I agree with Georgia Grilli that Mary Poppins is a “provocateur” or an "enabler". She takes the children out into the world and lets them discover things for themselves. Mary Poppins reminds me of Ms. Frizzle from a cartoon I used to watch when I was young, “The Magic School Bus”. Ms. Frizzle is an eccentric third grade teacher. She uses unusual magic devices to teach the class about science concepts. She takes students out with the magic school bus and lets them ask questions and figure their answers out individually. As with Mary Poppins children notice her “magic powers” but do not ask questions about them. The major difference between the two is that Mary Poppins is way too strict and sober while Ms. Frizzle is always enthusiastic and positive.
