All the World's a Stage: Peter Pan
The story of Peter Pan, the boy who wouldn’t grow up, is so permeated within the culture of childhood that it’s often easy to forget that the story itself was first and foremost a play. Since it was first performed in 1904, successive generation’s experience of Neverland has often been mediated first through literary adaptation, and more recently film, so it is pleasing to see the story revisited in a book form which attempts to somewhat capture the magic of the theatre.
This highly condensed version of the classic tale includes all the main plot-points, easily digested and presented on richly illustrated double-page spreads which act as individual scenes. The added magic is the inclusion of music buttons in each of these scenes, allowing the reader to soundtrack the story with complimentary classical music.
Beech’s warm and dynamic illustrations are filled with texture and vibrant colour. The music adds the appropriate ambience to each page, and little fingers will want to press and hear the sounds over and over. Each scene is full of activity and action so that time can be spent poring over the images, and paired with the auditory and textual elements, creates a multi-sensory experience which will delight bright young minds. The final pop out scene is delightful too, and a suitably dramatic finishing touch to what is a gorgeous adaption of a much-beloved tale.
