Mary Poppins Opens the Door facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | P. L. Travers |
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| Illustrator | Mary Shepard |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Series | Mary Poppins |
| Genre | children, fantasy |
| Publisher | Peter Davies Reynal & Hitchcock (US) |
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Publication date
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1943 |
| Pages | 219 (UK); 239 (US) |
| OCLC | 64447512 |
| LC Class | PZ7.T689 Mat |
| Preceded by | Mary Poppins Comes Back |
| Followed by | Mary Poppins in the Park |
Mary Poppins Opens the Door is a fun fantasy book for children. It was written by the Australian-British author P. L. Travers. This book is the third story in the popular Mary Poppins series. It continues the amazing adventures of the magical English nanny Mary Poppins. The book was first published in 1943. It features lovely illustrations by Mary Shepard and Agnes Sims.
Contents
What Happens in the Book?
The story begins on Guy Fawkes Night. Mary Poppins arrives right after the Banks family finishes their fireworks show. The Banks children, Michael, Jane, and the twins (John and Barbara), along with baby Annabel, beg her to stay. Mary Poppins agrees, but only "till the door opens." Jane is confused, saying the nursery door always opens. Mary Poppins then explains she means "the Other Door."
Magical Adventures with Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins and the children need to find a piano tuner. They visit Mary's cousin, Mr. Twigley, who is a piano tuner. Mr. Twigley wants to get rid of seven wishes he received at birth. Besides pianos, he also works with songbirds like nightingales. He even releases one while they are there. He also gives Mary and the children music boxes to dance to. When they get home, the piano sounds perfect. Mary Poppins doesn't explain how it happened.
The book is full of other exciting adventures. Mary Poppins tells a story about a clever cat and a king. This story is called "The Cat That Looked at a King." During one of their trips, a park statue of Neleus magically comes to life. They also visit Miss Calico, a confectioner, who has flying peppermint sticks!
Mary Poppins also takes the children to an undersea party. This party is called the High-Tide party, and Mary Poppins is the special guest. They even attend a party between different fairy tale characters. This party happens in the "Crack between the Old Year and the New." The children wonder why Mary Poppins, a real person, is at this fairy tale party. They are told she is a fairy tale that came true. The next morning, Jane and Michael find proof of their adventure. Mary Poppins doesn't deny it this time. She just tells them they might also live happily ever after.
Mary Poppins Says Goodbye
Finally, many people from the town and characters from earlier books gather. They are there to say goodbye to Mary. The children realize that Mary Poppins is leaving, not them. They rush to the nursery to see her go. She opens the nursery door's reflection in the window and leaves through it.
Later that night, Mr. Banks sees a shooting star. Everyone makes a wish on it. The children wish to remember Mary Poppins forever. They can faintly see her in the star. They wave, and she waves back. The story ends by saying Mary Poppins flew away. But the special gifts she brought would stay with them always.
Mary Poppins on Screen
In 2004, Julie Andrews appeared in a short film. It was 10 minutes long and combined live-action with animation. This film was made by DisneyToon Studios. It was part of the 40th Anniversary DVD for the movie Mary Poppins.
The short film was called The Cat That Looked at a King. It was based on the story from Mary Poppins Opens the Door. In the film, two modern British children look at chalk drawings. This is the same place where Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke, drew in the original movie. Julie Andrews, playing herself, greets the children. She takes them into the chalk drawing. There, they watch the story of a cat (Tracey Ullman) who challenges a king (David Ogden Stiers) to a trivia contest. If the cat wins, the king must stop focusing on facts. He needs to reconnect with his queen.
Back in the real world, Julie Andrews acts like Mary Poppins. She denies she has been away. Andrews and the cat face each other. The shadow of Mary Poppins appears in one of the chalk drawings.
The idea of Mary Poppins staying "till the door opens" was also used in the movie Mary Poppins Returns.
