Lost Boy

I think there's a Peter Pan inside of every reader. Here's a lovely biography by Jane Yolen about the man who created Peter Pan, J.M Barrie.

Aren't Steve Adam's paint on board illustrations terrific?

"Wake up," she cried, "Peter Pan has come and he is to teach us to fly."

FROM PETER AND WENDY

Here's a very clever idea- stencil Peter's shadow on your bedroom ceiling!

IMAGE COURTESY OF PINTEREST.COM

"I'm youth, I'm joy, I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg."

PETER TO HOOK, FROM PETER PAN, THE PLAY

Whether it's called Oz or Hogwarts or Narnia, there's always a Neverland waiting for you in books. And how do you find it? Crack open the cover and then it's

 "Second star to the right and straight on until morning."

Friday Finishes

SEVENTEEN

THE HUNTING OF THE WHITE STAG

AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE VERY END OF THE STORY if it hadn't been that they felt they really must explain to the Professor why four of the coats out of his wardrobe were missing. And the Professor, who was a very remarkable man, didn't tell them not to be silly or not to tell lies. but believed the whole story. "No," he said, "I don't think it will be any good to get the coats. You won't get into Narnia again by that route. Nor would the coats be much use by now if you did! Eh? What's that? Yes, of course you'll get back to Narnia again someday. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia. But don't go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don't try to get there at all. It'll happen when you're not looking for it. and don't talk too much about it even among yourselves. And don't mention it to anyone else unless you find that they've had adventures of the same sort themselves. What's that? How will you know? Oh, you'll know all right. Odd things they say-even their looks-will let the secret out. Keep your eyes open. Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?"

And that is the very end of the adventure of the wardrobe. But if the Professor was right it was only the beginning of the adventures of Narnia.

 Now. Where to next in Narnia? Consult the map. And take a quick review of this post.

Monday Begins

 

ONE.

LUCY LOOKS INTO THE WARDROBE

ONCE THERE WERE FOUR CHILDREN whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids.  There were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a very large house with a housekeeper called Mrs. Macready and three servants.

We read a little further and discover the siblings doing the thing that all children do when stranded in a manor home: exploring and getting into mischief - Miss Kitty

And shortly after that they looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe; the sort that has a looking-glass in the door. There was nothing else in the room at all except a dead blue-bottle on the window-still. 

You'll have to turn the key to find the book.