The tale of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, is one of the most famous of all children's stories.

Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Wendy, and Fairy Tinker Bell are known the World over, for the play in which they appear is always being performed somewhere.

Peter Pan

by J. M. Barrie

The Boy Who Never Grew Up

This is the story of Peter Pan, a boy who never grew up, but ran away when he was small, to live in the Neverland.

The Neverland is an island children visit in their dreams, where anything can happen. To reach it, you have to be able to fly.

Peter could fly. Sometimes, when he felt lonely, he used to go back to the human world. He listened at nursery windows to the bedtime stories mothers told to their children. He hoped one day to take back some playmates with him to the Neverland.

Three children called Wendy, Michael and John Darling, living happily with their father and mother, near Kensington Gardens. (This was one of Peter's favourite places, and you can see a statue of him there.)

The children had an unusual nurse, called Nana, a big Newfoundland dog. She slept in a kennel in the nursery, and always woke up the instant any of the children cried in the night. She even took them to school, carrying an umbrella in her mouth in case it rained.

If she had been on guard the night Peter came to tempt them, this story would never have happened.

Peter Breaks Through

Mrs Darling was a happy lady, who loved all her children and kissed and hugged them a great deal. Mr Darling was more serious. He worried about the milk bill, and did not really think it was a good idea to have a dog for a nursemaid.

Mrs Darling used to tell the children bedtime stories every night. Then she would tuck them in and light their night lights, to keep them safe. She would tidy up the nursery and wonder what they were dreaming about.

They were dreaming about the Neverland. If you could have seen into their minds, you would have seen a picture map of the island, splashed with lovely colours. It had a lagoon, a pirate ship, flamingoes and a coral reef. There was a forest with wild beasts and savages, lonely hiding places and perhaps a witch or a goblin or two. John lived in a boat turned upside down on the sands, Michael in a wigwam, and Wendy in a house of leaves.

In the daytime, the Neverland was a safe place to play in, under the table, among the chair legs. But at night, in the nursery, just before the children dropped off to sleep, it became almost too real. That was when they were glad they had night lights.

Mrs Darling was puzzled because they talked so much about a boy called Peter Pan. They said "he lived with the fairies." Mr Darling thought it must be some silly tale Nana had told them. "It all comes from having a dog as a nurse!" he said crossly.

One day, Mrs Darling found some funny looking leaves just under the nursery window.

"Peter must have dropped them, when he came to see me. He's so untidy!" said Wendy, who was the eldest, and a very tidy little girl herself.

"But how could he get up here? It's three floors up!" wondered Mrs Darling. "You must have been dreaming!"

The Shadow

But Wendy had not been dreaming. The very next night Mrs Darling was sewing by the nursery fire, and had almost fallen asleep. The window blew open and a boy dropped in on the floor.

He was dressed all in leaves. A strange little light followed him, darting around the room like a living thing. It woke up Mrs Darling, who knew at once that the boy was Peter Pan.

She cried out in alarm. Nana came growling at once, She sprang at the boy, who leaped back through the window. Nana closed it, but not quickly enough to catch Peter. She did get his shadow though. Slam, went the window, and cut it off at the feet.

Nana picked it up in her mouth and took it to Mrs Darling. She rolled it up carefully and put it in a drawer.

The following Friday, Mr and Mrs Darling were invited to an evening party at a house a few doors away. Mr Darling had been very cross with nana. He decided she had to be chained up in the yard outside. Mrs Darling was worried because Nana kept barking.

"That's not her usual bark!" she said. "She only barks like that when there's danger!"

"Nonsense!" said Mr Darling. "Hurry up, or we'll be late for the party."

After the front door closed, the little guardian night lights quietly went out, one after another ... 

A mysterious bright light suddenly appeared in the nursery, darting into all the drawers and cupboards, and even into a jug on the washstand. When it stayed still for a moment, you could see it was not a light at all, but a fairy, Tinker Bell.

The next moment Peter himself dropped in at the window. "Come out of that jug, Tink!" he said. "And show me where my shadow is!"

Tinker Bell told him it was in the chest of drawers. She spoke in a golden tinkle, like a chime of tiny bells.

