"She's something special, you see."

Some 37 years ago, my three years old daughter was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer and, together, we spent most of the next fifteen months in near isolation in a small hospital room as she endured the radical chemotherapy, mostly bed bound and and very ill. But it was, strangely, a happy time. With little else that we could do, we watched video films, including that of Mary Poppins which we saw at least once every day. I became word perfect.
But I never read the original book until now.

The film and the book are, predictably, not the same: there is much more brightness and laughter in the film, the Nanny who agreed to stay in the Banks' household 'until the wind changed' less stern and self centred, too. Yet the magic of childhood and mysteries beyond the everyday vision is decidedly there and, quite honestly, I loved this little 85 years old story, in this case narrated by Olivia Colman, a very British reading, clear, nicely modulated, and well articulated with character voices (and, thank goodness, no dreadful chimney sweep accents).

Such fun. Recommended..

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I <3 Olivia Colman!!!!

Olivia Colman's reading of Mary Poppins is simply magical! Our family loved every minute of it.

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Better than the movie, hardly an achievement

A book about children whose mother is unemployed but hires a nanny nevertheless. Nanny gaslights children most of the time and children grow attached to aforementioned smug and snappy woman. Olivia Colman is the best narrator ever.

AMAZING INTERPRETATION

The story itself is one of the most whimsical, weird, charming, moving stories I've ever read and the performance of the reader was IMPECCABLE. I was constantly sucked in and felt every emotion along the way. Fantastic.

AMAZING

Its a great book. I thought Marry Poppins was in my room!
Love this story, and maybe Mary Poppins will come back.