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Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan
People around the world know the story of Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up, but not many know the story of his creator, J. M. Barrie. Barrie’s young childhood was marked by sorrow, but also held great adventure. His adult life and relationship with the Davies family brought about a second childhood that helped him to create his lasting triumph. Masterfully illustrated by Steve Adams and using Barrie’s own words, Jane Yolen tells the story of the author and the boys who changed his life.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2010
2 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
Jane Yolen
974 books3,237 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
December 31, 2018
A delightfully illustrated, a well-written story snippets of the man, J.M. Barrie who in many ways was similar to the well-known and well-liked character of Peter Pan. He was a man who truly lived in a fantasy world, short in stature, high-pitched in voice, he loved to play with children.
While he noted to many that his background was poor, in fact his family was moderately successful and his elaboration was false. He was born of a large family, one of seven who felt he was forgotten. His mother was an instrumental figure in his life as she read stories to the children.
He developed his talents by writing small books that soon became successful, some of which featured a make believe town in Scotland called Thrums. Walking his dog in London's Kensington Gardens changed his life indelibly when he met the Llewelyn Davies children. Soon, he and his dog played make-believe stories in the park.
When he creatively made a character called Peter Pan, a boy who refused to grow up, he pulled together the traits of all five Llewellyn children and incorporated the games they played in the park.
He became close to Sylvia Llewellyn, and when her husband died of cancer, he vowed to support the family.
Later in life as he became a wealthy man from the Peter Pan plays, the copyright of Peter Pan was given to the Great Ormond Hospital for Sick Children in London.
Dying in 1937, the character of Peter Pan lives on today in books, movies and plays.
Four Stars!
While he noted to many that his background was poor, in fact his family was moderately successful and his elaboration was false. He was born of a large family, one of seven who felt he was forgotten. His mother was an instrumental figure in his life as she read stories to the children.
He developed his talents by writing small books that soon became successful, some of which featured a make believe town in Scotland called Thrums. Walking his dog in London's Kensington Gardens changed his life indelibly when he met the Llewelyn Davies children. Soon, he and his dog played make-believe stories in the park.
When he creatively made a character called Peter Pan, a boy who refused to grow up, he pulled together the traits of all five Llewellyn children and incorporated the games they played in the park.
He became close to Sylvia Llewellyn, and when her husband died of cancer, he vowed to support the family.
Later in life as he became a wealthy man from the Peter Pan plays, the copyright of Peter Pan was given to the Great Ormond Hospital for Sick Children in London.
Dying in 1937, the character of Peter Pan lives on today in books, movies and plays.
Four Stars!
July 12, 2021
Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan is a children's picture book written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Steve Adams. It focuses on the childhood and adulthood of J.M. Barrie and all the interactions that inspired his writings.
James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan.
Yolen's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Excerpts from the Peter Pan tales and play draw parallels between Barrie's stories and his life experiences. Adams' paintings shine with the same sense of adventure that has given Barrie's creation such longevity.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Barrie honed his writing, faced love and hardship, and met the five Llewelyn Davies boys, who changed his life forever. They inspired him to write about a baby boy who has magical adventures in Kensington Gardens – a precursor to what would be his most famous work – Peter Pan.
All in all, Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan is an wonderful biography that any Lost Boy or Girl would adore.
James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan.
Yolen's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Excerpts from the Peter Pan tales and play draw parallels between Barrie's stories and his life experiences. Adams' paintings shine with the same sense of adventure that has given Barrie's creation such longevity.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Barrie honed his writing, faced love and hardship, and met the five Llewelyn Davies boys, who changed his life forever. They inspired him to write about a baby boy who has magical adventures in Kensington Gardens – a precursor to what would be his most famous work – Peter Pan.
All in all, Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan is an wonderful biography that any Lost Boy or Girl would adore.
