Just Finished Reading: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (FP: 1908) [312pp] 

It was a summer friendship that changed his life. On a whim, Mole had left his newly painted burrow to explore and had bumped into Rat who invited him in for tea. Days later, after boating on the river, picnics and small adventures Mole wondered where the time had gone. The weeks flew by without a thought of home and before he knew it winter had arrived. Off to explore as Rat snoozed in front of the fire, he found himself alone and frightened in the Wild Wood. Strange noises surrounded him and he shivered from more than the cold. Even when Rat arrived to bring him back the adventure was far from over. Only Badger could help, if they could find his burrow in all the snow around them. Then there was Toad (of Toad Hall no less). A friend that could not be ignored, a friend very much in need – of guidance, of help and of a tap on the head to knock some sense into him. 

As I’ve mentioned several times, I hardly read a thing as a child so missed out on many (actually pretty much all) of the standard Children’s Classics. So, I decided some years back – as I was reading multiple Classics anyway – that I’d add a few of the missed early reads into my rotation. These often go for very reasonable prices so the ‘risk’ of disappointment is minimal. What I have found, much to my surprise, is that many of the children's Classics are very readable indeed even to this cynical reasonably well-read late adult. This book was no exception. 

I had at least some idea of what I was letting myself in for here. I knew this was about animals and was, probably, aimed at a rather younger readership. What I did find was that not only is this a well written book (indeed I was impressed at the suspected reading age of the text which contained some words many would need to look up – fortunately I’ve read many books of the era so was largely covered!) I found it both sweet and often quite funny. The theme throughout was the power of friendship and the moral/ethical obligations that friends have to each other. The teaching, clear as it was, never really hit you over the head but I can imagine especially the younger readers taking a lot from this book at a subconscious level. There are many teachable moments throughout the book – and not just about Toad’s outrageous behaviour – and I can see how the incidents portrayed would spark conversations during bedtime reading or throughout the following days. 

The only ‘problem’ I had with the book – maybe because of too much imagination or too little – was when humans and animals interacted. In particular when Toad dressed as a washerwoman and people/humans around him took him as such. So, was Toad (and by extension the other animals) Human sized at all times? That did seem like taking imagination just too far for me – or am I just overthinking things? Probably... Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable, sweet, relaxing read. I’m not sure how it would ‘go down’ with a modern child but it might be a fun bedtime read to someone 8 or under (maybe). Recommended if you missed it the first time!