The Wind in the Willows

By Kenneth Grahame

One sunny spring day, Mole decides to visit the river bank. There he meets and soon becomes firm friends with Ratty, Badger, and car-crazy Mr Toad. Life on the river couldn't be better, until Toad's reckless driving lands him in jail. When the nasty weasels and stoats decide to take over Toad Hall, it's up to the friends to save the day.

One of the greatest animal stories ever written, Kenneth Grahame's classic novel is guaranteed to delight all young readers aged 8 and up. This edition also contains Arthur Rackham's famous illustrations, which bring the world of the river bank to life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Release date: Feb 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781788283816

Kenneth Grahame

Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was a Scottish author of children’s literature. Following the death of his mother at a young age, Grahame was sent to live with his grandmother in Berkshire, England, in a home near the River Thames. Unable to study at Oxford due to financial reasons, Grahame embarked on a career with the Bank of England, eventually retiring to devote himself to writing. An early exposure to nature and wildlife formed a lasting impression on Grahame, who would return to the Thames Valley of his youth throughout his literary career—most notably in his novel The Wind in the Willows (1908), which is considered his finest achievement and a masterpiece of children’s fiction.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

The River Bank

The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said ‘Bother!’ and ‘O blow!’ and also ‘Hang spring-cleaning!’ and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously, and he made for the steep little tunnel which answered in his case to the gravelled carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences are nearer to the sun and air. So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged, and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, ‘Up we go! Up we go!’ till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.

‘This is fine!’ he said to himself. ‘This is better than whitewashing!’ The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressed his heated brow, and after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in so long the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout. Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning, he pursued his way across the meadow till he reached the hedge on the further side.

‘Hold up!’ said an elderly rabbit at the gap. ‘Sixpence for the privilege of passing by the private road!’ He was bowled over in an instant by the impatient and contemptuous Mole, who trotted along the side of the hedge chaffing the other rabbits as they peeped hurriedly from their holes to see what the row was about. ‘Onion-sauce! Onion-sauce!’ he remarked jeeringly, and was gone before they could think of a thoroughly satisfactory reply. Then they all started grumbling at each other. ‘How stupid you are! Why didn’t you tell him –’ ‘Well, why didn’t you say –’ ‘You might have reminded him –’ and so on in the usual way; but, of course, it was then much too late, as is always the case.

It all seemed too good to be true. Hither and thither through the meadows he rambled busily, along the hedgerows, across the copses, finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding, leaves thrusting – everything happy, and progressive, and occupied. And instead of having an uneasy conscience pricking him and whispering ‘Whitewash!’ he somehow could only feel how jolly it was to be the only idle dog among all these busy citizens. After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.

He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before – this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver – glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea.

As he sat on the grass and looked across the river, a dark hole in the bank opposite, just above the water’s edge, caught his eye, and dreamily he fell to considering what a nice snug dwelling-place it would make for an animal with few wants and fond of a bijou riverside residence, above flood-level and remote from noise and dust. As he gazed, something bright and small seemed to twinkle down in the heart of it, vanished, then twinkled once more like a tiny star. But it could hardly be a star in such an unlikely situation; and it was too glittering and small for a glow-worm. Then, as he looked, it winked at him, and so declared itself to be an eye; and a small face began gradually to grow up round it, like a frame round a picture.

A brown little face, with whiskers.

A grave round face, with the same twinkle in its eye that had first attracted his notice.

Small neat ears and thick silky hair.

It was the Water Rat!

Then the two animals stood and regarded each other cautiously.

‘Hullo, Mole!’ said the Water Rat.

‘Hullo, Rat!’ said the Mole.

‘Would you like to come over?’ inquired the Rat presently.

‘Oh, it’s all very well to talk,’ said the Mole, rather pettishly, he being new to a river and riverside life and its ways.

The Rat said nothing, but stopped and unfastened a rope and hauled on it; then lightly stepped into a little boat which the Mole had not observed. It was painted blue outside and white within, and was just the size for two animals; and the Mole’s whole heart went out to it at once, even though he did not yet fully understand its uses.

