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    Years ago my brothers and I received a very special gift. Our great uncle, Richard Jencks, had made a recording of himself reading The Wind in the Willows, the classic written by Kenneth Graham. It is a wonderful recording. My uncle's voice fits the book perfectly. I've transfered the original tapes to mp3 and now make the recording available to all, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the book. 

The Wind in the Willows.htm -- right click and save link as to download.

    The Wind and the Willows has been my favorite novel every since I first heard it read by my uncle. As a child it fascinated me. Disney's version, "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride," is a poor retelling of the story. It pays little attention to any of the major characters, other than Toad. In so doing it ignores most of the story. Graham has written a wonderful tale, which contains an amazing variety of adventures and moods. Mr. Toad's adventures aren't half of them, and they certainly are not the most pleasurable. (The Disneyland ride is pretty good in its own right though. How many children's rides include dying and going to hell? Not many I wager.)

    When I grew up and read the book for myself, I discovered that my uncle had made his own editorial decision. He left out a chapter -- Wayfarers All -- because he didn't feel it was consistent with the rest of the book, specifically Rat's character. He has said he would included it today, if he made another recording. Make sure you give it a read.

    As an adult this book fascinates me just as much as it did when I was a child. For some of the same reasons, but for many new reasons. This is a book that has as much in it for adults as it does for children, perhaps more. One of the most beautiful chapters, The Piper at the Dawn, mystified me as a child. Now it opens the doors of mystery. Furthermore, I can now really see the simple beauty of these animals pre-industrial lives, because I am no longer living my own simple child's life.