November 2, 2018
Using quotes from Barrie's books and plays to serve as underlying backstory or reprising occurrences in his works (very clever idea), tells the story of Jamie/Jack/James Barrie and his life, and how he would go on to create his most successful work and one of the most impactful pieces of children's literature, Peter Pan. It tells of his marriage, the Llewylln-Davies family, his Saint Bernard Porthos, and the legacy Barrie left behind for the children of the world.
Also included in the back of the book was the list of the most iconic women who have played the role of Peter onstage, several of whom I've seen!
Also included in the back of the book was the list of the most iconic women who have played the role of Peter onstage, several of whom I've seen!
December 3, 2019
What a great picture book biography of J.M. Barrie. As the book states, I, like most, knew very little about the author of Peter Pan. His story is one of imagination, fun, love and passion. Something that Jane Yolen did that I think really made this picture book special was find quotes from Barrie's work and connected it with aspects of his life.
I loved how the illustrations of this picture book really added an extra element to the story. The full page illustrations were beautiful and really worked well with the story. It made you really feel like you were part of the story and living J.M.'s life with him.
From Peter & Wendy: "(S)he was just slightly disappointed when he admitted that he came to the nursery window not to see her but to listen to stories." connected to "In the evenings, mother Margaret sat by the hearth and the children gathered around her. There she told stories about her own growing up, and read to them books like Robinson Crusoe, which they got from the library for a penny a day."
From Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: "He was a poet; and they are never exactly grown-up." connected with "Even as a child, Jamie was a storyteller, a gift he inherited from his mother. Whenever his favorite magazine, Sunshine, didn't arrive on time, he would write stories himself. Up on the top floor of the house, he scribbled away."
Mentor text for: Narrative, Vocabulary development, Cultivating writers, Nonfiction
I loved how the illustrations of this picture book really added an extra element to the story. The full page illustrations were beautiful and really worked well with the story. It made you really feel like you were part of the story and living J.M.'s life with him.
From Peter & Wendy: "(S)he was just slightly disappointed when he admitted that he came to the nursery window not to see her but to listen to stories." connected to "In the evenings, mother Margaret sat by the hearth and the children gathered around her. There she told stories about her own growing up, and read to them books like Robinson Crusoe, which they got from the library for a penny a day."
From Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: "He was a poet; and they are never exactly grown-up." connected with "Even as a child, Jamie was a storyteller, a gift he inherited from his mother. Whenever his favorite magazine, Sunshine, didn't arrive on time, he would write stories himself. Up on the top floor of the house, he scribbled away."
Mentor text for: Narrative, Vocabulary development, Cultivating writers, Nonfiction
April 30, 2017
OK, now I've got to go out and read more about J.M. Barrie. This picture book biography focused on his career as a writer, with quotes from his plays and novels in each 2-page spread. However, while the information written here would satisfy a child, it left intriguing gaps that I'm curious about, such as the reference to his marriage "falling apart". What was that all about? Must read more!
January 11, 2017
A decent introduction to Barrie for children.
November 15, 2018
This book is a great biography about the man who created Peter Pan. I like how the front cover is Peter Pan as a puppet representing how peter pan who he is. This is significant to the reader so he or she knows how Peter Pan became to be Peter Pan by the person behind his character. The front cover really depicts how peter pan is made and the back cover is interesting too because it symbolizes how the creator of peter pan got inspired by his sons. I love the inside cover because one side of the page is a little boy reading which represents how someone is reading the story just like the reader is about to. It is great because it sets the mood of reading how Peter Pan was created as a character. I like how the whole book is set up because it created like a storybook with that specific fancy font and how one page is text and the other is a picture that covers the whole page that describes what is occurring in the text beside it. I really like how each page has a quote under the picture on each page describing its significance to the Peter Pan story in general. It is so interesting how the story lays out how his whole life and how all the events in it influenced all the small events in his writing. He witnessed a lot of obstacles in his life, but it only made him a better writer. It is so cool to find out how the Peter Pan character came about and how the overall story was influenced by his struggles as a man and how he just wants to be a little boy forever. I loved this book as a young child and young readers will find this biography very interesting to read about due to being influential to people who want to become writers. The man behind the creation of Peter Pan was involved in many obstacles throughout his life such as Wendy was influenced by his wife. The whole aspect of Peter Pan was influenced by his pirate make-believe adventures he was involved in during his childhood and I think that was such a great topic to introduce and emphasize upon. Imagination is a wonderful objective that gets diminished when you grow up so emphasizing its importance by creating the Peter Pan story is a great example of how it is significant even when you are older.
