Winter Holiday (Swallows And Amazons) [Kindle Edition]

Once again, Ransome allows the children's views of the world to dominate over the grown-up, outsider's view. Amongst other inventions, an old barn becomes a signalling station for communicating with Mars; the lower fells the wastes of High Greenland; and the frozen lake a training ground for an expedition to the North Pole.

This is one of the very best of the S&A stories. It combines all of the fine features of the earlier volumes - beautifully simple (and yet never condescendingly simplified) prose, enchanting line drawings and an espousing of honest and open values - with an elegantly crafted plot and some moments of true excitement. It also has some cleverly disguised educational content, in the form of lessons in field communications techniques. (And the dangers of misinterpretation that can result from their use!) As usual, Ransome knows precisely how to build the excitement as the tale progresses. From simple beginnings, the book gradually becomes more and more riveting reading, until it is almost impossible to put the book down.

It is lovely, too, to see how much the Walker children's characters - as well as their relationships with each other -have developed since the earlier volumes. Seeing them from the perspective of the newcomers makes one realise how much they have grown (and come to function as a team) in the 18 months since the first book!

The world was a simpler place when this book was written (1933) and, sadly, the events portrayed within it just could not happen nowadays. But children of all ages can still enjoy tales such as this, to feed their own imaginations and help them to grow into the world as it now is. Who knows? It may yet help lead the world back to times as honest as these.

The stories are set in a timeless world. While the drawings show a prewar style, non of that time really affects the adventures of the eight children. In fact their childhood is what we would wish for our children today.
Looking back I realise how much I learned from these books. In addition to becoming an enthusiastic sailor, I learned how to plan, to be 'pro' active and organized - Susan; that leadership not gender is what counts - Nancy; Research pays off - Dick; it's OK to have fears - Peggy; learning from mistakes - John; taking risks - Titty; dreaming - Dorothea; and just having fun - Roger.
The stories are crafted so that we absorb these lessons over time but are not conscious of our learning. They are entertaining, most adventurous and should be on the 'must read' list of children's literature.