7 h 29 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A lonely man watches London from his club window, until a small boy draws him into a world he cannot own.
In J. M. Barrie's The Little White Bird, Captain W. has money, leisure and his faithful dog, Porthos, but longs for a family. He hides that longing behind jokes. When he becomes involved with Mary, her husband and their son David, his quiet interest turns into affection—and a jealous wish for the boy's love.
Bedtime stories lead Captain W. and David into Kensington Gardens, where Peter Pan first appears: a baby who flies from his nursery to live among birds and fairies. David helps shape these tales. Around their shared fantasy runs a gentler, stranger struggle: an adult reaches toward childhood, yet finds parts of that world closed to him.
What you’ll discover
- Peter Pan's beginnings Meet the half-bird, half-human baby who wants only to play in Kensington Gardens.
- A teasing companion Follow Captain W. as he wanders, doubles back and speaks directly to you.
- Affection with an edge Watch friendship and jealousy mingle as the narrator competes for David's love.
- Secrets among the birds Encounter Solomon Caw, the old crow who knows how birds and babies are linked.
- Childhood just beyond reach Feel the gap between a child's world and the adult who longs to enter.
Who will love it
For readers who love Peter Pan and want his beginnings, and anyone who enjoys a witty, odd Edwardian narrator, birds and fairies, and stories of friendship and childhood.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A lonely bachelor tells his own tale
- A secret friendship with a young couple
- David arrives and the narrator is won
- Bedtime stories carry us into Kensington Gardens
- What the story says about childhood and growing up
- A strange voice and a story within a story
Who’s who
- Captain W.The aging London bachelor who tells the tale, a witty and secretive man who longs for a family and hides it behind jokes.
- DavidA small, serious and curious boy whose questions and affection draw the narrator into his family's life.
- MaryDavid's mother, warm and practical, whom the narrator admires and sometimes competes with for the boy's love.
- Peter PanA baby who flies from his nursery to Kensington Gardens, half bird and half human, and wants only to play.
- Solomon CawAn old crow in Kensington Gardens who knows the secrets of how birds and babies are linked.
- PorthosThe narrator's faithful dog, who keeps him company on his walks and in his London life.
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Little White Bird
by J. M. Barrie · 1902
A lonely London bachelor tells David of a baby who flies to Kensington Gardens, where birds and fairies live.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Little White Bird is a novel by J. M. Barrie, published in 1902. It is told by an older London bachelor, a gentleman with money, time and a club window to watch the street from.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A lonely bachelor tells his own tale
The story is told by a man who gives his name only as Captain W. He is a retired soldier living in London, comfortable and unmarried, with a dog called Porthos for company. He spends much of his time at his club, watching the people go by.
From the first pages he is a slippery guide. He tells you things with a wink, hints at secrets, and often says one thing while meaning another. You soon learn that his jokes cover a good deal of feeling. He likes to be thought a man who stands apart, yet he cannot stop watching the lives of others.
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What is The Little White Bird about?
It follows an older London bachelor who befriends a young couple and their son David. Inside the story, he tells the boy about Peter Pan, a baby who flies away to live in Kensington Gardens.
Is The Little White Bird the first Peter Pan story?
Yes. Peter Pan first appears in this 1902 novel, in a series of chapters set in Kensington Gardens. Barrie later reworked the character into his famous stage play and a later book.
Who is the narrator of The Little White Bird?
He is Captain W., a retired soldier and bachelor in London. He is witty, teasing and a little secretive, and his voice shapes everything you read.
The author
J. M. Barrie
1860–1937 · Scottish novelist and playwright
J. M. Barrie was a Scottish novelist and playwright, remembered above all as the creator of Peter Pan. Peter and Wendy (1911), his novelization of the beloved stage play, gave the world Neverland, Tinker Bell, and Captain Hook in their fullest literary form.
More by J. M. Barrie
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