Peter and Wendy
1911
The little boy who wouldn't grow up flew into the Darling nursery one night and changed everything. Peter Pan, with his dangerous joy and eternal youth, invites Wendy and her brothers to a place where children never learn to be dull. Neverland awaits: a world of pirates and Lost Boys, of coral caves and ticking crocodiles, where the only adult is a villain with a hook for a hand. But Barrie's masterpiece operates on multiple levels. It's a dazzling adventure story for children, yes, but beneath the fairy dust and sword fights lies something sharper. Wendy must ultimately choose between staying in a world without time or returning to become a mother herself. Peter will forget her. He forgets everyone. That's the trade for never growing up: freedom without memory, eternal childhood without the weight of love. Few children's books are this honest about what growing up costs, or this beautiful about what we gain.
Editions
X-Ray
“There is no place like home.””
— J. M. Barrie
“I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart.””
— J. M. Barrie
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others””
— J. M. Barrie
“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?””
— J. M. Barrie
“You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.””
— J. M. Barrie
“I shall take the heart. [...] For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.””
— J. M. Barrie
“If we walk far enough," says Dorothy, "we shall sometime come to someplace.””
— J. M. Barrie
“A baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.””
— J. M. Barrie
“True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid...””
— J. M. Barrie
