AGGIE, MAGGIE AND TISH

Common sense through nonsense is promoted here by three elderly sisters. Aggie is a splendid cook, Tish an expert storyteller, while Maggie is a comforting, sympathetic presence. All of them have magic powers though when it comes to sorting out the chaotic activities of the four Eliot children. There are some picturesque moments as when Edith and Jim literally swallow the cross words of the morning. On the whole, however, most of the humor of the story is in the disorganization that afflicts the characters and the lessons lack the clarity and imagination that made Mary Poppins so memorable and difficult to emulate.