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April 1, 2020Biography:
Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan is a great book that walks the reader through the life of the author and creator of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie. This compelling story explains the many similarities between the author and Peter Pan's character. Barrie had a somewhat sad childhood after losing one of his brothers and seeing his mother go through the grieving process. Barrie often felt forgotten and not loved by his family especially since his family was so large. Barrie often wrote short stories to impress his family and soon made a living off of his many short stories. Over the years Barrie befriended a family with five children and he spent his days playing and entertaining them, some would say much like Peter Pan, wanting to relive his own childhood. This is where the great Peter Pan character was born, a mesh of the Llewellyn children and himself. The first way I would incorporate this into my classroom is to have students read Peter Pan and then read this biography and look for similarities between Peter Pan and his character traits and those of Barrie, the author. Students will be expected to use textual evidence from both texts to justify their answers and can work in small groups to discuss their findings. The second way I would incorporate this into the classroom is to have students read the book as a class and work in small groups to create a timeline of the important moments of Barrie's life.
The "Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan" is a WOW book for me because I was amazed at how many connections I was able to make between the author and the character Peter Pan. Peter Pan is a widely famous character, whose creator is not normally known or spoken about. The third graders in my field placement were reading Peter Pan when I came across this book, and I would have loved to introduce them to it. It is just as important to learn about the authors of books as it is to read the books and can sometimes give the reader an insight or point of view they would lack without knowing the author. I believe this is an important ideal to introduce to students and this book is a perfect example.
Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan is a great book that walks the reader through the life of the author and creator of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie. This compelling story explains the many similarities between the author and Peter Pan's character. Barrie had a somewhat sad childhood after losing one of his brothers and seeing his mother go through the grieving process. Barrie often felt forgotten and not loved by his family especially since his family was so large. Barrie often wrote short stories to impress his family and soon made a living off of his many short stories. Over the years Barrie befriended a family with five children and he spent his days playing and entertaining them, some would say much like Peter Pan, wanting to relive his own childhood. This is where the great Peter Pan character was born, a mesh of the Llewellyn children and himself. The first way I would incorporate this into my classroom is to have students read Peter Pan and then read this biography and look for similarities between Peter Pan and his character traits and those of Barrie, the author. Students will be expected to use textual evidence from both texts to justify their answers and can work in small groups to discuss their findings. The second way I would incorporate this into the classroom is to have students read the book as a class and work in small groups to create a timeline of the important moments of Barrie's life.
The "Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan" is a WOW book for me because I was amazed at how many connections I was able to make between the author and the character Peter Pan. Peter Pan is a widely famous character, whose creator is not normally known or spoken about. The third graders in my field placement were reading Peter Pan when I came across this book, and I would have loved to introduce them to it. It is just as important to learn about the authors of books as it is to read the books and can sometimes give the reader an insight or point of view they would lack without knowing the author. I believe this is an important ideal to introduce to students and this book is a perfect example.
November 8, 2019
When I chose this story I was wondering how they would make a nonfiction book about Peter Pan when he was just a fiction character. The author did a great job of making it an informative book about the creator of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie. Each page they would talk about the Barrie and his struggles and accomplishments growing up while having a spot at the botton of something out of the Peter Pan stories. It made it interesting and informative at the same time. I believe the book fits the genre perfectly because they are telling the authors story, of how he came to create Peter Pan. The story was written in a formal manner which was liked. The author did have many good illustrations to keep the children engaged in the story. However, I personally beleive that some of the text would not make sense to a child. Overall, I thought it was very interesting how they incorparated a fictional character in an informative text.