The Rat sculled smartly across and made fast. Then he held up his fore-paw as the Mole stepped gingerly down. ‘Lean on that!’ he said. ‘Now then, step lively!’ and the Mole to his surprise and rapture found himself actually seated in the stern of a real boat.

‘This has been a wonderful day!’ said he, as the Rat shoved off and took to the sculls again. ‘Do you know, I’ve never been in a boat before in all my life.’

‘What?’ cried the Rat, open-mouthed. ‘Never been in a – you never – well, I – what have you been doing, then?’

‘Is it so nice as all that?’ asked the Mole shyly, though he was quite prepared to believe it as he leant back in his seat and surveyed the cushions, the oars, the rowlocks, and all the fascinating fittings, and felt the boat sway lightly under him.

‘Nice? It’s the only thing,’ said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leant forward for his stroke. ‘Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing,’ he went on dreamily: ‘messing – about – in – boats; messing –’

‘Look ahead, Rat!’ cried the Mole suddenly.

It was too late. The boat struck the bank full tilt. The dreamer, the joyous oarsman, lay on his back at the bottom of the boat, his heels in the air.

‘– about in boats – or with boats,’ the Rat went on composedly, picking himself up with a pleasant laugh. ‘In or out of ’em, it doesn’t matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that’s the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don’t; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you’re always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you’ve done it there’s always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you’d much better not. Look here! If you’ve really nothing else on hand this morning, supposing we drop down the river together and have a long day of it?’

The Mole waggled his toes from sheer happiness, spread his chest with a sigh of full contentment, and leaned back blissfully into the soft cushions. ‘What a day I’m having!’ he said. ‘Let us start at once!’

‘Hold hard a minute, then!’ said the Rat. He looped the painter through a ring in his landing-stage, climbed up into his hole above, and after a short interval re­appeared staggering under a fat, wicker luncheon-basket.

‘Shove that under your feet,’ he observed to the Mole, as he passed it down into the boat. Then he untied the painter and took the sculls again.

‘What’s inside it?’ asked the Mole, wriggling with curiosity.

‘There’s cold chicken inside it,’ replied the Rat briefly; ‘coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwidgespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater –’

‘Oh stop, stop,’ cried the Mole in ecstasies: ‘This is too much!’

‘Do you really think so?’ inquired the Rat seriously. ‘It’s only what I always take on these little excursions; and the other animals are always telling me that I’m a mean beast and cut it very fine!’

The Mole never heard a word he was saying. Absorbed in the new life he was entering upon, intoxicated with the sparkle, the ripple, the scents and the sounds and the sunlight, he trailed a paw in the water and dreamed long waking dreams. The Water Rat, like the good little fellow he was, sculled steadily on and forbore to disturb him.

‘I like your clothes awfully, old chap,’ he remarked after some half an hour or so had passed. ‘I’m going to get a black velvet smoking-suit myself some day, as soon as I can afford it.’

‘Shove that under your feet,’ he observed to the Mole, as he passed it down into the boat.

‘I beg your pardon,’ said the Mole, pulling himself together with an effort. ‘You must think me very rude; but all this is so new to me. So – this – is – a – River!’

‘The River,’ corrected the Rat.

‘And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!’

‘By it and with it and on it and in it,’ said the Rat. ‘It’s brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company, and food and drink, and (naturally) washing. It’s my world, and I don’t want any other. What it hasn’t got is not worth having, and what it doesn’t know is not worth knowing. Lord! the times we’ve had together! Whether in winter or summer, spring or autumn, it’s always got its fun and its excitements. When the floods are on in February, and my cellars and basement are brimming with drink that’s no good to me, and the brown water runs by my best bedroom window; or again when it all drops away and shows patches of mud that smell like plum-cake, and the rushes and weed clog the channels, and I can potter about dry-shod over most of the bed of it and find fresh food to eat, and things careless people have dropped out of boats!’

