Recently, I read the book, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I had read it when I was much younger, and watched the 1980s animated version. Since encountering it again, I remember why I enjoyed it.
I guess this is considered a classic in children’s literature because the target audience is a younger one, or rather, was a younger one. The characters are named after their breed: Mr. Mole, Mr. Rat, Mr. Otter, Mr. Badger, etc. which makes it very easy to keep up with the characters. You really don’t get them confused, even if they had non-breed names, because they’re so distinctly them. However, because the book was written so long ago, and it’s a British book (I’m American), there are phrases and words that are now archaic. I enjoy the archaic words, they add to the charm.
Considering this is a book geared towards a younger audience, there’s quite a bit of violence, and smoking, which is considered rather taboo subjects for the youth of today. I like all the violence and different things, it was surprising, and held my attention. The book is a combination of different stories of the different creatures, although the antics of Mr. Toad do take up the most time.
The version of the book that I downloaded from Amazon was unabridged, so there is an interesting chapter that apparently is omitted from newer versions, including the chapter that inspired the original cover of the first edition (which freaked me out at first).
Even though I’m technically not a child anymore, I think I can get enjoyment of the story for years to come.
As for the digital version, it was a lovely copy. Almost all the archaic words/spellings had definitions that were easily understood. I think this would be the kind of book you would read for a week or more as a bedtime story. I will certainly read this to any kids I might pop out.
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