Peter Pan

by J. M. Barrie, Jim Dale (Narrated by)

Overview

Listening Library presents one of the greatest children’s stories of all time narrated by one of the greatest narrators, Jim Dale.

Join Wendy, John, and Michael Darling as they follow Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, to a world where fairies live and children can fly. But beware—dangers abound in this magical land of mermaids, Indians, and fairy dust. Captain Hook and his pirate crew want all children to walk the plank, especially Peter Pan. There's always an adventure to be had in Never Land. So come along with all the Darling children as they soar into the Night Sky—second to the right and straight on till morning!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739336915
Publisher:	Listening Library, Inc.
Publication date:	09/26/2006
Series:	Peter Pan
Edition description:	Unabridged

About the Author

J.M. Barrie, the son of a weaver, was born near Dundee, Scotland, in 1860. He was a journalist and novelist and began writing for the stage in 1892. Peter Pan, first produced in London on December 27, 1904, was an immediate success. The story of Peter Pan first appeared in book form (titled Peter and Wendy, and later Peter Pan and Wendy) in 1911. Barrie died in 1937, bequeathing the copyright of Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, a hospital for children.

Susan Cooper is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her classic five-book fantasy sequence The Dark Is Rising won the Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor. She is also the author of Victory, a Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth book and a Washington Post Top Ten for Children novel; King of Shadows, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor book; The Boggart; Seaward; Ghost Hawk; and many other acclaimed novels for young readers and listeners. She lives in Massachusetts, and you can visit her online at TheLostLand.com.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

Peter Breaks Through

ALL CHILDREN, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, "Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!" This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

Of course they lived at 14, and until Wendy came her mother was the chief one. She was a lovely lady, with a romantic mind and such a sweet mocking mouth. Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East, however many you discover there is always one more; and her sweet mocking mouth had one kiss on it that Wendy could never get, though there it was, perfectly conspicuous in the righthand corner.

The way Mr. Darling won her was this: the many gentlemen who had been boys when she was a girl discovered simultaneously that they loved her, and they all ran to her house to propose to her except Mr. Darling, who took a cab and nipped in first, and so he got her. He got all of her, except the innermost box and the kiss. He never knew about the box, and in time he gave up trying for the kiss. Wendy thought Napoleon could have got it, but I can picture him trying, and then going off in a passion, slamming the door.

Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him. He was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares. Of course no one really knows, but he quite seemed to know, and he often said stocks were up and shares were down in a way that would have made any woman respect him.

Mrs. Darling was married in white, and at first she kept the books perfectly, almost gleefully, as if it were a game, not so much as a brussels sprout was missing; but by and by whole cauliflowers dropped out, and instead of them there were pictures of babies without faces. She drew them when she should have been totting up. They were Mrs. Darling's guesses.

Wendy came first, then John, then Michael.

For a week or two after Wendy came it was doubtful whether they would be able to keep her, as she was another mouth to feed. Mr. Darling was frightfully proud of her, but he was very honourable, and he sat on the edge of Mrs. Darling's bed, holding her hand and calculating expenses, while she looked at him imploringly. She wanted to risk it, come what might, but that was not his way; his way was with a pencil and a piece of paper, and if she confused him with suggestions he had to begin at the beginning again.

"Now don't interrupt," he would beg of her. "I have one pound seventeen here, and two and six at the office; I can cut off my coffee at the office, say ten shillings, making two nine and six, with your eighteen and three makes three nine seven, with five naught naught in my cheque-book makes eight nine seven-who is that moving?-eight nine seven, dot and carry seven-don't speak, my own-and the pound you lent to that man who came to the door-quiet, child-dot and carry child-there, you've done it!-did I say nine nine seven? yes, I said nine nine seven; the question is, can we try it for a year on nine nine seven?"

"Of course we can, George," she cried. But she was prejudiced in Wendy's favour, and he was really the grander character of the two.

"Remember mumps," he warned her almost threateningly, and off he went again. "Mumps one pound, that is...

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

J.M. Barrie: A Brief Chronology

A Note on the Texts

PRIMARY TEXT:

Peter and Wendy

FORMATIVE TEXTS:

Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up

"An After-Thought"

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

Appendix A: Contemporary Reviews (Plays)

Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up

1. The New York Times (28 December 1904)

2. The Times (28 December 1904)

3. The Saturday Review (7 January 1905)

4. The New York Times (12 November 1905)

5. The New York Times (10 June 1906)

"An After-Thought"

1. The New York Times (15 March 1908)

Appendix B: Contemporary Reviews (Books)

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

1. The New York Times (4 December 1910)

2. The New York Times (4 December 1910)

Peter and Wendy

1. The New York Times (22 October 1911)

2. The Literary Digest (19 November 1911)

Appendix C: Peter Pan Material

1. Manuscript Page of "Fairy" (1903)

2. "Davy Jones' Locker" (1904)

3. Frank Gillette's Costume Designs for 1905 London Production of Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up (1905)

4. Maude Adams from the 1905 New York Production of Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up (1905)

5. Pauline Chase from the 1907 Playbill Touring Production Poster of Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up (1907)

Appendix D: Related Texts by J.M. Barrie

1. Preface to The Coral Island (1913)

2. "Captain Hook at Eton" (1927)

3. "To the Five" (1928)

Appendix E: Images and Illustrations

1. "The Child's Map of Kensington Gardens." Illustration by Henry Justice Ford from The Little White Bird (1902)

2. "Peter Pan’s Map of Kensington Gardens." Illustration by Arthur Rackham from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906)

3. J.M. Barrie's Key to Kensington Gardens (1903)

4. "We Feel Dancey." Illustration by Arthur Rackham from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906)