April 15, 2021
The story follows the life and works of James Matthew Barrie. The story begins off a rather sad note, informing readers that Jamie was the seventh child to be born of seven children total within his family and apparently Barrie felt that his the initial arrival of his birth was not recognized as it should have been and readers also soon learn about the death of Barrie's second oldest brother. After the acknowledgment of Barrie's beginnings, the story soon begins to explore Barrie's interest in play's and adventures and also depicts his coming up in writing plays and soon creating the character most notably known, Peter Pan. The shows readers how Barrie's time spent playing pretend, not wanting to grow up, and life experiences all played a part in contributing to his creation of the plays involving the adventures of Peter Pan.
May 17, 2017
3.5 Stars. Full Disclosure: I love Anything about Peter Pan. Peter Pan is my all time favorite Disney movie. And when the movie Finding Neverland came out, depicting the life of J.M. Barrie and how he came to write Peter Pan, I was beyond excited! It's still, to this day, one of the best movies I've seen. It always leaves me with this great feeling of nostalgia for a place I've never been to. That's what I expected from this book. For me, that just wasn't the case. It's a good introduction to this author for kids, easy to read, good illustrations. I just wish there was more to it.
October 14, 2017
"Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan" by Jane Yolen is a non-fiction book about James Barrie the man behind Peter Pan. I read this book because I was really interested in his background on a story that I grew up on and loved. Overall, I would read this book to my future children because of the illustrations it uses to add light to the facts that Yolen is showing us. This non-fiction shows us how Barrie became the man he was throughout all the hardships he had to face throughout his life.
February 24, 2020
An excellent telling of J.M. Barrie, the creater of the beloved Peter Pan. His interesting life and work achievements are beautifully described by the also incredible Jane Yolen. Insights into how the characters of Peter Pan came to life and the magic the performances offered audiences are only a few of the points told in "Lost Boy." Thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated this book.
February 25, 2019
This is a children's book and it's also a marvelous biography of J.M.Barrie in its own right. It's simply told but, as Jane Yolen does, she has brought out the deep heart of Barrie's story. I will keep this moving and inspiring book by my work table.
August 28, 2021
This serves as a simple introduction to the life of J.M. Barrie. The text is straightforward and easy to read, and the illustrations are lovely.
I was left wanting more information, but this book would easily satisfy the curiosity of little ones without overloading them.
I was left wanting more information, but this book would easily satisfy the curiosity of little ones without overloading them.
April 9, 2018
curricular connection: interesting, lovely, pretty
September 10, 2018
3.5 stars
April 15, 2019
what a book!! who would have thought about the author? I really enjoyed reading the book! i even looked up the statue at the end! wow!
xx-dnf-skim-reference
August 9, 2019(impulse on a rainy day in Tulsa... not interesting enough to tempt me to do more than skim)
October 28, 2019
A biography of the boy who created Peter Pan. Great illustrations and incorporation of quotes from Peter Pan. Somewhat dry.
April 16, 2020
Simply lovely bio of J.M. Barrie with quotes from Peter Pan.
December 30, 2020
I really liked this book! I have yet to actually read any of J.M. Barrie’s works, but I’ve loved the movies over the years. It was really interesting to learn more about his childhood, what/who inspired him to make his characters, and what he did with his stories and plays. A very magical read ✨❤️
April 22, 2021
Fun quotes and art throughout the book, and while the story was unique and interesting it did not have the same flow that I have loved in some many of JY's other books.
August 9, 2025
I wasn’t really aware of J. M. Barrie as an author or playwright so this was all new information for me and made me want to go read Peter Pan. I had no idea it started as a play rather than a book.
March 18, 2017
For anyone who has seen either the movie or the recent musical: "Finding Neverland,"
some of this will be familiar.
