Enid Blyton's books have been the object of plenty of criticism in the recent years. The chauvinism, racism, sexism, and xenophobia in her writings cannot be denied and her dated view on the world definitely should not continue being perpetrated. That said however, Enid Blyton was one of the first authors to get me hooked on reading and this farm series are what got me interested about the natural world. There may be some untruths and inaccurate ideas (how could Tammylan have survived just foraging in the woods for food and yet have so much free time to spare! You don't just pluck a baby hedgehog from its nest just because a little girl wants a pet! And many more...), but in general, it did teach me to respect nature and to love all living things. And for a period of time, I did want to be a farmer!
While in the world of the story, the children's adventures started off with The Children of Cherry Tree Farm, then the Children of Willow Farm before finally culminating in this one, I actually read them in the opposite direction, More Adventures on Willow Farm being the first book I received as a birthday present. This particular book therefore holds a special place in my heart and is definitely an important part of my childhood memories.