The Best of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Kenneth Grahame was born on March 8, 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Along with his siblings, Grahame was raised by their maternal grandmother in Berkshire, United Kingdom. The scenic countryside, the River Thames, and the sprawling woodlands might have inspired him to write Willows Whistle, better known as The Wind in the Willows. What began as a series of bedtime stories he wrote for his young son, is now a classic children's novel. First published by Methuen Publishing Ltd. in 1908, it continues to be retold and reimagined.

The first edition was not illustrated but many subsequent versions are. Readers have enjoyed this story for well over a century with artists creating their own vision of Toad, Ratty, Badger, and Mole. Because we can never have enough of a good thing, every few years a new copy of The Wind in the Willows comes out with new illustrations. Some of the art is fantastic and some are just okay. Will the new illustrations be enough to urge you to yet again purchase a copy of a book you have already read multiple times? Let's look at four illustrated versions of this classic that should not be passed over at the store and is worthy of a spot on your shelf. Some of these are out of print but can be found easily online or possibly at a second hand bookstore.

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Published by Ariel Books, Henry Holt and Company Inc. in 1980 with illustrations by Michael Hague. An unabridged copy with dust jacket. The end pages show a map of Toad Hall and the surrounding countryside. There are 25 full page illustrations, some double spread and 40 vignettes, all in full colour. The watercolours have deep rich tones. The cover image shows the four friends on a picnic with a yellow orange background. This colour scheme is carried through to the back cover however, the design doesn't quite work out well on the back. There is an obvious orange box that looks out of place. A small flaw to an overall lovely book. The text is also a good reading size when it's bedtime reading and you need to put a child to sleep but not yourself.

Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen by Deborah Hopkinson - Illustrated by Qin Leng

This mini biography of Jane Austen offers a glimpse into the life of one of the most widely read novelists in English literature. Condensed and aimed at young readers, Deborah Hopkinson focuses on Jane Austen's creative development, her keen sense of observation and her determination to pursue her dream at a time when women's main profession was wife/mother. It covers Jane's childhood, family and events that may have helped to inspire her writing. Growing up in a big loving family with a very supportive father, encouraged her to continue learning beyond her limited formal education. Jane Austen wrote about everyday people; like a soap opera for her time. The stories of ordinary lives written in the most extraordinary ways so that two centuries later, people are still reading her novels.

Rough lines and loose colours flow with seemingly effortless charm  in Qin Leng's ink and watercolour illustrations. Characters are lively and expressive; wearing the prettiest Regency era fashions. The illustration from the spread showing couples dancing while Jane observes on the side is especially lovely. At the end of book is a timeline of Jane Austen's life as well as a summary of each of her novels. Recommended for ages 8+.

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Balzer + Bray 2018
Hardcover 40p
7.7" x 11.2"

The Complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

Some time in the late 1990's I had come across a stop motion television program about a hedgerow community of mice. It was not particularly enjoyable so I didn't look into the books. Decades later, I came across Brambly Hedge once again but this time in book form. I was amazed; it was so different than I had remembered. It was so much better! If these books had been made for television using traditional animation or CGI, I probably would have found it more entertaining. The stop motion technique is really stiff and unfitting when the story revolves around quick moving rodents.

The Complete Brambly Hedge is written and illustrated by Jill Barklem (1951-2017). Barklem studied illustration at Saint Martin's School of Art in London, United Kingdom. It is during her commute to school there that she first conceived the world of Brambly Hedge. She spent five years researching prior to writing her first story and it is also her interest in natural history that makes her illustrations so accurate and detailed. Her illustration style resemble that of another British artist whose work I am fond of, Cicely Mary Barker. Barklem's paintings are however, superior, being a lot more detailed and with more variety of subject matter. Some of the best illustrations in this book are of the tree interiors. These are the homes and buildings of Brambly Hedge where the mice live and work. They have multiple rooms and tunnels; some are cozy and some are extravagant. There are a lot of pictures in this book, almost filling every page.

The Complete Brambly Hedge is a collection of eight stories: Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story, Winter Story, The Secret Staircase, The High Hills, Sea Story, and Poppy's Babies. I prefer all the stories in one book as it saves space but these are published separately as well with slip cases for the newer sets. The book presented here is the 2011 edition. The text is large and the paper has a good weight. The stories are sweet and written with a child's view of the world set in the countryside. There is no danger of predators, the mice live idyllic lives. Each individual story reading length is about five minutes.

The Brambly Hedge series of books, first published in 1980, have sold over seven million copies worldwide and the characters have also been produced as collectible pieces. Recommended for ages 4+.

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HarperCollins 2011
Hardcover 248p
7.5" x 10.1"