My Back Pages

The Wind in the Willows

Santa in his/her infinite wisdom presented me with the “New Annotated Wind in the Willows” for being a nice boy during last year. I have this book in a myriad of editions designed and illustrated by a myriad of artists. This huge volume sums them up with footnotes and insights to the time, place and circumstances of the author, Kenneth Grahame.

I discovered “Wind in the Willows” in Mrs. Ector’s 5th grade class at Leesburg Elementary School. She, noticing my constant doodles of Batman and Hulk, and my fevered reading of  Robert McCloskey’s brilliantly written and drawn, “Homer Price” (McCloskey was so much more than just “Make Way for Ducklings”, dammit), handed me a small tattered green-clothed book. The cover had gold embossed letters and a illustration of wildlife creatures looking up at a huge centaur-looking fellow playing a flute; it was my first look at “Wind in the Willows.”

In it was a world inhabited by Moles, Water Rats, Badgers and Toads all anthropomorphised with dandy vests, shoes, hats, hell, even motor cars. This wasn’t new, growing up on Huckleberry Hound and Quickdraw McGraw, this was a universe known to all kids. But reading their adventures and how they seamlessly interacted with “human” society and taking on the mores of the society was a mind blowing experience. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that I even knew what “mores”  were as a 10 year old boy occupied with The 3 Stooges, comic books and English rock and roll, but even then, these characters had me.

The shy to courageous Mole, the steady loyal Rat, brave, wise and stoic Badger and the wild, gregarious, iresponsible Toad (of Toad Hall), all taught me lessons of friendship, responsibility and courtesy I still try to hold on to today. And the most mysterious character of all I never grasped until later readings, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. His role of spiritual protector and the river-maker of all things natural and pure in a world of  hopelesness and loss rings true in all our lives.

So whatever book holds a beloved spot in your soul from childhood, I ask you to rediscover it today, read and view it with your older eyes and let it take you to new journeys you thought long gone.

 

3 thoughts on “My Back Pages”

  1. My favorite childhood book: “A Tree Is Nice” written by Janice May Udry with pictures by Marc Simont

    I got this book for my 6th birthday from my little friend, Tamsey Garst. I have had it sitting out on a bookshelf in our living room, sorta leaning against the fireplace. And since you suggested it, I just looked through it again for probably the billionth time!

    The first page says: “Trees are very nice. They fill up the sky.”

    There are pictures on each page. Every OTHER page has beautiful color drawings with black lines and bright colors. The rest of the pages have black and white drawings, and I like them almost as much.

    The drawings fill the pages and there are very few words.

    The book is about all kinds of things that trees are good for and about their beauty. I grew up in the country, so it reminds me a lot of how I grew up; climbing trees and playing in the leaves in the fall.

    To this day, my favorite things on earth are trees.

    1. Damn CB, that is so good. I’m going to Amazon and get that book.

      You should do a blog, you have great things to share.

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