‘But isn’t it a bit dull at times?’ the Mole ventured to ask. ‘Just you and the river, and no one else to pass a word with?’

‘No one else to – well, I mustn’t be hard on you,’ said the Rat with forbearance. ‘You’re new to it, and of course you don’t know. The bank is so crowded nowadays that many people are moving away altogether. Oh no, it isn’t what it used to be, at all. Otters, kingfishers, dabchicks, moorhens, all of them about all day long and always wanting you to do something – as if a fellow had no business of his own to attend to!’

‘What lies over there?’ asked the Mole, waving a paw towards a background of woodland that darkly framed the water-meadows on one side of the river.

‘That? Oh, that’s just the Wild Wood,’ said the Rat shortly. ‘We don’t go there very much, we river-bankers.’

‘Aren’t they – aren’t they very nice people in there?’ said the Mole a trifle nervously.

‘W-e-ll,’ replied the Rat, ‘let me see. The squirrels are all right. And the rabbits – some of ’em, but rabbits are a mixed lot. And then there’s Badger, of course. He lives right in the heart of it; wouldn’t live anywhere else, either, if you paid him to do it. Dear old Badger! Nobody interferes with him. They’d better not,’ he added significantly.

‘Why, who should interfere with him?’ asked the Mole.

‘Well, of course – there – are others,’ explained the Rat in a hesitating sort of way. ‘Weasels – and stoats – and foxes – and so on. They’re all right in a way – I’m very good friends with them – pass the time of day when we meet, and all that – but they break out sometimes, there’s no denying it, and then – well, you can’t really trust them, and that’s the fact.’

The Mole knew well that it is quite against animal-etiquette to dwell on possible trouble ahead, or even to allude to it; so he dropped the subject.

‘And beyond the Wild Wood again?’ he asked: ‘Where it’s all blue and dim, and one sees what may be hills or perhaps they mayn’t, and something like the smoke of towns, or is it only cloud-drift?’

‘Beyond the Wild Wood comes the Wide World,’ said the Rat. ‘And that’s something that doesn’t matter, either to you or me. I’ve never been there, and I’m never going, nor you either, if you’ve got any sense at all. Don’t ever refer to it again, please. Now then! Here’s our backwater at last, where we’re going to lunch.’

Leaving the main stream, they now passed into what seemed at first sight like a little landlocked lake. Green turf sloped down to either edge, brown snaky tree-roots gleamed below the surface of the quiet water, while ahead of them the silvery shoulder and foamy tumble of a weir, arm-in-arm with a restless dripping mill-wheel, that held up in its turn a grey-gabled mill-house, filled the air with a soothing murmur of sound, dull and smothery, yet with little clear voices speaking up cheerfully out of it at intervals. It was so very beautiful that the Mole could only hold up both fore-paws and gasp, ‘Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!’

The Rat brought the boat alongside the bank, made her fast, helped the still awkward Mole safely ashore, and swung out the luncheon-basket. The Mole begged as a favour to be allowed to unpack it all by himself; and the Rat was very pleased to indulge him, and to sprawl at full length on the grass and rest, while his excited friend shook out the table-cloth and spread it, took out all the mysterious packets one by one and arranged their contents in due order, still gasping, ‘Oh my! Oh my!’ at each fresh revelation. When all was ready, the Rat said, ‘Now, pitch in, old fellow!’ and the Mole was indeed very glad to obey, for he had started his spring-cleaning at a very early hour that morning, as people will do, and had not paused for bite or sup; and he had been through a very great deal since that distant time which now seemed so many days ago.

‘What are you looking at?’ said the Rat presently, when the edge of their hunger was somewhat dulled, and the Mole’s eyes were able to wander off the table-cloth a little.

‘I am looking,’ said the Mole, ‘at a streak of bubbles that I see travelling along the surface of the water. That is a thing that strikes me as funny.’

‘Bubbles? Oho!’ said the Rat, and chirruped cheerily in an inviting sort of way.

A broad glistening muzzle showed itself above the edge of the bank, and the Otter hauled himself out and shook the water from his coat.

