Mary Poppins

Sometimes, authors for young readers include topics for older readers in the narrative. What are three examples of this, and why are they important to the book as a whole?

Mary Poppins mocks the Starling when it sheds a tear upon realizing that the twins are no longer able to speak in the special language of nature. Discuss this sense of loss from the Starling’s point of view, as well as your own.

Why is Mrs. Corry so important to Mary Poppins and so deserving of respect? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Do you believe Mary Poppins is a harsh person or a soft-hearted person underneath a gruff exterior? Use evidence from the text to support your response.

P.L. Travers purportedly disliked the marketing of her story as a children’s book, as she had written it with an adult audience in mind. What message do you think she was hoping to convey to adult readers through the story of the Banks children, and why did she choose children as her protagonists?

Select one of the animals Jane and Michael meet at the zoo. Analyze this animal’s experience living at the zoo based on the information that animal gives to Jane and Michael and the conversation they share.

P.L. Travers is the pen name of Helen Lyndon Goff, and she was known to exaggerate various details about her life. How might this tendency to stretch the truth impact a reader’s understanding of the novel?

Scholars have commented on the debt Travers owes to mythology. What mythological elements do you observe in Mary Poppins? Describe the characters and/or events from the novel, as well as the myth to which they correspond.