Through the Looking Glass Book Reviews: Wind in the willows

Welcome!

Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.

Monday, July 26, 2010

July is Classic Books Month on TTLG - Day 11

Whenever I am feeling down or in need of a little comfort I almost always turn to one book: The wind in the willows. Recently Candlewick Press released a delightful new version of this timeless book. Inga Moore's abridgment and her glorious illustrations make this a title that will delight readers who have a fondness for Toad, Mole, Ratty, and Badger.

The wind in the willows

Kenneth Grahame
Illustrator: Inga Moore
Fiction
For ages 8 and up
Candlewick Press, 2009 ISBN: 0763642118

The Mole is fed up with spring cleaning. In fact he is so fed up that he throws down his white-washing brush and he digs his way through the earth until he reaches the spring meadow above, the warm sun, and the soft breezes. Elated by the beauty of the day, Mole goes off for a walk. His ramblings lead him to the astonishing and delightful River, a place he has never seen before. It also brings him to the doorstep of the Water Rat. “Ratty,” being a terribly friendly and easy-going sort of animal, invites Mole to go for a picnic with him. The two new friends set out in Ratty’s little row boat, and they have a truly “enchanted afternoon” together.

That very evening Ratty invites Mole to live with him. He offers to teach the Mole how to row and swim, and all in all, how to appreciate the River and all its mysteries and beauties. Mole accepts this wonderful invitation, and he is soon part of the river community.

One glorious day, some time after their initial meeting, the Mole and the Rat decide to go and visit Toad at his very grand home, Toad Hall. Before they quite know what has hit them, the ebullient and excitable Toad has convinced them to go on an expedition with him in his “canary coloured cart.” The cart is Toad’s latest fad - his newest hobby - and the two friends agree to go along. Unfortunately, the adventure ends badly, and Toad is infected with a new interest. Carts are a thing of the past, they are “common” and not worthy of his attention. No indeed, now Toad is obsessed with motor cars, and as we soon find out, they are the cause of his downfall, and what a fall it is too.

The various adventures of Toad, Mole, Rat and their other friends are both gripping and delightful. Toad’s misadventures are sure to amuse readers of all ages. This is a superb abridgement of Kenneth Grahame’s marvellous, timeless, and often magical prose; it is filled with the beauty of nature, the mystic powers that lie beneath the surface of every river and behind every tree. Just as Mole is “spellbound” by his first sighting of the river, so too is the reader of this book spellbound by its magical language.

Inga Moore has created artwork that is a tribute to Kenneth Graham’s world and to the power that his words have had over generations of children. With her soft colours and highly detailed panoramas, Moore has perfectly created the atmosphere set in Graham’s words. Her art leaves one in no doubt that the world is full of beautiful places and that adventures can and do lie just around the nearest corner if you know how to look for them.