Mary Poppins

I knew it wouldn't be like the Disney movie, but I was hoping it would be as good, if not better.  The second chapter was enjoyable and by far my favorite, but the rest of the book was not what I was expecting.  Mary Poppins is quarrelsome and extremely vain.  In fact, vanity seemed to be her defining characteristic.  The children were nothing but bland observers through the whole thing.  Somewhat less of an issue, but still disappointing, was the lack of a coherent story arc; it's just a series of unconnected vignettes.