Today has been a lazy day (for me) and I have spent much of it playing the role of a human solar panel. With a thought toward doing something of use I decided I would do some reading. I read a few chapters of 1 Corinthians as Paul’s letter to Corinth has been on my mind lately. Having done that I turned to a near insurmountable stack of books I have yet to finish that was generally filled with ridiculous amounts of theology, history, philosophy etc. Faced with such options of course I instantly reached for Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s novel – The Wind in the Willows. Having never read it and, quite frankly, needing a break from "deeper" things this book turned out to be very much like its title – like a fresh wind to me.
The tale is about Mr. Mole and Mr. Rat and their lives on the River Bank interacting with their various neighbours including Toad and Badger etc. The book was written in 1908 and like much of children’s literature in the 19th and early 20th centuries it does not treat its audience like a mewling bunch of idiots but rather recognizes children as eager learners capable of far more then their adults give them credit for. Children’s literature in our early 21st century shows signs of promise in this way once again.
Grahame turns out to be quite the fantastic writer with some spectacular turns of phrase. Take for example the following in which Mole becomes aware of the emergence of Spring outside of his hole:
"Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with a spirit of divine discontent and longing."
or the following brilliant description of a river by Mole:
"He thought his happiness complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before – this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chukling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver – glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man, who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea."
Staggering. I will definitely be reading the book my to my children.
Harnessing Chaos 
I, like you, have had the book on my shelf, but have never read it. It sounds wonderful and beautifully written. I am working through my own stack of books, but will keep it in mind when I need the break too. Thanks!
LikeLike