Look, if you're expecting Julie Andrews and cartoon penguins, you're in for a surprise. The book Mary Poppins is a bit of a pill—she’s vain, she’s sharp, and she basically gaslights the kids into thinking they imagined the magic.

But that’s exactly why it works. It’s weirder and more surreal than the Disney version. The prose is a bit 'stiff upper lip,' which might be a hurdle for kids used to the fast pace of modern fiction, but as a family read-aloud, it’s gold. Just make sure you aren't reading an unrevised vintage copy from a thrift store, or you’ll hit some very outdated and offensive racial caricatures in the 'Bad Tuesday' chapter.