‘Greedy beggars!’ he observed, making for the provender. ‘Why didn’t you invite me, Ratty?’

‘This was an impromptu affair,’ explained the Rat. ‘By the way – my friend, Mr Mole.’

‘Proud, I’m sure,’ said the Otter, and the two animals were friends forthwith.

‘Such a rumpus everywhere!’ continued the Otter. ‘All the world seems out on the river today. I came up this backwater to try and get a moment’s peace, and then stumble upon you fellows! At least – I beg pardon – I don’t exactly mean that, you know.’

The Mole begged as a favour to be allowed to unpack it all by himself.

There was a rustle behind them, proceeding from a hedge wherein last year’s leaves still clung thick, and a stripy head, with high shoulders behind it, peered forth on them.

‘Come on, old Badger!’ shouted the Rat.

The Badger trotted forward a pace or two; then grunted, ‘H’m! Company,’ and turned his back and disappeared from view.

‘That’s just the sort of fellow he is!’ observed the dis­appointed Rat. ‘Simply hates Society! Now we shan’t see any more of him today. Well, tell us who’s out on the river?’

‘Toad’s out, for one,’ replied the Otter. ‘In his brand-new wager-boat; new togs, new everything!’

The two animals looked at each other and laughed. ‘Once, it was nothing but sailing,’ said the Rat. ‘Then he tired of that and took to punting. Nothing would please him but to punt all day and every day, and a nice mess he made of it. Last year it was house-boating, and we all had to go and stay with

Reviews for The Wind in the Willows

[eurekas_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely Marvelous!

[melydia_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A book that appears to have been part of everyone's childhood except mine. We had a lovely hardbound copy as long as I can remember, but I never read it until now. And it doesn't translate well to adults. Having been written a century ago, I expected it to be dated, but I didn't expect it to be quite so...odd. Each chapter is more or less a separate story about the same group of characters: poetic Rat, generous Mole, selfish Toad, gruff Badger, and friendly Otter. Toad has by far the most personality, what with his utter conceit and his obsession with motorcars, but he's less entertaining than tiresome. I don't have any issues with the idea of talking animals in general, but when they begin interacting with humans it can get a little strange. For example, the illustrations in this book show Toad at roughly half the height of an adult human - which he would have to be, given part of the storyline. Maybe I would like this book more had I grown up with it, but as it stands I just see it as a really bizarre little tale that I will most likely never read again.

[latinteacher_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this work took some getting used to... Once I "learned the rules," I found myself enjoying the lyrical prose. This is certainly a well written series of stories, but they are a little strange.

[jackkane_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What's the big deal with this piece of garbage? You have a bunch of critters goofing around, getting into ridiculous jams and reading boring poetry.To top it all you have the sociopath Mr Toad, with whom we're supposed to sympathize. Mr Toad is no Mister. He is just a slimy toad. He should have rotted in jail. Let the weasels have his manor - they seemed to make better use of it than the toad did.One can see why the book would be popular among the English owner class. 'Wind in the Willows' presents the owners in their favorite light - they appear to be goofy but lovable characters. The fight at the end of the novel is a fight for the property rights of the indolent aristocracy.But why would a normal person like this drivel? Do you claim you should be allowed to steal a car, get hammered, cause an accident, and then escape jail? Do you perhaps own a manor that has been invaded by bums during your extended bender? What kind of a children's book is this?To hell with 'Mr Toad' and this crummy 'classic'.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

They are such boys! Quite uncivilized, except when it comes to the codes of honor and of hospitality. They do love their food and their adventures - but then, they don't need to make a living.

Tasha Tudor's illustrations are wonderful: she makes the landscape enchanting and the friends handsome (Ratty most of all ;). The language is both witty and lyrical, and accessible (not the least bit difficult to read even after all these years). The personalities are vibrant - especially Badger's, and the stories are either mythic or hilarious, or both.

