Mary Poppins

An extract from

Mary Poppins

by PL Travers

If you want to find Cherry Tree Lane, all you have to do is ask the

policeman at the crossroads. He will push his helmet slightly to one side,

scratch his head thoughtfully, and then he will point his huge white-

gloved finger and say, “First to your right, second to your left, sharp right

again, and you’re there. Good morning.”

And sure enough, if you follow his directions exactly, you will be

there – right in the middle of Cherry Tree Lane, where the houses run

down one side and the cherry trees go dancing right down the middle.

If you are looking for Number Seventeen – and it is more than

likely that you will be, for this book is all about that particular house –

you will very soon find it. To begin with, it is the smallest house in the

lane. And besides that, it is the only one that is rather dilapidated and

need a coat of paint. But Mr Banks, who owns it, said to Mrs Banks that

she could have either a nice, clean, comfortable house of four children.

But not both, for he couldn’t afford it.