Peter Pan (Puffin Classics)

From the Publisher
J.M. Barrie’s classic fantasy tale of the boy who would not grow up brings the fairies, mermaids, and lost boys to young readers. When Wendy, John, and Michael follow Peter Pan to the Neverland they encounter the lost boys, Indians, and Captain Hook and his pirates! The incredible adventures with Peter are retold in the Calico Illustrated Classics adaptation of Barrie’s Peter Pan. Calico Chapter Books is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO Group. Grades 3-8.

Publishers Weekly
For those who want to revisit Neverland via J.M. Barrie’s original tale, two new recorded editions of Peter Pan are just the ticket. Tim Curry, fresh from narrating the sequel Peter Pan in Scarlet (reviewed above) reads the original for Simon & Schuster Audio, and Jim Dale, the much-lauded voice of the Harry Potter audiobooks, takes on the title for Listening Library. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children’s Literature
The Darling children, while drifting off to sleep, have often spoken to their mother of Peter Pan but she never quite understands. That is, until the night that the mischievous imp and his companion fairy, Tinker Bell, return to the Darling house to find his lost shadow. It is here that the Darling children, Wendy, John and Michael, receive their first flying lesson, and the first of many other adventures as they are whisked away to Peter’s fanciful island of Neverland. This version of Barrie’s classic tale is accompanied by the playful illustrations of the highly talented Trina Schart Hyman. Her full-page acrylic paintings particularly depict waif-like characters captured in subtle earthy tones. Her illustrations are done with such careful detail that one cannot help stop reading to study the pictures. Even so, they do not detract from the story itself;they simply add another dimension to the dreamlike quality of Neverland itself. This wonderful version of Peter Pan surely belongs in any home dedicated to the reading of quality literature. 2001, Scribner/Simon & Schuster, $25.00. Ages 7 up. Reviewer:Trina Heidt