The Adventures of Portly the Otter. Untold Tales from The Wind in the Willows

Portly is the youngest in the Otter family. His older siblings – especially Ernest and Rowdy – have already taken their step out of the holt and are becoming seasoned swimmers. Now it is Portly’s turn. The sight of the river terrifies him. He decides he is not going to learn to swim – but he longs for his father’s approval. Indeed his father is dismissive both of Portly’s efforts and even more so of his unbounded curiosity. For Portly wants to know about the wider world he lives in, not just the river and its banks. So Portly explores. He meets Mr Toad, braves the Wild Wood, challenges the Weasels and Stoats – he has adventures. He discovers he is brave – brave enough to set off on a real adventure to leave his comfortable home and follow the river to the sea.

M.G. Leonard takes a minor character from The Wind in the Willows, the otter cub, Portly, who is an important element in the chapter The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. It is a chapter often edited out of modern editions. However, we do learn from it that Portly is an adventurous little otter always getting lost. It is this characteristic that Leonard picks up to create the little Portly who steps off the pages of her novel. There are clear links to the original – we meet all the familiar animals, Ratty, Mole, Badger and of course Toad. There are references to their adventures – and a pre-figuring of the invasion of Toad Hall by the Wild Wooders.  And yes, the Great God Pan does appear. Leonard captures Grahame’s evocation of the Oxfordshire countryside but avoids the lush romanticism of the original. Her prose is contemporary without losing the interest or nature of this world.  Polly Dunbar’s illustrations are a delightful bonus as she brings to life this river world peopled by characters already familiar but here given a charming, characterful, contemporary twist.

Cosy and readable whether alone or shared as a read-aloud this is an enjoyable addition to any shelf and could encourage readers to go back to Grahame.