Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie | 1911 | HarperCollins | Hardcover $30
For more than a century, the adventures of Peter Pan — the boy who can fly and never grows up — and Wendy Darling have captured the hearts of generations of readers. In this enchanting illustrated volume, the fantastical world of Neverland and its magical inhabitants, including the Lost Boys, Captain Hook, Tiger Lily, and the beloved Tinker Bell, are brought to life like never before.
This is one of those children’s books that somehow continues to appeal to readers as they age, despite being written for a younger audience. Part of that is the theme of the narrative — growing up — but part of it is the clever, charming writing style. It’s widely considered a “classic” for good reason.
At times it’s quite cute and funny, at others surprisingly serious. Ultimately, upon re-reading it as an adult, I found the story rather sad. Despite all the adventure and magic, Peter Pan is a tragic figure — forever unable to grow up, forever an innocent/heartless lost boy.
It’s worth noting that the story does, of course, include some outdated ideas about women and Native Americans, seeing them from the viewpoint of an Edwardian-era British child.
Besides the story itself, though, this review applies specifically to this edition of the book, which was brilliantly illustrated by the artists of design studio MinaLima.
And really, illustrated isn’t entirely the correct word. The book also includes several interactive inserts, upping the charm of the whole thing by a factor of 10. I particularly enjoyed the “Medical Notes” item, which features little maps of the Darling children’s minds that cleverly fold out into their shared map of Neverland, and the “Crock O’clock” timepiece with its fun moveable crocodile clock-hands.
Links:
- House of MinaLima
- Discover J.M. Barrie
- Peter Pan information from the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity
- J.M. Barrie Collection at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
- “Why J.M. Barrie Created Peter Pan” article from The New Yorker
Publication information: Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2015. Hardcover.
Source: Personal library.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
