All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.
Classic Literature
Peter and Wendy passages and copywork.
"Peter and Wendy" by J. M. Barrie is a novel published in 1911, adapted from his 1904 play. It tells the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous boy who can fly and never grows up. He invites Wendy Darling and her brothers to the magical island of Neverland, home to mermaids, fairies, and pirates. There they encounter the Lost Boys and the menacing Captain Hook, experiencing adventures that blur the line between childhood wonder and danger.
- Chapters
- 20
- Passages
- 471
- Comments
- 25
- Copywork
- 0
Slow Reading
Read for the sentences that stay with you.
The Passage is built around passages rather than finished-book lists. Open Peter and Wendy, notice the line that asks for another look, and keep it close as part of your reading journal.
Sample Passages
A few places to begin.
Of course they lived at 14, and until Wendy came her mother was the chief one. 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 there is always one more; and her sweet mocking mouth had one kiss on it that Wendy could never get, though there it was, perfectly conspicuous in the right-hand corner. The way Mr.
Darling won her was this: the many gentlemen who had been boys when she was a girl discovered simultaneously that they loved her, and they all ran to her house to propose to her except Mr. Darling, who took a cab and nipped in first, and so he got her. He got all of her, except the innermost box and the kiss. He never knew about the box, and in time he gave up trying for the kiss. Wendy thought Napoleon could have got it, but I can picture him trying, and then going off in a passion, slamming the door. Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him.
Copywork
Turn memorable sentences into practice.
Copywork gives a sentence more time. Type a passage exactly as it appears, then return to the words you chose with more attention than a quick highlight allows.
Reflect
Leave a public or private note on the sentence that mattered.
Copy
Practice one memorable line at a time through focused typing.