However, Yolen takes a more biographical slant with the material, out lining Berry's life and
career.
The illustrations by Steve Adams suit the period setting.
some of this will be familiar.
However, Yolen takes a more biographical slant with the material, out lining Berry's life and
career.
The illustrations by Steve Adams suit the period setting.
August 16, 2010
Jane Yolen's newest offering is a lovely picture book biography of J. M. Barrie, author of many works but known today primarily as the creator of the beloved character of Peter Pan. This new book is particularly timely because this year is the 150th anniversary of Barrie's birth.
Yolen's book begins, appropriately,"once upon a time," with Barrie's birth in a small town in Scotland in 1860. Born into a large family that lived in a tenement row house, Barrie liked to talk about his poor beginnings; Yolen points out, however, that he exaggerated his humble start, and his family was in fact "moderately prosperous" for the time. We can see the inspiration for Wendy in Barrie's mother, who gathered the children around her in the evening to tell stories and read aloud from library books. Young Jamie is a storyteller from the beginning, writing stories and plays that he would read to his mother or act out with his friends. When he is sent away to school, he becomes enamored of the theatre, starts a theatrical society, and becomes determined to become a writer.
Within a few years after he completes his education, his stories begin to be published in many magazines, and he became well-known. But as Yolen writes, "he was still as small as a boy, just over five feet tall...he hardly looked famous." While walking his enormous St. Bernard dog, Porthos, Jamie meets the Llewelyn Davies boys, whom he begins playing with in the park, making up wild stories about pirates, Indians, fairies, islands, and more. This family became very close to Barrie, but it was not for another six years or so that he began writing his masterpiece, Peter Pan. Written originally as a play, the extravagant production, complete with flying actors, was an enormous success, and because Barrie donated the copyright to London's Great Ormond Hospital for Sick Children, the financial rewards continue to benefit needy children. Yolen remarks that while most of Barrie's other works have been forgotten, the boy who never wanted to grow up will indeed live forever, not only as a play, musical, movie, and book, but even remembered in other products as mundane as peanut butter.
The rich layout of this oversized picture book features two page spreads consisting of a one-page full-color painting depicting a real scene from Barrie's life, while the facing page contains biographical text along with a small inserted painting, depicting a related scene and quotation from one of Barrie's Peter Pan stories. This juxtaposition of the real and imaginary is very effective, and makes the quotes from Barrie's stories even more poignant. The artwork, with its elongated oval faces and muted palette, reminded me of Italian artist Modigliani; while it is very beautiful, I would have preferred a more Victorian look for the artwork to fit in with the time period. However, there is a melancholy quality about the illustrations which seems to suit the sadder episodes in Barrie's life.
Yolen's book begins, appropriately,"once upon a time," with Barrie's birth in a small town in Scotland in 1860. Born into a large family that lived in a tenement row house, Barrie liked to talk about his poor beginnings; Yolen points out, however, that he exaggerated his humble start, and his family was in fact "moderately prosperous" for the time. We can see the inspiration for Wendy in Barrie's mother, who gathered the children around her in the evening to tell stories and read aloud from library books. Young Jamie is a storyteller from the beginning, writing stories and plays that he would read to his mother or act out with his friends. When he is sent away to school, he becomes enamored of the theatre, starts a theatrical society, and becomes determined to become a writer.
Within a few years after he completes his education, his stories begin to be published in many magazines, and he became well-known. But as Yolen writes, "he was still as small as a boy, just over five feet tall...he hardly looked famous." While walking his enormous St. Bernard dog, Porthos, Jamie meets the Llewelyn Davies boys, whom he begins playing with in the park, making up wild stories about pirates, Indians, fairies, islands, and more. This family became very close to Barrie, but it was not for another six years or so that he began writing his masterpiece, Peter Pan. Written originally as a play, the extravagant production, complete with flying actors, was an enormous success, and because Barrie donated the copyright to London's Great Ormond Hospital for Sick Children, the financial rewards continue to benefit needy children. Yolen remarks that while most of Barrie's other works have been forgotten, the boy who never wanted to grow up will indeed live forever, not only as a play, musical, movie, and book, but even remembered in other products as mundane as peanut butter.