What surprised me was that these aren't just a unified series of adventures. I imagine most readers skim over Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Wayfarers All; maybe they're even left out of abridgments. I know it'd take me another reading to appreciate those fully. But they definitely belong in the book and enhance its appeal in the sense that the child reader knows *something* wonderful is being shared, and he's expected to be able to strive for it.

But I don't like how there is no consistent sense of the animals' relation to humans. I mean, sometimes they're small enough to burrow in the riverbank, and sometimes they're big enough to drive motorcars. Mostly they live their lives undetected, but even the barge-woman knows of Toad Hall. I never did read this as a child, and now I know why - I was too pragmatic.

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is great to read an old classic!

[rubyscarlett-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a delightful tale. I really enjoyed the adventure as such and Grahame has some really nice things to say about life and friendsdhip. I look forward to reading more books by him.

[ben_a_11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and, if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us. But I must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it, don't be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting in judgment on my taste, or on the art of Kenneth Grahame. You are merely sitting in judgment on yourself. You may be worthy: I don't know, But it is you who are on trial."-- A. A. Milne"I don't want to teach them, I want to learn them!"--BadgerBought in the Lexington, KY airport (2.1.07), and now re-reading

[ajbraithwaite_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

One of those 'books I feel I ought to have read by now'. And as a classic, I was expecting it to be better than it was. I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and the transitions of the year in the English countryside, but found the plot lacking and the portrayal of the characters strange and generally unconvincing. As was Toad's change of heart at the end. Rather an odd little book, really. I suspect it's something I would have enjoyed more if I'd first read it as a child.

[rizeandshine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first time reading Wind in the Willows, although I was aware of the stories having seen different cartoon adaptations. I wish I had read this book first as a child, but the fact that this was my first reading did not make it any less enjoyable. I love all the characters, their distinct personalities and their strong friendships. The stories are varied and the lessons timeless. The characters spend quiet time in conversation, sharing meals, and taking tranquil walks along the river, they take part in boating adventures, heroic takeovers and some even resort to car-theft and gaol breakouts. I think my favorite story is Dulce Domum, where Mole realizes the joys of hearth and home. In Wayfarers All, we see a a reflection of the author himself in Rat, who is siezed by thoughts of adventure in foreign lands. Mole talks some sense into Rat and calms him down by suggesting he write some poetry, giving him a pencil - "the Rat was absorbed and deaf to the world; alternately scribbling and sucking the top of his pencil. It is true that he sucked a good deal more than he scribbled; but it was joy to the Mole to know that the cure had at least begun." Read this book if you've never read it as a child, or even if you have, read it again. The stories have a lot to offer for all ages and you are sure to come away with a different perspective as an adult.

[theboylatham_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Five out of ten.

Finding the secret of the wind is hard enough without Mole wandering off into the Wild Wood and getting caught in a snowstorm or Toad stealing motorcars and landing in jail. Between practical Water Rat and wise old Badger, the four of them manage, after many great adventures and much laughter, to settle down to a quiet roar with an understanding of the wind's song and the Wild Wood.

[becalee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first novel my father bought me. Read it for the first time as an adult. It is without doubt my favourite book of all time. Grahame is a master. Should be read every Christmas.

[pandoragreen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I *wanted* to like this book as a child. It was supposed to be good. It would somehow be "good" for me, like eating my vegetables. It was a "classic", and I liked all the other classic children's novels I had read. But I didn't think much of it at all, and I read it twice just to be sure. Granted I haven't given it a reread as an adult and I'm willing to admit there may be something there I missed when I was young.

[librisissimo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Substance: The story of two friends never gets old, and I love the chapter where they discover Mole's old home. However, be warned that the book is full of antiquated notions. Toad is only part of the story.Style: Not too dated yet.

[redfiona_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've known the story of The Wind In The Willows forever, one of those things that seeps in in the time before memory begins, but on the other hand I have no memory of ever having read the book.And it is wonderful.Warm and clever and lovely, and touched by some sort of magic.It's all the little things like Mole feeling so much more at home in Badger's sett, because he's an underground animal at heart, but loving the river enough to forego that. And Ratty being lovely, and kind and ... Ratty is my favourite. And, it must be said, has been since I was wee.Completely and utterly worth reading, no matter how old you are.

