British Reading Adventure: Arthur Ransome

I know! I know! It has been a while since I've written a post in the British Reading Adventure series. Thankfully, it was a break in blogging rather than a lack of reading. The big move this summer and settling in thereafter soaked up much of my writing time, but during that period I still usually ended the day by drifting away onto heather-covered moors or the long-ago streets of London.

In case anyone is new to the series, the idea is to read through many of the wonderful book offerings for children that have come out of Great Britain in the last 150 years or so. Some are famous like the Narnia stories and Tolkien, but there are many great books that are largely forgotten. (Click here for a rationale and a list of the books I've highlighted so far.) I want to be able to share these books with Eli during his childhood, but our family also hopes to take Eli to see the locations of the various stories when he's older.

Although the project began in earnest last year, it was travel reading during our 2007 honeymoon to London that provided the first spark. I enjoyed Melanie Wentz's Once Upon a Time in Great Britain, a guide to the sites linked to children's literature. She touched on one author I wasn't familiar with -- Arthur Ransome -- so I picked up the first book of his children's series and read it on jet-lagged nights once we got home.

Although Ransome first published Swallows and Amazons in 1930, the adventures of his young heroes still captivate. The kids are turned loose during summer vacation to set up an island camp and explore a lake in their own small sailboats. The mixture of the kids' make-believe with their real scrapes and hardships keeps the reader page after page. I liked the book and was glad I bought it as a hardback "keeper" edition. That might have been all, but thankfully this reading project coaxed me into moving deeper into the twelve-book series. Swallows is good, but there are some in the series that I put on my all time favorite books list.

After doing some reading online, I get the impression that the Swallows and Amazons series is still fairly popular in England and many other countries. This reading project has taught me that there are actually quite a few British authors that made a big splash both at home and abroad but made barely a ripple in the United States. I'm not sure why that is. (For Ransome's books perhaps publishers here were put off by the name of one of his main characters. No American author would have chosen 'Titty'!) Regardless of why some authors aren't as well known here, it means that there are some great books for Americans to discover.

So why is Ransome still popular in Britain eight decades after his first children's book came out? Hmmm. My immediate answer is the characters. These kids have a strong moral compass and don't waste much time fussing at each other, yet they are likable and real. Each one has a clearly defined personality and something special to offer the series. When I hit the last few pages of book twelve, I felt a sharp sense of loss that there would be no new adventures with these young people who had become my friends.

Beloved characters aside, I also think Ransome had a strong feel for what makes for a good adventure. I know nothing about sailing, but easily gave myself over to the challenges of riding the winds. In addition, across the series I foiled robbers, found my way out of deep fogs, discovered a valuable mine, met interesting local characters, battled a forest fire, survived a shipwreck, and got attacked by pirates more than once. The stories are good in themselves but also as a sort of time machine so that you can experience life in the 1930s. I'm only sorry that there aren't twice as many books. Eli isn't quite old enough for them yet, but I can't wait to read them aloud on vacations!

The Books:

Swallows and Amazons -- The Walker family (siblings John, Susan, Titty, and Roger) go to the Lake District for the holidays. They can't believe their luck that their parents let them camp out on Wildcat Island -- even when they begin to see signs that they aren't the only ones frequenting their camp.

Swallowdale -- When John accidentally wrecks their sailboat, the Walker kids and the Blackett sisters (Nancy and Peggy) take to the forests and high hills above the lake.

Peter Duck -- Although the author never lets on if this is a "real story" or one of Titty's tales, the reader ventures with the Walkers and Blacketts from England to the Caribbean while being chased by greedy pirates eager to race them to hidden treasure.

Winter Holiday -- Happy sigh. I love this one. The Walkers and Blacketts befriend visitors Dick and Dorothea Callum over the winter holiday, finding a whole new set of adventures when the temperatures plunge and the lake freezes over. (This would be a great read over the Christmas holidays.)

Coot Club -- The Callums get a chance to vacation in the Norfolk Broads river region and learn how to sail. They soon befriend a group of kids who know the area intimately and defend it from heartless tourists who care nothing for the wildlife.

Pigeon Post -- The Walkers, Blacketts, and Callums search for gold in the hills above the lake despite the fact that a summer drought makes camping rougher, there is a strong threat of forest fires, and a mysterious stranger is trying to muscle in on their discoveries.

We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea -- While vacationing on a river northeast of London, the Walker kids were only visiting a new friend's sailboat when they accidentally get swept into the North Sea.

Secret Water -- When the Walkers' vacation was ruined by their Navy father being called back to duty, it is decided that the children will be purposefully stranded on a river island to explore and map it. When local kids jump in to defend their island from these new strangers, the story heats up.

The Big Six -- The Callums return to the river area called The Broads, teaming up with local friends to foil thieves.

Missee Lee -- The Walkers and Blacketts sail to Asia with "Captain Flint," the Blacketts' uncle. When the ship breaks apart in a storm, they accidentally fall in with warlords.

The Picts and the Martyrs -- Another huge favorite. Back at their home lake, the Blacketts gear up for an exciting holiday with the Callums. When it looks like all their plans will be foiled by their stodgy and controlling great aunt, the kids decide to create a secret camp. Will Great Aunt find out and ruin everything?

Great Northern? -- While sailing around the wild and mysterious Hebrides islands off of Scotland, the kids accidentally tip off a fanatic egg collector that there is a pair of rare birds in the area. Now they have to save the birds -- no easy feat when the rich egg-collector has henchmen and the local shepherding community misunderstands their intentions.

More Information:

Click HERE for the Arthur Ransome Society in England.

Click on the book cover below to learn about Christina Hardyment's recent image-rich book combining a biography of Ransome with in-depth peeks at the places he wrote about.

Arthur Ransome's Children's Books and Related Reading:

P.S. I didn't have a decent camera while I was on my honeymoon and thus only have a few dozen snapshots of my trip to England. I'll be throwing in spare photos from everyday life just to give the British Reading Adventure posts a little more visual appeal.