The rich layout of this oversized picture book features two page spreads consisting of a one-page full-color painting depicting a real scene from Barrie's life, while the facing page contains biographical text along with a small inserted painting, depicting a related scene and quotation from one of Barrie's Peter Pan stories. This juxtaposition of the real and imaginary is very effective, and makes the quotes from Barrie's stories even more poignant. The artwork, with its elongated oval faces and muted palette, reminded me of Italian artist Modigliani; while it is very beautiful, I would have preferred a more Victorian look for the artwork to fit in with the time period. However, there is a melancholy quality about the illustrations which seems to suit the sadder episodes in Barrie's life.
November 11, 2010
This is the story of James Matthew Barrie - the creator of Peter Pan and in some ways, the original Peter Pan. Barrie had a pretty typical childhood in Scotland - he was one of seven children. His mother often told the children stories which Barrie adored and allowed him to tell his own stories as grew older. Barrie also started writing short stories which were called "penny dreadfuls." His story eventually gets published in the James Gazette in London which kickstarts his career as a novelist. He wrote stories about Thrums - a make-believe town in Scotland that was based off of his mother's own memories. He began to write plays and eventually married. Barrie met two boys - George and Jack Llewelyn Davies - on a daily afternoon walk. And then the three met every day and played pirate games and sailed boats on Round Pond. Barrie grows closer with the family (turns out there were five boys total in the family) and he spends more and more time with them. So much time in fact that his marriage falls apart. IN 1904 he wrote a play about the games he and boys played; he said that he "always knew that [he] made Peter by rubbing the five of [the Llewelyn Davies boys] violently together, as savages with two sticks produce flame." The play was a success and eventually, the parents of the boys pass away and Barrie became their guardian. When Barrie passed, he gifted the copyright for Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Hospital for Sick Children in London which means that any profit from the book goes to the hospital.
On each page there is a small quotation from Peter Pan that correlates with the moments in Barrie's life - it's a nice and clever touch.
I teach Peter Pan to my students - we use it to discuss all of the "hidden" messages. We watch it after several discussions of fairy tales and examinations of the critics' views of fairy tales. At this point they are able to see the rampant gender stereotypes in fairy tales but they are skeptical that fairy tales can be racist. Then they watch Peter Pan and are mortified at the portrayal of the "Indians" - especially when they sing "Savages, savages - they're not even human." I don't think children should stop watching Peter Pan - I just think they should discuss what they see. The gross portrayal of Native Americans, the vicious competitions between Tinkerbell & Wendy and the mermaids & Wendy, and the portrayal of overweight people.
On each page there is a small quotation from Peter Pan that correlates with the moments in Barrie's life - it's a nice and clever touch.
I teach Peter Pan to my students - we use it to discuss all of the "hidden" messages. We watch it after several discussions of fairy tales and examinations of the critics' views of fairy tales. At this point they are able to see the rampant gender stereotypes in fairy tales but they are skeptical that fairy tales can be racist. Then they watch Peter Pan and are mortified at the portrayal of the "Indians" - especially when they sing "Savages, savages - they're not even human." I don't think children should stop watching Peter Pan - I just think they should discuss what they see. The gross portrayal of Native Americans, the vicious competitions between Tinkerbell & Wendy and the mermaids & Wendy, and the portrayal of overweight people.
April 14, 2013
Most adults and children know the story of Peter Pan and his adventures in Neverland. He comes one night and takes invites a group of children to come with him for an adventure; eventually, they meet up with a group of children known as the Lost Boys and have clashes with the pirate Captain Hook. Did you ever wonder (I know I didn't), where this story originated from? "Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan" by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Steve Adams tells the colorful journey of James Matthew Barrie, the creator of "Peter Pan".