[jvioland_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic of children's literature. Wonderful.

[homeschoolmimzi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

UPDATE: Finished this book- twas well worth re-reading. I loved this edition, the illustrations were especially beautiful!






I am reading this book once again. A different edition this time, this one illustrated by Inga Moore. The story, pictures and layout are relaxing and engaging, especially at this time in my life. Looking at meadows and streams and reading about carefree days is just what I need right now.

[kronos999_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining and quite cute. I'm an adult, but this was the perfect book to enjoy while on holiday avoiding anything heavy.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Somewhere alongside a river lives a Water Rat and a Mole, two friends who take pleasure in the simple things, like taking a ride in Ratty's boat and having a picnic. Their friends Toad, Otter and Badger, living near the river and in the Wide Wood, join them in various adventures throughout the seasons.Somehow, when I was young and reading The Chronicles Narnia and all the Thornton W. Burgess tales, I missed this children's classic featuring Mole and the Water Rat, pompous old Toad and the sturdy Badger. I especially loved Toad, his faddish delights and mood swings from deepest despair to puffed up self-display. This was a truly charming read, by turns familiar (due to a movie I saw as a child) and new. The episodic chapters and long, meandering sentences lend themselves to a read-aloud, and I look forward to someday sharing this story with a young child.

[raschneid_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe I hadn't read this book before now! Instant new favorite, reminiscent of all my favorite classic children's fantasies (obviously because it was written before all of them). That's said, it's not exactly a children's novel or an adult novel - it's a Book For People Like Me (particularly during chilly Januaries).

[cjyurkanin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps if I'd had pleasant memories of this book as a child I may have a different view of it while reading it as an adult. It's beloved by so many that I wish I'd been introduced to it, unfortunately I was never able to find the charm in it or maintain any lasting interest.

[mausergem_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a childrens book about four riverside animals the Water Rat, the Mole, the Badger and the Toad. It is an exciting and funny narrative about their adventures. The language is superb and it gives a good feel of the English countryside.

[ramzartso-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great children's story. I recommend this for family-reading.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Originally published in 1908, this classic British animal fantasy began as a series of bedtime stories that the author created for his young son, and only found its way into print after Grahame retired from his career in banking. Described as everything from a paean to the beauty of English country life, to a portrait of the class structure of late Victorian Britain, The Wind in the Willows is one of those stories that can be interpreted in diverse ways, and appreciated on many different levels. The tale of four friends - humble Mole, who happens upon a new life and a new social circle one day, when he sticks his nose up out of his burrow; friendly Ratty, a stouthearted sailor and happy-go-lucky river-dweller, who serves to bind the friends together; wise and retiring Badger, who may prefer the solitude of his woods, but nevertheless proves a valuable ally and friend; and spoiled Toad (of Toad Hall), the conceited son of privilege, who has a better heart than either judgment or resolve - it is as engaging as it is well written, and every bit as relevant as the day it was first published.Chosen as our December selection, over in The Children's Fiction Book Club to which I belong, The Wind in the Willows is one of those books (of which there are far too many, I am afraid) that I have long been meaning to read, but to which I never seem to get to. How glad I am that my book-club commitments finally gave me the push I needed to pick it up, as I absolutely adored it! I can see why so many readers have recommended it to me over the years. The social analysis is certainly of interest - I find the idea (put forward in our book discussion, amongst other places) that the four friends each represent a different strata of the middle and upper classes, while the residents of The Wild Wood (the weasels, stoats and ferrets) represents the "underclass," quite convincing - although it was the beauty of the language that really stood out, on this initial read. The playful use of language, with made-up words and plenty of alliteration - So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws..." - the lyrical descriptions of the world of river and wood, and the gorgeous dreamlike passages leading up to the breathlessly magical encounter with Pan, in "Pipers at the Gates of Dawn," all left a powerful impression on me. I will be wanting to read this again, I think, and will be thinking of it for some time to come. It's just a lovely, lovely little book!

