THE BOOK REPORT: Mr. Toad's lust for life

Last week I wrote about my love of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, mentioning that it was the beginning of my love of literature. It’s true that the stories of Narnia inspired me, but, without another book to strengthen my love of reading, my journey into books may have ended as quickly as it began. I was still a child, at the age of 10, when my Aunt and Uncle gave me a copy of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows for Christmas.

This children’s book, written in 1908, was the perfect gift for a lover of Lewis’ work . Gone were the magic spells, witches and Aslan, replaced with common animals who wore clothes, talked and interacted with humans, and one bad-driving, speed-loving, cross-dressing, prison-escaped amphibian. While the book was clearly fantastical, the plot could just as easily have been told with humans as the main characters. The cast of animals only strengthened the foundation provided by a really great story.

Mole and Rat are friends who live normal lives. Well, normal in Grahame’s world. They boat and picnic on the river, living lives of leisure and relaxation. They make two close friends as the book progresses, Toad and Badger. The story teaches the importance of friendship and responsibility, as the animals work together to protect each other, both from common enemies and themselves. It is a children’s story, written with the formula of most children’s stories: happiness-conflict-teamwork-happiness-song(?). But rather than focusing on the predictability of the plot, the spotlight should be placed on the star of the story, Toad.

Mr. Toad, Esq. is a literary character on par with Jay Gatsby, Cat in the Hat, and Dean Moriarty: classic lords of the loaf. Toad is the owner of Toad Hall, a lavish estate, and has piles of money to blow on every crazy idea that comes into his head. He oscillates from indulgences and hobbies, each ending in disaster. His penchant for speed leads him to steal a car, get caught and sentenced to a 20-year prison term. But this lavish living hot-head is not without his charm and sweet talks the prison-keepers daughter to aid his escape. Toad is a one-of-a-kind character. He is the possessor of so many seemingly contradictory adjectives: hilarious, irritating, impetuous, kind-hearted, and, most of all, entertaining. Toad alone would make this book a wonderful read for children of all ages.

So as a child, I opened this book and was again lost in a world where animals and people were able to speak to each other, where toads could drive (and steal) cars, where rats and moles were friends. Grahame’s book is a great children’s book, a beautiful read with lessons to be learned on each page. What makes it a classic is the brilliance of Mr. Toad and his insane passion for life.

4 of 5.