Book Review: Peter Pan

"Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning."

I'm plugging away at my 2015 reading list like an elephant, one bite at a time. The next book checked off the list is Peter Pan. Check!

"If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I'll never grow up"

This book had it's own creative way of speaking to the reader; it was very poetic and also had a very youthful way telling a story. There were many times when things were explained and it was described in such a way as if a child were explaining it to you. It was a fun reminder of how we look at life and the world differently at different stages in our life.

"I'm not young enough to know everything."

There was one interesting moment in the book where Peter was wrapping a parcel and he was trying to tie it with a string but the string was not long enough to wrap around it and so Peter got mad and kicked the parcel. The narrator then explained that technically it was not the parcel's fault but it was the string's fault for not being long enough. How many times in life do we get wrong at something that it is not the problem, only because it is easier than getting upset at the actual problem?

"We are all failures - at least the best of us are"

I would recommend reading the book, it was different but still enjoyable. It was beautiful and sad. I loved that is was full of wonder, magic and imagination. I also loved the fun, thought provoking, quotes throughout the book.

"God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December."

I've always wanted to read Peter Pan because I have a little love of Peter Pan and Neverland. Because of this love, I wonder if I could have forced myself to love the book. I grew up playing make believe in the backyard of a childhood friend's yard and we would spend hours for days during the summer running around, jumping on his tramp, and flying off to Neverland. He was always Peter Pan and I was always Tiger Lilly (I didn't like Wendy much when I was little. She was a "Sissy.") I love the idea that Neverland is an example of adventure, being true to your self, and imagination.

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

Life seemed unstoppable when we were young, but as we get older it seems to have more possibilities but also more restrictions. I love books like this because it is a reminder life is beautiful and it doesn't have to be hard. This read was another reminder to not take life so seriously and not to be afraid to do the impossible. One fun thought about the book was how the island of Neverland and it's characters were representations of life. The pirates represented adulthood while the lost boys represented childhood and they constantly were chasing each other around the island (also the shape of a clock, representing time). Just as we as children couldn't wait to grown up and sometimes as adults we are jealous of children; we're always chasing the other.

"Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it"

 

The particular book that I read had the most amazing artwork; it went right along with the magic and the youthful writing. Just a fun extra tid bit.

"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust."