Mary Plain facts for kids
Mary Plain is a fun bear character from British children's books. She stars in many adventure stories. A Welsh writer named Gwynedd Rae created Mary. Her first book, Mostly Mary, came out in 1930. The last new book, Mary Plain's Whodunnit, was published in 1965. The books were printed again as paperbacks in the 1970s. Newer versions of Mostly Mary and All Mary came out in the 1990s. In 2017, Egmont released more editions of four books.
Contents
Meet Mary Plain and Friends
Mary Plain is a bear, but she acts a lot like a human child. She can talk and even learns to write using rebuses (pictures that stand for words). But she doesn't wear clothes. The author, Gwynedd Rae, made sure to say Mary is not a teddy bear.
Mary's Human Friend
Mary's best friend is a kind human called the Owl Man. He got his name because he wears spectacles, which are like glasses. He is very patient and caring with Mary. The Owl Man often takes Mary on fun trips and helps her when she gets into trouble. He acts like a parent guiding her.
Where Mary Lives
Mary and her bear family live in the Bear Pits. This is a special place for bears in Bern, a city in Switzerland.
How the Books Are Written
The Mary Plain books are divided into chapters. They have many pictures inside and on the covers. The first books had illustrations only on the front cover. Later paperback versions had pictures on both the front and back.
Changes Over Time
The cover pictures were updated in the 1970s. Some parts of the stories were also changed. For example, money references were updated to decimal coinage. Also, a Blue Peter presenter named John Noakes replaced an older radio host, Uncle Mac, from Children's Hour.
The Artists Who Drew Mary
Many talented artists have drawn Mary Plain over the years.
- Harry Rountree: He was the first artist for Mostly Mary and All Mary.
- Irene Williamson: She took over from the third book. She also drew for later editions of the first two books.
- Janina Ede: She created new drawings for the Knight Books reprints in the late 1960s and 1970s.
- Clara Vulliamy: Her illustrations are in the Egmont Press editions.
Mary Plain on Screen and Radio
Mary Plain's adventures have been shared in other ways too.
- Radio: Her stories were read on BBC Radio's Children's Hour in the 1930s.
- Television: In 1969, the popular BBC TV show Jackanory featured Mary Plain. The actor Richard Wattis read the books aloud.
Mary Plain Books List
Here is a list of the original Mary Plain books:
- 1930: Mostly Mary
- 1931: All Mary
- 1935: Mary Plain in Town
- 1937: Mary Plain on Holiday
- 1940: Mary Plain in Trouble
- 1942: Mary Plain in War-Time
- 1944: Mary Plain's Big Adventure
- 1949: Mary Plain Home Again
- 1950: Mary Plain to the Rescue
- 1952: Mary Plain and the Twins
- 1954: Mary Plain Goes Bob-a-Jobbing
- 1957: Mary Plain Goes to America
- 1961: Mary Plain, V.I.P.
- 1965: Mary Plain's "Whodunit"
