Peter Pan

Peter Pan
by J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan
List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $17.68
You Save: $12.27 (41%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $10.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: J.M. Barrie
Reader: Jim Dale
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Published: 2006-09-12
ISBN: 0739336908
Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)

Book Reviews of Peter Pan

Book Review: Not sure this is really a story for young children
Summary: 5 Stars

My only exposure to Peter Pan was the Disney version and a stage play (based largely on the Disney version), so in listening to this unabridged original, I was a bit surprised to find it darker and more adult than the Disney adaptation. Tinkerbell, in particular, is darker and more adult in her "naughtiness" -- both in her jealousy of Wendy and in her feelings for Peter. The author several times mentions her "off-color language" and indeed she does several times call Peter a 3-letter word beginning with "a". Also, there are mentions of her desire for privacy, and once Peter refers to her "negligee", all of which give Tinkerbell a quite different persona that the cutesey/naughty fairy in the Disney film.

All of which is to say that, although this is a clean and fanciful fairy tale, I don't know that it is all that appropriate for young children. The language is probably too sophisticated for most children to grasp, and the story has a more adult feel to it. The main characters seem to be somewhat warped; Peter, quite obviously, as a boy who hates adults and refuses to grow up, but Captain Hook also, as a vain pirate who is somewhat stuck in his boyhood and still under the influence of the prep school he attended. Even Wendy's role-playing as mother to the Lost Boys and Peter felt a little more strange and slightly less innocent than in the Disney adaptation (perhaps animation just automatically lends a lightness to the tale - ?). And then there is Mr. Darling who, feeling guilty over the abduction of his children, quite literally lives in a dog kennel for the entire duration of their absence in Neverland -- very strange.

That being said, this is an enjoyable story with many facets -- I will no doubt listen to it again, since I think there are things I didn't catch the first time around. Jim Dale's narration is absolutely outstanding; he is a master at voices and lends color and depth to every character.

A bonus is that at the end of the book there is a short biographical sketch of J.M. Barrie that gives background on his life and the writing of Peter Pan.

Summary of Peter Pan

"All children, except one, grow up."

So begins the journey of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling as they follow Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, to a world where fairies live and children can fly. But beware--dangers abound in this magical land of mermaids, Indians, and fairy dust.
There's always an adventure to be had in Neverland. so come along with the Darling children as they soar into the night sky "second star to the right and straight on till morning."

Literature Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Literature Books
A Beautiful Feast for a Big King Cat ImageA Beautiful Feast for a Big King Cat
by John Archambault, Bill, Jr. Martin
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 2000-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.95
Racso and the Rats of NIMH ImageRacso and the Rats of NIMH
by Jane Leslie Conly
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 1986-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $48.99
Goodnight Moon ImageGoodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown
HarperCollins; Published: 1947-09-03; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $84.72
A Fine, Fine School ImageA Fine, Fine School
by Sharon Creech
HarperCollins; Published: 2003-12-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops: $6.99
Listening for Lions ImageListening for Lions
by Gloria Whelan
HarperCollins; Published: 2006-10-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.77
Price in other shops: $5.99
Ruby Holler ImageRuby Holler
by Sharon Creech
HarperCollins; Published: 2003-12-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Winnie-the-Pooh ImageThe Winnie-the-Pooh
by A.A. Milne
HarperFestival; Published: 2003-09-23; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops: $18.00
Christmas in the Barn ImageChristmas in the Barn
by Margaret Wise Brown
HarperCollins; Published: 2007-10-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Whipping Boy ImageThe Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
Harper Collins Publishers; Greenwillow Books; Published: 2003-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.99
Price in other shops: $5.99
FOX IN SOCKS - A Tongue Twister for Super Children ImageFOX IN SOCKS - A Tongue Twister for Super Children
by DR SEUSS
Collins & Harvill Press; Published: 1966; Hardcover; Book
Similar Books and other products
Just So Stories CD ImageJust So Stories CD
by Rudyard Kipling
HarperFestival; Published: 2005-04-26; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $7.23
Price in other shops: $13.95
The Secret Garden ImageThe Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Listening Library (Audio); Published: 2010-12-14; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $15.78
Price in other shops: $25.00
The Night Circus ImageThe Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
Random House Audio; Published: 2011-09-13; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $21.50
Price in other shops: $45.00
Peter and the Starcatchers (Starcatchers Series) ImagePeter and the Starcatchers (Starcatchers Series)
by Ridley Pearson, Dave Barry, Jim Dale
Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged; Published: 2004-08-30; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $16.51
Price in other shops: $29.95
The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection ImageThe Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection
by Roald Dahl
HarperFestival; Published: 2007-02-20; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $15.20
Price in other shops: $27.50
Mary Poppins ImageMary Poppins
by P.L. Travers
Listening Library (Audio); Published: 2008-06-10; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: $19.99
James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Animal Tales ImageJames Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Animal Tales
by James Herriot
Macmillan Young Listeners; Published: 2008-07-22; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $7.97
Price in other shops: $14.95
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ImageAlice's Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
Listening Library (Audio); Published: 2008-06-10; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $12.90
Price in other shops: $25.00
A Christmas Carol ImageA Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
Books; Listening Library (Audio); Published: 2003-11-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $10.50
Price in other shops: $19.00
Around the World in 80 Days ImageAround the World in 80 Days
by Jules Verne
Listening Library (Audio); Published: 2005-04-12; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $17.35
Price in other shops: $30.00