A nice short story of Peter Pan. The book sums up the story in a few pages. ( )

I found this highly- abridged adaptation of the Peter Pan story to be disappointing, a version that leaves out so much that it feels incomplete. At only 17 pages with 2-4 sentences each (plus 4 pages that lack text), it gives only the bare outlines of the classic tale, and much information is lacking. Thus we have no idea why Captain Hook wants to capture Peter Pan, nor how he lost his hand, nor why he captured Tiger Lliy; we never hear of the tick- tock of the crocodile; we see Snee but are never told who he is; we are never introduced to the Indian chief or to Nan the Saint Bernard; and there's no hint of Tinker Bell's jealousy of Wendy. However, the illustrations are of the classic Disney sort, and quite well done. At best, this version might capture the interest of the toddler set, but slightly older readers should be introduced to the longer Disney version, and eventually, the original. ( )

This is a story of a little boy living in a far away land that doesn't want to grow up. He is hunted by the evil captain hook and always escapes. This a a great adventure book for children.

ISBN 0307001040 – 4 stars. Eugene Bradley Coco and illustrator Ron Dias, who teamed up on ISBN 0307021858 Pinocchio (A Little Golden Book), take on another classic with the adaptation of Disney’s Peter Pan. This time they’re slightly less successful, as they fall into what seems like a pattern with these books, trying to tell too much in too few pages and leaving out important details in the process. The illustrations, however, are fantastic.

Wendy, John and Michael Darling are in the nursery on the eve of Wendy’s growing up when Peter Pan appears, looking for his shadow. When he hears that Wendy will be leaving the nursery to grow up tomorrow, he offers to whisk them away to Never Land. The children go with Peter and enjoy themselves until Peter sees that Captain Hook has kidnapped Tiger Lily. He rescues her, but Hook then captures Tinkerbell, forcing her to tell him where Peter and the Lost Boys can be found. Hook captures all of them, including the Darlings, and it’s up to Peter and Tinkerbell to save them!

Coco jumps right into the story, which seems to assume that the reader already knows something about it. Peter’s distress that there will be no more stories makes no sense, because there hadn’t been a story yet. It’s a small thing for those who know the whole story, and kids might not notice because they’re kids, but the book has an incomplete feel to it. Tinkerbell’s jealousy of Wendy, for example, is never mentioned. I think young children will love the story, regardless, but for fans of the original, it falls a bit short.

- AnnaLovesBooks

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