Mary Poppins Opens the Door ¦ Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane

I never thought that the twee film version did much justice to the originality of the 'Poppins' stories: rich galleries of characters, the eccentric adult on the side of the angels, who's very much a part of our literary landscape. The film was too much magic and treacle; the stories have the fear, too and the social observation which doesn't always require a spoonful of sugar.

Nearly 40 years separates the writing of these two. Opens the Door introduces the character - and the world - to new readers. Literate eight-ups will enjoy the linguistic fun and the refined, ridiculous plots. Cherry Tree Lane shows a lighter touch: the pace is slower and I sense a responsive allowance for 'eighties' children unfamiliar with the tunes of the earlier text. Start with this one: devotees will find the longer sustained read.

Mary Shepard's lovely, whimsical pictures are superior in the newer story.