[sephma · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great series of stories that I loved as a kid and liked even more as an adult. A couple are slightly long for storytelling but many would be great for slightly older children.

[stormraven_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Wind in the Willows is regarded as a classic of chidlren's literature, and while it is enjoyable, I'm not sure it deserves that status. The book follows the activities (I hesitate to call some of the trivial things they engage in adventures) of four animal friends: Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and Toad. For the most part, the book follows Mole and Water Rat, who serve as stand-ins for middle-class English country gentlemen. The pair spend their days boating on the river, having very English picnic lunches and dinners, hosting poor Christmas carolers, exploring the enticing and dangerous wild wood, and trying to keep the aristocratic Toad from getting into trouble.One thing that is never clear in the book is why Mole and Water Rat are middle class, why Toad is wealthy, and why Badger is working class, although they all clearly are. The Otter family and the field mouse carolers seems to be poor as well,and the weasels and stoats are essentially poverty-stricken ruffians. No one seems to do any work in the animal worls, so it is unclear why the field mice are poor, while Mole is comfortable enough to have them all in for a bite to eat when they knock at his door. It is a mystery how Toad is able to afford the multiple cars he purchases (and wrecks) in the story. This bit of English class structure, while giving an interesting window on the state of the world in Grahame's era, makes the book more than a little dated, and probably not particularly approachable for a young reader today.For the most part, the four friends putter around doing more or less mundane things - the biggest excitement in the first half of the book is when Mole and Water Rat find and return one of the Otter children who had gotten lost. The actual adventures, such as they are, of the quartet are heavily driven by Toad and what appear to be his attempts to stave off the boredom that comes with being wealthy and idle. He steals a car, gets thrown in jail, escapes, and finds his home taken over by ruffians (Stoats and Weasels), whereupon the four friends arm themselves with clubs, pistols, and swords, and toss the trespassers out. They, of course, immediately plan a party to celebrate.The book is mostly noteworthy for its love of country living, and the unspoiled, but tamed English countryside (the river dwellers being carefully distinguished from those that live in "the wild wood"). In some ways, Grahame is a predecessor of Tolkien, wishing that a pastoral way of life would persist and not be overcome by industiralization and a breaking down of class barriers.On the whole, the book is fun, even if the doings of the protagonists range from the merely trivial to the criminal, and probably worth giving to a child to read, but I would not consider this to have the "must read" status that it has been accorded.

[matlock8sarah · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very glad to finally take the time to read this timeless children's classic! The adventures were just what I would expect from a young child's imagination. The language, however, was a bit dry and stiff and I felt the writing style kept me from engaging fully in the clever, fun little characters. Glad to have read, but a bit disappointed in the entertainment value.

[takeitorleaveit_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this was probably one of the first books I read on my own, my father used to read it to me often but I never liked his story telling voice so I used to read ahead while looking at the words since of course, the book was open. I've always had great eyesight. lots of carrots. my father also took me to the play version in London when I was probably 7-9. that was the best times for our relationship. before my brother was born, it was more about him and me. this book reminds me of him and me. me and him. Him and I. I am Him. there is a reason people say I look like him. i come from his sperm whether it was in a tube or not. I don't remember much about the actual story but I remember thinking the toad was a total lame bummer and wasn't feeling his vibe. fucking toads.

[tullyfamily · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved reading this with my father when I was a little girl! This hardback edition is nice.

[lord_boris-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Wind in the Willows is an odd book in that it is meant for children yet has chapter titles such as "Dulce Domum", "Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears", "The Return of Ulysses" and most famously "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn". Some of these chapters are stand alone with only a few threads of plot to interconnect them. In fact there is very little plot as the book is about friendship and maintaining the status quo. It's a very conservative book. I read it last forty years ago and can remember as a child being confused but somehow affected by The Piper at the Gates of Dawn chapter. Reading it as an adult, it is clearly the best part of the book. Still dislike Toad though.