Mary Poppins P.L. Travers created one of the most iconic characters in the canon of children's literature with Mary Poppins. The first novel in the series, Mary Poppins, was published in 1934. In Mary Poppins, the divide between the world of adults and the world of children is clearly established using techniques like magical realism. However, Travers does not rely solely on the realm of fantasy to convey the differences between the child and adult worldviews. In the opening scene of the novel, the children clearly establish their point-of-view and perception of adults. Using the third person omniscient narrator allows insight also into how the adult characters of Mary Poppins view children. The opening scene of Mary Poppins introduces the titular character and establishes her relationship with children. The opening scene is particularly meaningful to children and young adult readers, and suggests that childhood and adulthood are not necessarily incompatible stages of life.

In the opening scene...

Mr. And Mrs. Banks are established as being loving parents: after all, when faced with the choice of having "either a nice, clean, comfortable house or four children," Mrs. Banks gave the matter "some consideration" and concluded she would rather have Jane, Michael, John, and Barbara (p. 2). Although the Banks family could afford a nanny, wages are of some concern. The former nanny, Katie Nanna, has "disappeared," without any explanation -- perhaps suggesting that the four Banks kids were too much for her to handle on her modest salary (p. 3). Thus, the opening scene establishes the world of adults as being consumed with practical considerations such as finances and home management. The world of the children is more reactive in nature. For example, the children never liked Katie Nanna to begin with: she was "old and fat and smelt of barley-water," (p. 5). The imagery is…