 1934 edition contained a variety of cultural and ethnic stereotypes of Chinese, Native Alaskan or Inuit, sub-Saharan Africans, and Native Americans. Travers responded to criticism by revising the chapter twice. A 1967 revision removed offensive words and stereotypical descriptions and dialogue, but kept the plot of visiting foreign people, and retained drawings of ethnic stereotypes standing at the compass-points. In 1981 a second revision replaced people with animals; original illustrator Mary Shepard altered the four compass points in the accompanying drawing to show a polar bear at the north, a macaw at the south, a panda at the east, and a dolphin at the west. Mary Poppins had been banned from circulation in the San Francisco Public Library system in 1980 due to the negative stereotyping. The 1981 revised version was included in BBC Radio 4's 2004 adaptation of Mary Poppins starring Juliet Stevenson.

''Mary Poppins Comes Back'', published 1935

Nothing has been right since Mary Poppins left Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane. One day, when Mrs. Banks sends the children out to the park, Michael flies his kite up into the clouds. Everyone is surprised, when Michael reels his kite in, to find that Mary Poppins is at the end of the string. She takes charge of the children once again. This time, Jane and Michael meet the fearsome Miss Andrew, experience an upside-down tea party, and visit a circus in the sky.
In the chapter "The New One" a girl, Annabel, is born into the Banks family, and concludes the family of now five children: three daughters and two sons. As in Mary Poppins, Mary leaves at the end, but this time with a "return ticket, just in case" she needs to return.

''Mary Poppins Opens the Door'', published 1943

When Mary last left the Banks children in Cherry Tree Lane, she took a "return ticket, just in case". In the third book, she returns to the park in front of Cherry Tree Lane the way she came, falling with fireworks. Once again she takes up nanny duties in the Banks household and leads Jane, Michael, the toddler twins John and Barbara on various magical adventures. This time, they visit her cousin Fred Twigley, befriend a statue that has come to life, go riding on peppermint horses, and experience a garden party under the sea.
This book has the story where Mary permanently leaves Cherry Tree Lane at the end of the book. She opens her umbrella, and it carries her off into the night. The children are happy she kept her promise to stay until the door opened, and they and their parents happily gather round the fire.

''Mary Poppins in the Park'', published 1952

This fourth book contains six adventures of the Banks children with Mary Poppins during their outings in the park along Cherry Tree Lane. Chronologically the events in this book occurred during the second or third book. Among the adventures they experience are a tea party with the people who live under the dandelions, a visit to cats on a different planet, and a Halloween dance party with their shadows.

''Mary Poppins From A to Z'', published 1962

Twenty-six vignettes weave unexpected tales of Mary Poppins, the Banks children, and other characters from Travers's previous novels. Each vignette is filled with fun and unusual words that start with the featured letter.

''Mary Poppins in the Kitchen'', published 1975

Mary Poppins comes to the rescue when the Banks's family cook goes on an unexpected leave, teaching the young Banks children the basics of cooking in the process. The book includes recipes.

''Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane'', published 1982

Mary Poppins takes the Banks children on yet another memorable adventure, this time on the magical Midsummer's Eve. All kinds of strange things can happen, and even mythical figures can descend from the heavens. At the back of the book is a list of the herbs that are mentioned in the story, with their botanical, local and Latin names.

''Mary Poppins and the House Next Door'', published 1988

The residents of Cherry Tree Lane are distressed to learn that their beloved Number Eighteen, an empty house for which each neighbour has created an imaginary, wished-for tenant, is about to be occupied by Mr. Banks' childhood governess, Miss Andrew, otherwise known as "the Holy Terror". Her dreaded arrival brings a pleasant surprise as well, for Luti, a boy from the South Seas, has accompanied her as both servant and student. Delighted by the prospect of a new friend, Jane and Michael are frustrated by the restrictions that the hypochondriacal Miss Andrew has placed on Luti, who grows more and more homesick for his family and tropical surroundings. When the call in his heart to return home becomes more than he can bear, it is Mary Poppins who makes the trip possible by means of a visit to the Man in the Moon.

Adaptations

Due to the series' popularity, there were several adaptations of the books to various media.

Main characters

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is a magical nanny who sweeps into the Banks home on Cherry Tree Lane and takes charge of the Banks children. She never acknowledges her strange and magical powers, and feigns insult when one of the children refers to her previous adventures. She first arrives with her open umbrella when she is blown to Cherry Tree Lane by the East Wind. At the end of the first book, she opens up her umbrella to the West Wind and lets it lift her up into the air and away from the children. In the 1964 Disney film of the same name, she is portrayed by Julie Andrews; in the 2018 sequel Mary Poppins Returns, she is portrayed by Emily Blunt; in the 2004 BBC Radio 4 drama, she is played by Juliet Stevenson; in the 2004 West End musical adaptation, she is portrayed by Laura Michelle Kelly.

Parrot umbrella

He is Mary Poppins's umbrella. He has a parrot head for a handle, and is the colour black. He is always picked up and taken everywhere by Mary Poppins. At the end of the first book, she opens him up on the first day of Spring, and the blowing wind blows into him and lifts him and Mary Poppins into the air and away from the Banks family's house. He loves flying, as stated in the final story of the third book, when after "opening the door", Mary Poppins opens him up and he soars up quickly, as if glad to be free. Since he is magical, he can talk as well as fly. In the 1964 film, he is aware of how Mary Poppins really feels about the children, but she denies it, saying that they should love their father more than her. In the 1964 Disney film, he is voiced by David Tomlinson, who also played Mr Banks. In the 2018 sequel, he is voiced by Edward Hibbert.

Banks children

In the books there are five Banks children: Jane, Michael, fraternal twins John and Barbara, and Annabel. Jane and Michael are the eldest and go on most of the magical adventures with Mary Poppins; they are the most prominent and vocal of the Banks children. John and Barbara are toddler twins who only start going on adventures in the second book. Annabel is the youngest and is born midway through the second book. Though the ages of the children are never made explicit, Jane is estimated to be around seven years old in Mary Poppins with Michael being a year or two younger, and John and Barbara have their first birthday in the same book and appear to be around two years old when Annabel is born. Only Jane and Michael appear in the film and stage musical. In the film they are portrayed by Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber; in the 2018 sequel, they are portrayed as adults by Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw; in the 2004 BBC Radio 4 drama, they are played by Sophie Stuckey and Jonathan Bee. John and Annabel appear in the 2018 film Mary Poppins Returns, but are presented as being Michael's children, rather than his siblings. Michael also has a third child in the film named Georgie.