Walt Disney’s Peter Pan book cover

Kate Eden

The Goons

Walt Disney’s Peter Pan is a story book adaptation of the animated motion picture “Peter Pan.” It features characters and scenes from the movie, drawn in a more illustrative style, and maps of Neverland on the inside covers. The front cover features a grid design on a tan background, with pictorial icons in brown and blue that represent different scenes and characters from the story in a style reminiscent of the original animated film. It is 8.5 x 6 inches. This object was made with hard-cover book binding techniques, and it is made out of paper and cardboard. It was made in the United States by an American publishing company in 1952. This object was made to be read and handled often, and there are many signs of wear along the spine and some minor damage to the pages. The book is both utilitarian and symbolic, because it combines its function, to be read, with illustrative visual elements that were made to represent the meaning in the text. Illustrative children’s books have cultural and social value because of the stories they tell and how children and families interact with them. This story is especially culturally significant because of its popularity in film and TV as a classic tale about adventure and growing up. The illustrations on the cover show important scenes from the movie, illustrated in a simple style so that children glancing at the cover can recognise the characters.