Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie

This is another of the beautiful MinaLima design studio volumes that I own, illustrating the classic fairytale Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. Unlike The Jungle Book, this story is very similar to the Disney adaptation which we all know and love, and the film does not veer far from the original novel. It tells the tale of the three Darling children, Wendy John and Michael, who are realising that they are quickly approaching the responsibilities of adulthood and long to remain children always, playing in their nursery and dreaming of mermaids and pirates. When the mysterious boy Peter Pan, from the Neverland, appears at their window one night and implores them to fly away with him on an adventure, they of course seize the opportunity for escape, giving little thought to the care of their loving parents whom they are to leave behind.

Despite the excitement of Neverland, with the Lost Boys for Wendy to look after and the pirates to taunt and tease, the children soon realise that they are beginning to forget where they came from. Peter Pan and the boys have no regard for rules, routine or consequences, and Wendy soon realises that you cannot go on being a child forever - you must grow up sooner or later. When the children are thrown into real danger on board the Jolly Roger where they are captured, Wendy takes the decision that they must return to reality and remember who their parents are. The Lost Boys spring at the chance to have parents again and return to London with the Darling children, but Peter Pan cannot and will not accept that he will soon become a man. 

This is such a charming book with some decidedly dark moments (the mention of Neverland being a place where dead children are taken, at one point there's reference to a 'fairy orgy'?!), and certainly holds an important message about the importance of becoming an adult and facing up to your responsibilities. The dangers of a lack of authority are showcased, and the fable teaches a valuable lesson that all play and no work is not as desirable as it may seem to children. As for the Harper Collins edition itself, I cannot fault the beauty of this MinaLima creation which, like the other three editions I own, is stunning in its interactive elements and exquisite artwork.