"All you need is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust."— J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
J.M. Barrie
The writer of Peter Pan
James Matthew Barrie grew up in Kirriemuir, a small town in Scotland. He was the ninth of ten children in a poor weaver family. He was small, even as an adult he was just over five feet tall.
When James was 6, his older brother David died in a skating accident, two days before David's 14th birthday. Their mother never really recovered. She lay in bed for weeks. To comfort her, little James started imitating David, wearing his clothes, whistling his songs. He grew up with the idea that some boys never grow up.
Quick Facts
- Born: May 9, 1860
- From: Kirriemuir, Scotland
- Job: Playwright & novelist
- Famous for: Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up
When Barrie wrote Peter Pan as a play in 1904, he gave the copyright, and all future profits, to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. Peter Pan has been earning money for sick kids ever since.
His Famous Stories
Read Barrie's stories on Worldly
Peter Pan is one of the most loved kids' stories ever written. On Worldly, every page is adapted to your reading level.
1911Wendy, John, and Michael Darling fly out their window with a boy named Peter to a magical land of pirates, mermaids, and lost boys.
1906Before he was the boy from Neverland, Peter was a baby who flew out of his nursery to live in Kensington Gardens with the fairies.
His Life, Year by Year
From Scotland to Neverland
Barrie's life was a strange mix of huge success and quiet sadness. He gave away most of what he had.
Born in Scotland
James Matthew Barrie is born in Kirriemuir, Scotland, the ninth of ten children. His family lives over the family weaving shop.
His brother dies
When James is 6, his 13-year-old brother David dies in an ice-skating accident. James starts wearing his brother's clothes and whistling his songs to comfort their mother.
University of Edinburgh
James studies at the University of Edinburgh. He's a small, shy student. He starts writing for newspapers.
Off to London
James moves to London and becomes a journalist. He starts writing novels about the small Scottish town he came from.
He meets the Llewelyn Davies boys
Walking in Kensington Gardens, James meets five young brothers and their mother, Sylvia. He becomes their friend and storyteller. He tells them stories about a boy who can fly.
Peter Pan first appears
James publishes The Little White Bird, a novel that mentions Peter Pan for the first time, a baby who flew away from his nursery to live in Kensington Gardens with fairies.
Peter Pan, the play
James writes Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up as a play. It opens in London. Kids and adults are amazed. There are pirates, Tinker Bell, a crocodile, and a boy who can fly.
Peter and Wendy
James publishes the novel version, Peter and Wendy. It's the Peter Pan story we read today.
He gives Peter Pan away
James donates all rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children in London. The hospital still gets money from Peter Pan today.
A small, sad ending
James dies in London at age 77. His later years were lonely, many of the Llewelyn Davies boys he'd adopted had died by then. But Peter Pan had already flown into the imagination of every kid in the world.
Inside Neverland
Three things Barrie invented
Almost everything we associate with Peter Pan came directly from Barrie. Some of these ideas didn't exist before him.
Peter Pan · 1904
A boy who can fly
Peter doesn't grow up. He can fly with the help of fairy dust. He lives on a magic island. The whole "magical kid hero" template starts with Peter.
Peter Pan · 1904
Tinker Bell
A tiny, jealous, glowing fairy who speaks in tinkling bell sounds. Tinker Bell became one of the most famous fairies in any story ever written.
Peter Pan · 1904
Captain Hook and the crocodile
A pirate captain whose hand was bitten off by a crocodile, and now the crocodile (who swallowed a ticking clock) follows him around forever. Pure imagination.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about J.M. Barrie
He was VERY short
Barrie was about 5'3" (160 cm) tall as an adult, quite small even for his time. People sometimes mistook him for a boy.
He named Peter Pan after a friend's son
Peter Llewelyn Davies, one of the five boys Barrie befriended in Kensington Gardens, gave Peter Pan his first name. The 'Pan' part comes from the Greek god of nature.
He gave Peter Pan to a children's hospital
In 1929, Barrie signed over all rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. The hospital still receives royalties from every Peter Pan book, play, and film today, nearly 100 years later.
Tinker Bell taught kids to clap
In the original play, Tinker Bell drinks poison to save Peter. To bring her back, Barrie has Peter ask the audience to CLAP if they believe in fairies. Audiences have clapped to save Tinker Bell ever since.
He kept a dog with a big role
Barrie's St. Bernard, Porthos, inspired Nana, the nursery dog who looks after the Darling children in Peter Pan. Yes, a real dog inspired the role.
He almost lived to see Peter Pan on film
Several silent and early sound films of Peter Pan were made in Barrie's lifetime. The famous Disney animation came out in 1953, long after his death, and Steven Spielberg's Hook in 1991.
Good questions, answered
J.M. Barrie FAQ
What does J.M. stand for?+
James Matthew. He went by James as a kid and called himself Jamie among friends. The 'J.M.' on his book covers was how publishers preferred to print his name.
Is Peter Pan based on real kids?+
Yes! Peter Pan was inspired by the five Llewelyn Davies brothers, George, Jack, Peter, Michael, and Nicholas, who Barrie befriended and eventually adopted after their parents died. Peter Llewelyn Davies gave Peter Pan his first name.
Why did Barrie give Peter Pan to a hospital?+
Barrie was friends with the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. He wanted Peter Pan to keep helping kids forever. So in 1929, he donated all royalties to the hospital. The arrangement has earned the hospital millions for decades.
What age is Peter Pan good for?+
Peter Pan works as a read-aloud from age 5 and as a chapter book from about age 8. The Worldly version softens some of the original's older language and pirate violence so it suits younger readers too.
Is the Disney version the same as the book?+
Mostly, but with differences! In the book, Captain Hook is more genuinely scary. The Lost Boys age out of Neverland. And Peter himself is more selfish and forgetful than in the cheerful Disney version. The book is darker, and more interesting.
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