Whereas The Children of Cherry Tree Farm was primarily about British wildlife, in the two Willow Farm books the focus is on farming. Once again Rory, Sheila, Benjy and Penny learn a lot during the course of the books, and have their misconceptions challenged. Again it is their friend Tammylan, the “wild man,” who explains things to them.
In The Children of Willow Farm, just like the previous book, we go through the seasons from spring to winter, learning along with the children. The book teaches the reader all about British farming as it was in the 1940s (or at least as it might have been without the war!) Blyton paints an idyllic picture of farm life, where the animals are part of the family and, unrealistically, there is never any mention of animals being sent for slaughter!
The Children of Willow Farm opens with the four brothers and sisters leaving their tall London house in order to move to Willow Farm, not far from Cherry Tree Farm. Chapters 2 and 3 contain a joyous description of moving to a house that is truly a home. Like Cherry Tree Farm, Willow Farm has an old-fashioned farmhouse with a thatched roof. Flowing through the farm are silvery streams, the willows along the banks giving the farm its name. We know from reading about willow houses elsewhere in Blyton’s work (notably The Secret Island and The Children of Cherry Tree Farm) that willow carries on growing even after it has been cut. Therefore, the name “Willow Farm” is perfect for a place which is so full of life — where baby animals grow to maturity, seeds are planted and crops harvested, and the children themselves continue to develop. Even the house, steeped in history, is endowed with feelings and memories. It is constructed partly of timber recycled from old wooden sailing ships and Benjy says, touching a black oak beam, “Funny old beam — once you knew the fishes in the sea, and you creaked as great waves splashed over you. Now you live in a house, and listen to people’s feet going up and down the stairs.”
The children are eager to be involved in the work of the farm. Sheila quickly discovers that talking to someone with experience and getting them to help out is much better than trying to learn from books alone. Determined to take on responsibility for the hens, she struggles to understand books on poultry but, after talking to fifteen-year-old Fanny (the daily help, who has always kept hens), Sheila remarks, “Oh, Fanny. I’ve learnt more about hens from you in five minutes than I’ve learnt from all these difficult books.” Likewise, her parents find Uncle Tim and Aunt Bess’s advice invaluable and are glad of the help of Fanny and her Aunt Harriet, the cook, who are used to country life.