5. "Title Page." Illustration by Francis Donkin Bedford from first edition of Peter and Wendy (1911)

6. "Peter Flew In." Illustration by Francis Donkin Bedford from first edition of Peter and Wendy (1911)

7. "Peter Pan Playing Pipes" and "Wendy on Rock." Illustrations by Mabel Lucie Attwell from Peter Pan and Wendy (1921)

8. Diarmuid Byron-O'Connor's Sculpture of Peter Pan at GOSH (2000)

Select Bibliography and Works Cited

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Barrie wrote his fantasy of childhood, added another figure to our enduring literature, and thereby undoubtedly made one of the boldest bids for immortality of any writer. . . . It is a masterpiece.”
–J. B. PRIESTLEY

Interviews

J.M. Barrie was a Scottish author. He later moved to London, England where he became a playwright and novelist. The Llewelyn Davies boys, who he became their guardian following the deaths of their parents, inspired him to write the indelible and beloved classic, Peter Pan.

Silke Leffler was born in Austria. She studied textile design and worked for a design studio in England. Since 1996 she has worked as a freelance textile designer and illustrator of children’s books.

Editorial Reviews

Barrie wrote his fantasy of childhood, added another figure to our enduring literature, and thereby undoubtedly made one of the boldest bids for immortality of any writer. . . . It is a masterpiece.”
–J. B. PRIESTLEY

From the Publisher

Take a tour through the magical story of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan with gorgeous maps, fairy clap charts, crocodiles, mermaids and fairy dust galore via these stunning illustrations by Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima—AKA Minalima—from their beautiful new illustrated version of the classic tale.

The Guardian

This lovely hardcover of Peter Pan is designed to look like something from an earlier era, with off-white paper and a limited color palette of mostly orange and green for the illustrations.

Geek Dad

Seriously, the new Peter Pan volume is just a delight. Not only is it a beautifully bound hardcover, but every page looks just stunning.

io9

Unique and imaginative in their style, MinaLima has created a Peter Pan that will become a beloved attention to any library. Hook a copy now!

Examiner.com

Just like all the genius designs they created for the Potter films...Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima have truly outdone themselves in creating a book that is not only gorgeous but also uniquely fun.

MuggleNet.com

Leffler updates the classic Peter Pan and Wendy tale by James Barrie with new illustrations. The pictures are softly colored; for example, Wendy is in a white and pink nightdress; John in a brown and cream plaid pajama set; and Michael is in soft teal, footy pajamas. Even Peter Pan’s bright green outfit is more of a mixture of forest, olive, and pea greens. When the plotline has more dramatic moments—such as meeting Peter Pan, flying to Never Neverland or Peter’s fight with Captain Hook—the illustrations are big and take up at least one page. However, there are other details, like objects or people, illustrated throughout, so readers will not go more than one or two pages without some sort of illustration. This is a good edition for young readers who might be interested in the story but have a hard time reading the lengthy novel without an illustration on every other page or so. All in all, this is a welcome edition with lovely illustrations that children will enjoy seeing in a beloved tale. Reviewer: Joella Peterson; Ages 5 to 10.

Children's Literature - Joella Peterson

This serviceable, if uninspired, adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic faithfully renders the plot of Peter Pan while simplifying and shortening the language for younger readers. As in the original, three siblings named Wendy, John and Michael Darling meet Peter Pan, the boy who won't grow up, and fly with him to Neverland. To the consternation of the jealous fairy Tinker Bell, Wendy agrees to become mother to Peter Pan's crew of Lost Boys. Eventually the Darling children return home, but not before being kidnapped by the pirate Captain Hook. Since this adaptation retains even the most minor plot points, the abridgement happens in the descriptions. As a result, the exuberant plot of the original seems merely busy here. The pace and tone are unvaried, and transitions can be choppy or downright confusing. For example, Peter Pan is introduced one night while the children sleep and Mrs. Darling, cleaning the nursery, finds the name Peter. In the original, this followed a lengthy, whimsical explanation of how mothers tidy clutter not only in rooms, but also in their sleeping children's minds. In the adaptation, the reader is simply left to wonder what it means to find a name. Without Barrie's brilliant language, fanciful observations, and satirical edge—the traits that made Peter Pan a classic—we're left with a tolerable pirate story for six- to nine-year-olds. Adventure fans may enjoy this early chapter book. It is doubtful, however, that readers will return to this one again and again. Unless a young child has a burning desire to independently read a Peter Pan story, I would recommend they either wait a few years to read Barrie's original or share the original as a read-aloud with an adult (who will appreciate the parts that go over the child's head). Part of the "Calico Illustrated Classics" series. Reviewer: Deborah Steinig

Children's Literature - Deborah Steinig

01/01/2015
Gr 3–6—The story of Peter Pan, that little boy who just wouldn't grow up, has been a childhood staple for years. Though countless film and musical adaptations ensure that most children will be familiar with the basic story of how Peter arrives on the scene, taking Wendy, John, and Michael Darling to Neverland for adventures with mermaids, pirates, and Indians, the original story is in many ways darker and more poignant (as well as more whimsical) than many will remember. Barrie is also droll, and many adults will appreciate his piquant jabs at Edwardian society and mores, which will fly over the heads of most children. This particular edition of the classic, originally published in 1980 and now in print again, features mesmerizing, nostalgia-inducing illustrations from Caldecott winner Hyman. Black-and-white images rendered in India ink and full-color acrylic paintings depict well-known scenes—the Darling children taking flight, Peter in combat with the villainous Captain Hook—mixing in just a hint of menace (the pirates are certainly fearsome, and even Peter looks quite feral, more fairy than boy). This enchanting version soars.

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