Summary:
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 60 or so years you would know Mary Poppins is about the nanny Mary Poppins, who takes the Banks children on whimsical adventures. The book starts off with the Banks's nanny quitting after the children run off. After advertising for a new nanny, Mr. Banks hires Mary Poppins, who saw the advertisement his children made and fit the role perfectly. As their first interaction, the children, Jane and Michael, and their new nanny clean up their room in song. They later take a visit to the park, where they meet Bert, who is making chalk drawings. The group jumps into one and explores. When Mary is asked to find a piano tuner, they take a detour to help Uncle Albert stop laughing. The next day Michael singlehandedly crashes the bank by taking his tuppence back from the bank's leader, causing everyone to take their money out at once. Michael and Jane run away, only to be found by Bert, who is now a chimney sweep. Mary Poppins joins them and they dance along the rooftops until Admiral Boom opens fire on them with a cannon. The group retreats into the Banks's house and Bert gives Mr. Banks some advice. Mr. Banks is called to the bank and fired. The wind changes the next day, and that means it's time for Mary Poppins to go. She leaves the family to see them all flying the kite that Mr. Banks repaired.

My Thoughts:
As someone who has only seen the movie once or twice, this was a novel (get it?) way to experience the story of Mary Poppins. I do feel like it was just like watching the movie but very slowly. The songs weren't as great on paper, but if you know the tune it's a decent substitute. I like that Mr. Banks is introduced in the book as having full control over his household and life, but as the book progresses his control dwindles. It was a good redemption of his character at the end (albeit a strange one. Are we not gonna talk about how Mr. Banks kinda killed Mr. Dawes Senior with a joke?) and I think it was great to see the Banks family enjoying each other's company. I'm not sure if just watching the movie is better though. The book does go into more detail about what each character is doing than what the average person could observe in a single viewing. This was still a pretty fun book, 8/10, Mr. Banks actually killed someone. ( )