The cover immediately drew my attention to this picture book because I am very familiar with this classic tale, and I was aware that the Lost Boys were a part of this story. Not to mention, the young boy in a bright green outfit was immediately recognizable. As I continued through, I was introduced to a young man who lived in a big family of 4 sisters, 2 brothers, and his parents. You might call him the oddball of his family because he was always interested in stories and would write or read them anytime he got the chance. He was met with loss early on in life when one of his siblings died from unnatural circumstances. He soon left home and was lucky enough to meet early success in the field of writing when he would submit stories to the newspaper for publishing such as "The Rooks Begin to Build and other stories about an imaginary town called "Thrums". Not soon after, he embraced his love for theater and wrote the story we all know and love, Peter Pan.
The artwork in this biographical picture book are gorgeous, but I found them too plain at points. They had a tendency to be flat and lacking for color, but this may have been done on purpose by Steve Adams. Regardless, I felt that a story around the creator of such an imaginative tale deserved more life in the artistry. It is this reason I could not give it 5 stars because the pictures do not do the story justice as I think they should.
I would highly recommend this story for any student from 2nd to 4th grade. The grammatical structure and wording are not too difficult for younger readers to understand, and it does an outstanding job of taking a tale they are familiar with and showing how it was created. Also, I believe this tale would be a great story to share with students when connecting literature to world culture because J.M. Barrie grew up and lived in England his entire life.
The cover immediately drew my attention to this picture book because I am very familiar with this classic tale, and I was aware that the Lost Boys were a part of this story. Not to mention, the young boy in a bright green outfit was immediately recognizable. As I continued through, I was introduced to a young man who lived in a big family of 4 sisters, 2 brothers, and his parents. You might call him the oddball of his family because he was always interested in stories and would write or read them anytime he got the chance. He was met with loss early on in life when one of his siblings died from unnatural circumstances. He soon left home and was lucky enough to meet early success in the field of writing when he would submit stories to the newspaper for publishing such as "The Rooks Begin to Build and other stories about an imaginary town called "Thrums". Not soon after, he embraced his love for theater and wrote the story we all know and love, Peter Pan.
The artwork in this biographical picture book are gorgeous, but I found them too plain at points. They had a tendency to be flat and lacking for color, but this may have been done on purpose by Steve Adams. Regardless, I felt that a story around the creator of such an imaginative tale deserved more life in the artistry. It is this reason I could not give it 5 stars because the pictures do not do the story justice as I think they should.
I would highly recommend this story for any student from 2nd to 4th grade. The grammatical structure and wording are not too difficult for younger readers to understand, and it does an outstanding job of taking a tale they are familiar with and showing how it was created. Also, I believe this tale would be a great story to share with students when connecting literature to world culture because J.M. Barrie grew up and lived in England his entire life.
June 30, 2012
Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan by Jane Yolen follows James Matthew Barrie from his humble Scottish birth in 1860 through his death in 1937. His rise as a successful playwright and enduring fame are due in large part to his most beloved character Peter Pan. Jamie Barrie inherits his storytelling gift from his mother. He begins writing, acting out stories from the Bible and his favorite adventure books, and staging plays at a very young age. As an adult, he plays pirates, Indians, and fairies with the Llewelyn Davies boys in London’s Kensington Gardens. Those games and wild stories inspire his masterpiece, Peter Pan. This picture book, published 150 years after Barrie’s death, includes a selection of his published works and a list of famous actresses who have played Peter Pan.
Yolen masterfully weaves Barrie’s fiction with relevant biographical facts, including quotes from his plays and novels that capture the sentiment of the events she describes. Steve Adams’ acrylic-on-wood illustrations create an almost fairy-tale effect. Every page spread includes a striking, full-page illustration of Barrie’s life and a 2 ½-inch by 5-inch window into each quote from Barrie’s own writing. The result is an extraordinarily complementary pairing of text and art.
