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Copywork
About This Passage
These two sentences introduce Mrs. Darling with some of Barrie's most beautiful writing. He compares her imagination to a set of nested boxes 'from the puzzling East' that never reaches a last one, and gives her a single kiss 'that Wendy could never get,' tucked in the corner of her mouth. Copying the long, flowing second sentence lets a young writer feel how Barrie builds a rich picture with a simile and a semicolon, and meet the mysterious kiss that the chapter, at its very end, compares to Peter himself.
She was a lovely lady, with a romantic mind and such a sweet mocking mouth. Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East, however many you discover...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell the story of this chapter: how we meet the Darling family and Nana the dog-nurse, how Mrs. Darling keeps finding the puzzling name Peter in her children's minds, and how Peter himself finally drops through the nursery window. What were the most important moments, and how do you know they mattered most?
Discussion Questions
- The author does not just tell this story; he leans in and speaks straight to the reader, saying things like 'If you could keep awake (but of course you can't) you would see your own mother doing this' as Mrs. Darling tidies her sleeping children's minds. Why might Barrie tell the whole story in such a close, knowing voice, as if he is sharing secrets with us? Use the chapter's details about how the narrator speaks to the reader to explain.
- Mr. Darling is practical and careful, a man who 'knows about stocks and shares' and counts every penny, while Mrs. Darling has a 'romantic mind' and a secret kiss no one can reach. How are Mr. and Mrs. Darling different from each other, and why might Barrie open his story with such a mismatched pair? Use the chapter's details about each of them to explain.
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Vocabulary
Item 1
Full of imagination, dreams, and a love of wonderful things.
Item 2
Looked up to and thought well of by other people.
Item 3
A strong feeling that something is worthless or beneath you.
+ 6 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
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