Peter pulled out his shadow. Then he shut the drawer, forgetting that Tinker Bell was still inside. He sat down on the floor and tried to stick his shadow back on again. He tried water, and then soap, but they did not work. He was in despair, when Wendy woke up.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"My shadow won't stick on!" complained Peter.

"Give it to me. I'll sew it on for you!" said practical Wendy, fetching her work basket.

Peter was so excited to have his shadow back, he forgot to thank her. He jumped up and down, crowing, "What a clever boy I am!"

Wendy was a kind little girl, so she was not offended. She offered him a kiss. Peter had never heard of a kiss, but thought it must be a present, so he held out his hand for it. Wendy gave him her silver thimble instead, and ever after, he called a kiss a "thimble". Which was very confusing!

In return, Peter gave Wendy an acorn button from his coat. She put it on a chain round her neck. Later on it was to save her life!

Wendy found out all about Peter Pan, how he had run away and lived with the fairies in Kensington Gardens, and always stayed the same age. (She noticed that he still had his first teeth.) Now he lived in the Neverland, with the Lost Boys.

The Lost Boys were children who had fallen out of their prams, when their nurses were not looking. Nobody claimed them, so they were sent to the Neverland.

Wendy asked about the fairies.

"Once a baby's laugh broke into a thousand pieces," explained Peter. "Each piece became a fairy. But children nowadays don't believe in them so much. Every time a child says "I don't believe in fairies", a fairy somewhere drops down dead!"

That reminded Peter of Tinker Bell, who was still shut up in the drawer! She flew out in a furious temper, and buzzed round and round the room, so fast that Wendy could not see her. She settled for a moment on the cuckoo clock, and Wendy cried, "Oh! She's lovely!"

But Tink hated Wendy. She was jealous. When Peter gave Wendy a "thimble", Tinker Bell gave her hair a spiteful tug.

Come Away, Come Away!

By this time, Michael and John were awake. Peter told them all about the gang of Lost Boys, of which he was the captain, and their fights with the pirates.

"Aren't there any Lost Girls?" asked Wendy.

"No, girls are too clever to fall out of their prams!" said cunning Peter. "We haven't any sisters or mothers to tell us stories, and mend our clothes."

"You poor boy!" exclaimed soft-hearted Wendy. "I know lots of stories, and I could mend your clothes."

That was just what Peter wanted, to take Wendy and her brothers back to the Neverland with him. He promised to teach them how to fly.

Nana, chained up in the yard, was barking her head off. She knew something was wrong. At last, she broke her chain, and galloped up the road, to the house where the party was. She made such a fuss that Mr and Mrs Darling came out. They all ran down the street as fast as they could.

By this time, Peter had blown magic dust all over the children, and was showing them how to fly.

"Just wriggle your shoulders and let go!" he cried, swooping around the room. One by one they took off from their beds and followed him, a bit wobbly at first.

Michael shouted, "I flewed! I flewed!"

John called "Look at me!" bumping the ceiling. He was wearing his Sunday top hat, and looked very funny.

"Oh, lovely!" cried Wendy, in mid air near the bathroom.

Mr and Mrs Darling and Nana came along the street and saw the nursery window lighted up. Against the curtains, they could see the shadows of three little figures in night clothes, circling round and round, not on the floor, but in the air! Not three, but four!

They rushed upstairs and burst into the room, just too late. Peter had said "Follow me!" and soared out into the night, followed by John and Michael and Wendy.

The Flight

Peter had told Wendy that the way to the Neverland was easy.

"Second to the right and go straight on till morning!"

But it seemed to take a very long time, and Wendy wondered if Peter really knew the way.

At first it was great fun. They circled round tall church spires and raced each other in among the clouds and stars. But as they went on, they grew tired and it was cold, flying in their night clothes. They were hungry too. Peter stole food for them from the beaks of passing birds, but it was not like a proper meal.

Now they were flying over the sea, and there was a new danger. If they fell asleep, they dropped down, like stones, towards the waves. Peter thought this was very funny. He waited till the last minute to swoop down and rescue Michael, before he hit the sea. (That was clever, but unkind, Wendy thought.)

Peter showed off a lot and kept flying away and leaving them, to talk to mermaids or stars. He always came back in the end, and they followed him, bumping into the clouds every so often.

