Mary Poppins: Not Your Average Children’s Book
Children’s books are often categorized as safe, sweet, and full of laughter. In many ways, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers fulfils these labels. Mrs. Banks is usually cheerful and doting on the children. The characters from cherry tree lane always provide some type of amusement. Mary Poppins herself—while stern—makes the children feel safe while encouraging them to explore new things. However—although the typical labels hold true for the works—there are certain scenes in the stories and CWU production that exhibit underlying tones of fear and terror that contradict the sweet, fuzzy stereotype of children’s literature.
Throughout the Mary Poppins collection there are several instances where the children are frightened or unsure of where they are or what is going to happen next. This fearful feeling is extremely prominent in the third chapter of Mary Poppins Comes Back. In this chapter, the eldest child—Jane—throws a tantrum about the responsibilities associated with being the oldest child. After Mary Poppins punishes her by making her stay home from tea at Mrs. Lark's, Jane—out of anger—throws her paint box at a painted china bowl,
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The concept of magic itself—which Mary Poppins demonstrates heavily in the stories—is often a disturbing idea for children to grasp because there is not a literal explanation for it. Similarly, some of the descriptive language in the books can be disturbing. For instance, in the eighth chapter of Mary Poppins there is a particularly bothersome scene between Mrs. Corry and the twins where she simply “[breaks] off two of her fingers and [gives] one each to John and Barbara” (125). The image created with this quote is not something a reader would expect from a children’s story. However, despite the few disturbing scenes in Mary Poppins, the comedic dialogue and exciting adventures still appeal to children of all