Customer Reviews

The Wind in the Willows

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this copy of Kenneth Grahame's wonderful classic because the illustrations were so lovely. When I read the book however, I realized that this book, albeit with beautiful illustrations, was heavily abridged. I am sorely disappointed by this, and feel it should be clearly marked in the labeling of the book.

I see that other reviewers have graded this edition down because it doesn't include certain favorite chapters.

I wish people would review products for what they are, not what they wish they were; the book is clearly an abridgement and does not claim to be anything else. And it is really a very good abridgement. I often, reading to my 5 year old, have to make "on the fly" abridgements of my own, as I guage his patience, his interest, and the appropriateness of the subject matter. I didn't have to do that with this book.

I also looked for "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" when I first opened this book and was saddened to see it wasn't there. But then I went online and found the text of it (as the book is out of copyright, there are a number of e-texts available). It's a truly gorgeous piece of writing - but it really is not going to appeal to the age range at which this book is aimed.

The illustrations are lush and colorful, and (important detail when reading chapter books to someone moving up from picture books) there is at least one illustration of some kind on nearly every page. The chapters selected to be presented are vivid and interesting and a good introduction to the book for smaller children.

When he's older, I'll read the full version to him - or hand it to him to read himself. But this book is a lovely thing in its own right.

I bought a similar Inga Moore version of this book for my son and we love it. The text has been "sensitively abridged" to make it appropriate for young children and the result is a delightful story that brings small animals to vivid life. Inga Moore's illustrations are what drew me to this book. They are wonderfully detailed and evocative of the beauty of the Thames Valley.

This was probably one of my most favorite books when I was young. I remember my mother reading it to me and how wonderfully Mr. Grahame captured the countryside and the wonderful characters. All memorable!
But now we come to this one. A totally beautifully illustrated rendition it is (though it really is hard in my mind to beat Ernest H. Shepard's wonderful Rat, Badger, Toad and all!). The reason for the 1 star is two fold. One, it's an abridged version. Yes, I know it's for consumption by younger folk. I was, however, maybe 4 or 5 when it was first read to me. Why do we continue to sell our children short? The biggest reason though for the poor rating is that several chapters have been left out. The one I have always loved the best is "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn." A beautiful tale of heroism, compassion, and love. It's not in this edition. An outrage! I will NOT buy this book and I will certainly NOT recommend it to others!

For those people who are not familiar with this timeless classic, it is the charming tale of a humble Mole who wanders down to the riverside one day, only to meet a new friend in the local water Rat, and thus begin a series of adventures that will introduce him to the lovable but foolish Toad and the brave but aloof Badger, and a host of other woodland creatures -- all of whom dress and act like people. Most of the action surrounds Toad's exploits and escapes, while most of the heart comes from the friendship between Mole and his friend Rat.

It seems that reviewers either loved this book for the peerless color illustrations by Inga Moore, surpassing even the charm of Shepherd's original ink drawings, or they are deeply disappointed by the abridgement.

I have to say that I fall into the first category. Moore's many charming and highly detailed pictures are a genuine treasure, and evoke the mood of the book and the personality of the characters pefectly. In my opinion they add to the experience of the book considerably.

In the store, before I bought the book, I made a word-by-word comparison for some of the most memorable passages and found no differences whatsoever. So, from what I can gather, the abridgment seems to consist of leaving out a few episodes entirely, rather than shortening here and abbreviating there. I think this approach leaves far more of Kenneth Grahame's original voice intact - a very good thing indeed. I would also add that, at 180 pages, it's not an extensive abridgement; most of the original is still there.

Why not all of it? I don't know. But don't let that stop you from buying this lovely book, another gem from the outstanding Candlewick Press.

Yes, this book is abridged. And while I was disappointed in that at first, when I read it through I was struck by how well the edits had been done. The flavor of the language is left intact and flows beautifully; it is just shortened. The characters still shine through.

Here is the first paragraph of Dulce Domum for comparison:
This abridged version:
The sheep ran huddling together against the hurdles, blowing out thin nostrils and stamping with delicate forefeet, their heads thrown back and a light steam rising from the crowded sheep-pen into the frosty air, as the two animals hastened by in high spirits. They were returning across country after a day's outing with Otter, and the shades of the short winter day were closing in. They had heard the sheep and had made for them; and now, leading from the sheep-pen, they found a beaten track.

And the original text:
The sheep ran huddling together against the hurdles, blowing out thin nostrils and stamping with delicate forefeet, their heads thrown back and a light steam rising from the crowded sheep-pen into the frosty air, as the two animals hastened by in high spirits, with much chatter and laughter. They were returning across country after a long day's outing with Otter, hunting and exploring on the wide uplands where certain streams tributary to their own river had their first small beginnings; and the shades of the short winter day were closing in on them, and they still had some distance to go. Plodding at random across the plough, they had heard the sheep and had made for them; and now, leading from the sheep-pen, they found a beaten track that made walking lighter business, and responded, moreover, to that small inquiring something which all animals carry inside them, saying unmistakably, 'Yes, quite right; this leads home!'

Now, one could argue that there is important information in the complexity of the original version. And I would agree! For adults and most children I would fully recommend a full-strength, unabridged edition. But this rendition is a smashing introduction for the youngest listeners. And, with the bonus of the beautiful illustrations, this has become an edition that we often give to friends' children on their third, fourth or fifth birthdays.

My only knock against is the missing chapters "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and "Wayfarers All." But the strengths of the edition are enough to overcome even this egregious mistake.

When publishers abridge classics such as The Wind in the Willows they must be very respectful. And they should not make their own determinations of what a child can and cannot absorb or enjoy. It is very sad that they cut "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" from this edition. Children can and will get something valuable from such contemplatve texts, but only if we allow them access!

The soft whimsical full-page illustrations make this edition a keeper. I'd buy anything illustrated by Inga Moore if this is a representative sample of her work.
Excellent accompaniment to the text. If you're a Grahame purist perhaps you might pass on it but most kids (and adults) would enjoy this edition.

The illustrations to this edition are all that one could ask for. If I were were rating the book on the strength of the artwork alone, I would give it 5 enthusiastic stars. The scenery is wonderfully evocative of the English Cotswolds, where I was fortunate to live for several years, and the depictions of the characters are perfectly in spirit with the writing.

But why did the publishers (and, I must assume, Ms. Inga Moore, the illustrator) omit the book's two best chapters ("The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", and "Wayfarers All", Chapters 7 and 9). That inexplicible ommission would have dropped my rating (based on the text alone) to one star, were it not for the beautiful artwork. This edition is NOT the full "Wind in the Willows", but rather an abridged version (albeit with hauntingly beautiful illustrations).

All in all, the book is worth buying (and giving to a young reader). But make sure, if you are intending this as a present, to accompany it with a full version of the book!

I bought this book online for reading to our five-year-old, having never read it myself in childhood. Since there are lots of editions and I couldn't see them physically, I struggled a bit, but ended up picking the one with the illustrations I liked best, despite a somewhat higher cost. Aside from being a joy to read, this turns out to be the most gorgeous book I've bought in years. Not only are the illustrations painstaking, rich, and vivid, with a tone that fits the text perfectly -- and there are tons of them -- it is also a large-format hardback with a quality of paper and binding that you just don't see anymore. I would have expected to pay $30 or more for this if asked to guess the price. Every time I open it to read to my daughter I get a little thrill of pleasure just from the quality of the book itself. If it's abridged without acknowledgement, that's unfortunate, but I wouldn't let that deter you from buying this stunning edition.