Then, at last, they saw the Neverland below! The sun sent a million golden arrows to point it out. It was just as they had imagined. They could see the lagoon, the redskins' wigwams, and the wild animals.

But then the sun went in and everything became dark and frightening. They began to wish they were back in the nursery with Nana and the night lights. They were flying low through the tree-tops now. It felt queer, as if something was pushing them, to keep them away from the island.

"They don't want us to land!" said Peter, his eyes sparkling.

"Why don't?"

There was no answer.

"Do you want an adventure first, or tea?" said Peter. "There's a pirate asleep down there in those bushes. If you like, I'll go and kill him!"

"Tea, please!" said John, timidly.

Then Peter told them more about the pirates and their dreaded leader, Captain Hook. They had all heard of him, the most bloodthirsty buccaneer that ever sailed the Spanish Main.

"I cut off his right hand!" said Peter proudly.

"Then he can't fight?" asked Wendy.

"Oh, yes—he has a iron hook instead of a hand, and he uses it like a claw!"

The children shivered.

"One thing you must promise me," said Peter, his eyes glittering sternly. "If we meet Captain Hook in open fight, you must leave me to deal with him."

Just then, Tinker Bell flew up, tinkling a warning. The pirates had loaded their big gun, Long Tom, and were waiting to shoot. They could tell where Peter and his friends were, by Tinker's light. So the children hid her in John's Sunday top hat, which Wendy carried.

Suddenly there was an enormous BANG! The gun had been fired. The blast blew them on their backs and scattered them. Tinker Bell and Wendy were separated from the rest.

This was Tinker Bell's great chance. She hated Wendy and wanted to get rid of her. So, pretending to be her friend, she led Wendy away, following her golden tinkle, in quite the wrong direction.

The Island Comes True

Now that Peter was on his way back, the Neverland came to life. The Lost Boys set out to look for their captain. The pirates were looking for the Lost Boys. The redskins were stalking the pirates, and the wild animals were tracking the redskins! They all went round and round the island in circles and never caught up with each other.

There were six LOST BOYS: There was Tootles (the unlucky one), Nibs (the cheerful one), Slightly (the conceited one) and Curly the pickle. He was so often in trouble he used to confess to things he hadn't done! Lastly there were the Twins. They all crept along behind the bushes in single file, clutching their daggers.

Then came the PIRATES with their black beards and evil looks, some wearing gold coins for earrings, others tattooed all over. They were all ruffians, known and feared on the Spanish Main. They had names like Cecco, Bill Jukes, Skylight and Gentleman Starkey. The worst one, because he looked so meek and mild and wore spectacles, was Smee and Bos'un. He had a cutlass, named Jimmy Corkscrew, which he used to wriggle in his victim's wounds.

Their leader Captain Jas (short for James) Hook was the blackest rogue of all. He feared nothing, except the sight of his own blood, which was an ugly colour. He treated his men like dogs and smoked two cigars at once, in a special holder.

Hook had a dark, lean, scowling face and long black hair in ringlets. He thought he looked like Charles II, and always dressed like him. His eyes were blue, with two mad red dots in them, that glowed when he used his hook.

If any of his crew annoyed him, out shot his iron hook. There was a tearing sound, and one scream, the the body was tossed aside. He did not even take the cigars out of his mouth. He was Peter Pan's great enemy.

On the trail of the pirates stole the REDSKINS, on the war path with their tomahawks. Their bodies gleamed with oil and paint. Great Big Little Panther was their Chief, and Tiger Lily their Princess. She was a beautiful, proud maiden, as brave as any warrior.

next came a procession of WILD ANIMALS, man-eating lions, tigers and the like, all with their tongues hanging out for food. Last of all, there came an enormous CROCODILE.

The Lost Boys reached their underground home in the wood. This was a cave, hollowed out under the roots of seven tall trees. Each trunk had a hole in it, just big enough for a boy to wriggle into.

These were the doors into the cave. There was one for each boy, and one for Peter Pan. So for the pirates had not discovered them.

The pirates wanted to catch Nibs as he ran away among the trees, but Hook held them back.

"I want all of them. One is no good!" he said, and sat down on a large mushroom to wait, while they searched the wood.

Hook told Smee he hated Peter, for he had cut off his hand.

