The Wind in the Willows

SLIS 5420- Module 2



Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame


Bibliography:


Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. Methuen, 1908.


Summary:
This classic tale follows the stories of four beloved woodland creatures. Mole leaves his underground home on a whim and strikes up a friendship with Water Rat, a free-spirited poet who thrives on the freedom of the river. Badger is a wise old soul who makes his home in the forest away from any societal obligations, and Toad, a carefree, self-absorbed troublemaker always has his eyes on the lookout for the newest and greatest adventure. The Wind in the Willows takes the reader on a journey through the frightening wood with Badger, through underground burrows and passageways with Mole, down the river with Rat, into lavish homes and darkest prisons brought about by Toad's reckless behavior. Credited as the introduction to animal fantasy, The Wind in the Willows gives children insight as to what life might be like if lived through the eyes of the creatures that live among us, yet out of sight.

Thoughts:

My initial decision to read The Wind in the Willows was based on tales I remembered hearing as a child, namely of the adventures of Mr. Toad. Though the book is clearly well-written, and does provide entertaining anecdotes of these endearing animals, I found it hard to engage with the text and, ultimately, the story. The author eloquently describes the scenery, mood, and interactions between the characters, yet it is this detail that, in some ways, causes the reader to lose sight of the connection with the characters themselves and get lost in the descriptive language.

I desperately wanted to love this book, and I did find myself drawn to the lovable characters. However, in comparison to other highly-esteemed children's literature, this fell short in capturing my attention. One cannot argue against it's status as a good book or classic literature, but I would be surprised to find The Wind in the Willows to be a childhood favorite of children today.

Reviews:

"Since its beginnings as a series of stories told to Kenneth Grahame's young son, The Wind in the Willows has gone on to become one of the best-loved children's books of all time. The timeless story of Toad, Rat, Mole, and Badger, brought to vivid life by Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations, has delighted readers of all ages for more than eighty years." -Simon & Schuster

"Begun as a series of stories told by Kenneth Grahame to his six-year-old son, The Wind in the Willows has become one of the most beloved works of children’s literature ever written. It has been illustrated, famously, by E.H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham, and parts of it were dramatized by A.A. Milne as Toad of Toad Hall. A century after its initial publication it still enchants. Much in Grahame’s novel—the sensitivity of Mole, the mania of Toad, the domesticity of Rat—permeates our imaginative lives (as children and adults)." - Harvard University Press

Ideas for Use:

Children will be most drawn to the adventures of Toad, as he experiences the thrills of motorcars, the consequences of his indulgent behavior, and his escape from prison and other hardships. After drawing attention to the many happenings of Toad, older children may be encouraged to choose one instance (ex. escape from the locomotive) and put it into comic strip form. Either working together or independently, students can create drawings and brief text to illustrate one of Mr. Toad's adventures in a way that one can understand without reading the entire book.

Similarly, if students do not understand the concept of comic strip writing, have them work in groups or pairs to create a front page newspaper devoted to Toad. This could include multiple mini articles on several of his adventures, advertisements for products Toad might be interested in, drawings to resemble photographs of adventures documented in the newspaper.