The Wind in the Willows (Calla Editions) Hardcover – October 17, 2013

Although this is a classic children’s book, the Kenneth Grahame’s poetic writing style is a pleasure to read as an adult. The Kindle version did not have illustrations similar to the initial publication in 1908. The story maybe best known to American audiences from the 1949 Disney Cartoon The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The anthropomorphic characters include Mr Toad, Mole, Ratty, and Badger. Toad is an eccentric squire who lives in Toad Manor along the river and has a penchant for mania. His obsession for automobiles (or motorcars) is fuels the main plot and motivates Toad to steal someone’s vehicle. This results in Mr Toad being sentenced to 20 years in jail. Throughout the Toad’s misadventures there are stand alone chapters that expand on ancillary characters of Mole, Ratty, and Badger.There have been several adaptations in multiple mediums, however, the original source material is worth the read. Graham’s scene description is unique for a children’s book. For instance, chapter nine opens with: “To all appearance the summer’s pomp was still at fullest height, and although in the tilled acres green had given way to gold, though rowans were reddening, and the woods were dashed here and there with a tawny fierceness, yet light and warmth and colour were still present in undiminished measure, clean of any chilly premonitions of the passing year. But the constant chorus of the orchards and hedges had shrunk to a casual evensong from a few yet unwearied performers; the robin was beginning to assert himself once more; and there was a feeling in the air of change and departure.” Simply beautiful writing. Kenneth Grahame wrote another well-known short story entitled “The Reluctant Dragon” which was also adapted into a 1941 Disney movie.

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, was originally a series of bedtime stories for Grahame's son. It is still commonly considered to be a children's book, but it is too difficult for young children to read themselves, and many older children will no longer appreciate the simple themes it covers. I imagine that its chief appeal is to adults, although children might enjoy having some parts of the book read to them.The characters - Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad - are wonderful creations. Mole, Rat, and Badger are conspicuously brave and loyal creatures. They love the comforts of home and hearth, yet they constantly set off on one rescue mission or another without a thought to their own safety. Toad, on the other hand, is a boastful nitwit, and it is amusing to the reader to see him brought down to size again and again.In reading this book, you get the idea that Grahame had thought for a long time about what it is like to be an animal. He understands how their energy ebbs and wanes with the seasons, and he writes that it is a great breach of animal courtesy to ask a favor during the winter, when everyone wants to stay inside and doze during most of the day. In summer, though, the animals are often abroad throughout the night, and they may see the sky grow bright again before they return home. Grahame also has wonderful intuition about animal senses:"We others, who have long lost the more subtle of the physical senses, have not proper terms to express an animal's intercommunications with his surroundings, living or otherwise, and have only the word `smell,' for instance, to include the whole range of delicate thrills which murmur in the nose of the animal night and day, summoning, warning, inciting, repelling. It was one of these mysterious fairy calls from out the void that suddenly reached Mole in the darkness, making him tingle through and through with its very familiar appeal, even while as yet he could not clearly remember what it was."What calls out to Mole in the darkness is his home, and a great deal of this book is an enumeration of the pleasures of home: the snugness and familiarity, the comfort of a well-used chair in front of the fire, and the simple pleasures of the table. Highly recommended.

After watching the Disney adaptation of this classic, I decided to read it for myself, and I'm glad I did. Here are my reflections:When you watch the Disney animated film, the title seems to be a misnomer. Not so for the book. The book repeatedly references how the wind has a voice of its own, particularly in the fantastic, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," chapter. The book seems to be a compilation of short stories, so you can skip some chapters entirely and not be left out of the plot. You can read the skipped chapters later if you so desire. They're wonderfully written, but to be honest, not much happens in them.In the movie, Toad never steals a motorcar. In the book he darn sure does. He goes to prison justly, but for some reason after his friends help him recapture Toad Hall, he is no longer pursued by the police, even though he is no less guilty of his crime and is even moreso guilty because of his defiant escape. In this way, the book has a loose end that the movie by Disney corrects. Unfortunately Toad's character is slightly altered in the Disney movie because of the way it ties up this loose end.The pace of the book seems to be very slow for a children's book and it's on quite a high reading level I would say. To me, this is surefire proof that literate kids 100 years ago were far more literate than literate kids of today. Harry Potter doesn't have near as high of a vocabulary level requirement as this book does. Most of the vocabulary is used to describe nature. Due to the slow pace of the book in which the narrator describes how beautiful the outdoors is, you really have to like nature to fully appreciate the author's intent. I don't know how many people in modern times really appreciate the outdoors. I sure don't. I hate mosquitos.The use of metaphors in this book is extraordinarily beautiful. The moon is anthropomorphized and described as deliberately and intently struggling to shine through the clouds to help Rat and Mole in their search for Otter's baby. Also, making a trek to the South is compared to checking out of a hotel, and strong smelling sausage is described as singing of garlic. This Grahame guy was far more of an adult author than a children's author if you ask me.I didn't really care for any of the characters other than Toad. I was saddened to see that he was left entirely out of many chapters. Toad was perfect comic relief. Sleeping way later than everyone else, not sharing his load of the work, claiming to do things he couldn't do, talking about how great he was, etc. The whole bit of Toad dressing as a washerwoman was great, and fortunately ate up a large chunk of the book.The high points of the book are its great and masterful use of the English language including its beautiful metaphors, and the presence of the fun and amusing Toad. The only thing it has that may not be so appreciated is its slow pace. The animals sit down to a meal about 200 times during the book, and the preparations for the meals seem overwhelmingly detailed, making you question whether "adventure" is a proper word to use in describing what's going on.This magnificent work seems targeted to upper class individuals who are bigger on manners and properness than action and suspense, although it does have a good amount of comedy. Great stuff, but not for Spongebob Squarepants fans.