"He threw it to a passing crocodile," snarled Hook. "It liked the taste so much that it has followed me ever since, licking its lips for the rest of me! It would have had me many times, but luckily it swallowed a clock. It goes tick tick tick, so I can hear it coming, and escape."

"One day," said Smee, "the clock will run down, and it will get you!"

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Hook.

Suddenly he sprang to his feet. "My coat-tails! I'm on fire!" he shouted. "This mushroom is red hot!"

It was really the chimney to the cave, as Hook quickly realised. The boys always stopped it up with a mushroom, when enemies were about.

Just then, a familiar sound reached Hook's ears.

Tick tick tick tick—it was the crocodile!

Hook and Smee dashed away, and the boys came out of hiding. Nibs came rushing back, pointing up at the sky. Something like a great white bird was floating their way. It was really Wendy in her nightie, but they did not know this.

Tinker Bell was flying all around her, pinching her black and blue. Wendy was moaning "Poor Wendy!" to herself.

"Is there a bird called a Wendy?" asked Nibs.

"Hullo, Tink!" the boys shouted.

Tink replied, "Peter wants you to shoot the Wendy!"

The boys always did what Peter wanted, so they hurried away for their bows and arrows. Tootles was first back. "Quick, tootles, quick!" Tink screamed. "Peter will be so pleased!"

Tootles fitted an arrows to his bow. Then he fired. Wendy fluttered to the ground, an arrow in her heart.

The Little House

When the boys crowded round to see the bird they had shot, they soon realised it was a lady.

"A mother to take care of us at last," said the Twins, "and Tootles has shot her!"

It was all part of Tootles' bad luck. He wanted to run away, but just then Peter arrived.

"I've brought you a mother!" he said proudly. "Haven't you seen her? She flew this way."

The Lost Boys stood aside and showed him Wendy.

"She is dead!" said Peter sternly. "Who shot her?"

"I did!" said Tootles bravely. "Now kill me!"

Peter raised the arrow to strike, when Wendy lifted up her arm. "Poor Tootles!" she moaned.

"She's alive!" Peter cried. The arrow had struck the acorn button on her chain and saved Wendy's life!

"Listen to Tink!" said Curly. "She's crying because Wendy's not dead."

They told Peter what Tinker Bell had done.

"Go away, Tinker Bell, for ever!" Peter cried. "I am no longer your friend!"

But Wendy raised her arm again.

"Well, not for ever—only for a week!" Peter relented.

Do you think Tinker Bell was grateful? No! She wanted to pinch Wendy more than ever. Fairies are funny creatures.

What could they do for Wendy? They could not carry her down into the cave.

"I know!" said Peter. "We'll build a little house for her!"

The boys rushed off to fetch branches, bedding and firewood. Michael and John joined in.

Bit by bit the house was built, with a green moss carpet and red walls, a door and windows. They planted roses round it.

Then Peter said, "Where's the chimney?"

He knocked the top out of John's Sunday hat and fitted it on the roof. At once it began to smoke. Peter knocked on the door and Wendy came out.

"This is your own little house!" Peter said.

"And we are all your children!" said the Lost Boys.

Wendy smiled. "Come inside," she said, "and I'll tell you the story of Cinderella."

The Home Underground

Peter measured some trees to make holes to fit the new arrivals, so that they could go down into the cave whenever they wanted.

The cave was one enormous room, and they had sawed off a Nevertree, that grew in the middle, for a table. (They had to do this every morning, because it grew again overnight.)

Wendy stretched strings across the room to hang up the washing. There was a huge bed, slung against the wall, which was let down at night. The Lost Boys slept in it like sardines in a tin.

Tinker Bell had her own tiny room, with a little curtain in front of it. It was furnished elegantly, with a couch, a dressing-table and a mirror. There was a crystal chandelier, though the fairy lighted her beautiful room herself.

Wendy did all the cooking. They ate island food—roast pig, bread-fruit and bananas. Wendy liked to sit by the fire at night, when the boys were asleep, darning their socks.

As the weeks went by, Michael and John began to forget that she was not their real mother, though she did her best to remind them.

All this time the boys were going off on adventures organised by Peter, though there is only time to tell you about a few of them.