Yolen deals with the more difficult aspects of Barrie’s life in an honest and age-appropriate manner. These difficulties include the loss of his brother David as a child, Barrie’s troubled marriage, and the death of the Llewelyn Davies boys’ parents to cancer. As a result, this biography paints a very human picture of Barrie as an individual, yet celebrates his imagination in a way that is sure to inspire young readers’ own creativity and encourage them to explore and appreciate the actual writing of J.M. Barrie.
Laurie A. Gray
Reprinted from the Christian Library Journal (Vol. XVI, No. 3, June 2012); used with permission.
Yolen masterfully weaves Barrie’s fiction with relevant biographical facts, including quotes from his plays and novels that capture the sentiment of the events she describes. Steve Adams’ acrylic-on-wood illustrations create an almost fairy-tale effect. Every page spread includes a striking, full-page illustration of Barrie’s life and a 2 ½-inch by 5-inch window into each quote from Barrie’s own writing. The result is an extraordinarily complementary pairing of text and art.
Yolen deals with the more difficult aspects of Barrie’s life in an honest and age-appropriate manner. These difficulties include the loss of his brother David as a child, Barrie’s troubled marriage, and the death of the Llewelyn Davies boys’ parents to cancer. As a result, this biography paints a very human picture of Barrie as an individual, yet celebrates his imagination in a way that is sure to inspire young readers’ own creativity and encourage them to explore and appreciate the actual writing of J.M. Barrie.
Laurie A. Gray
Reprinted from the Christian Library Journal (Vol. XVI, No. 3, June 2012); used with permission.
April 8, 2011
Yolen, Jane. (2010). Lost Boy: the Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan. S. Adams. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Literary Genre: Biography (Picture Book)
James Matthew Barrie’s character Peter Pan is a favorite among children (young and old) and readers will enjoy learning how events in Barrie’s life led to the creation of the magical boy who never grew up. Every page displays a quote from one of Barrie’s works that emphasizes the influence that Barrie’s life had on his novels and plays. The beautiful illustrations invite the readers to see Barrie’s playfulness and highlight his connection to the Llewellyn Davies boys that inspired his greatest work.
This is perhaps one of the best picture book biographies I have read. Many times biographies provide facts in a dull manner; this book is very much the opposite. Jane Yolen writes Barrie’s life story as if it were a fairy tale, she even begins with ‘Once upon a time’. Although Barrie did experience many hardships, Yolen does a nice of job of showing how Barrie overcame those and kept pursuing what he loved, the theatre. The inclusion of quotes from Barrie’s works is one of my favorite aspects of the book; it is a nice of way for readers to indirectly connect his life events to his works. Yolen also includes a list of Barrie’s works as well as a list of famous actresses (yes, actresses) that played Peter Pan.
Literary Genre: Biography (Picture Book)
James Matthew Barrie’s character Peter Pan is a favorite among children (young and old) and readers will enjoy learning how events in Barrie’s life led to the creation of the magical boy who never grew up. Every page displays a quote from one of Barrie’s works that emphasizes the influence that Barrie’s life had on his novels and plays. The beautiful illustrations invite the readers to see Barrie’s playfulness and highlight his connection to the Llewellyn Davies boys that inspired his greatest work.
This is perhaps one of the best picture book biographies I have read. Many times biographies provide facts in a dull manner; this book is very much the opposite. Jane Yolen writes Barrie’s life story as if it were a fairy tale, she even begins with ‘Once upon a time’. Although Barrie did experience many hardships, Yolen does a nice of job of showing how Barrie overcame those and kept pursuing what he loved, the theatre. The inclusion of quotes from Barrie’s works is one of my favorite aspects of the book; it is a nice of way for readers to indirectly connect his life events to his works. Yolen also includes a list of Barrie’s works as well as a list of famous actresses (yes, actresses) that played Peter Pan.
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