The Wind in the Willows

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Kenneth Grahame

Children’s

Jul 31, 2018

From its first pages, in which the amiable Mole and the resourceful Water Rat inaugurate their friendship with a waterborne picnic, The Wind in the Willows transports us to a genial and welcoming world. The story of life on the riverbank is peopled with a cast of players—Rat and Mole, the formidable Badger, the ebullient, alluringly incorrigible Toad—who move right into the family room of one’s imagination and take up residence as old friends. While Toad’s antic escapades with caravan and motorcar provide comedy and excitement, the quirks and qualities of his fellow characters prove to be every bit as charming and memorable. No childhood should pass without a trip down Grahame’s river, or a walk through his Wild Wood. As for adults, they should never stray from these haunts for very long, for The Wind in the Willows is one of the archetypal works of English literature: In no other book are the quiet motives of the soul—comfort and friendship, wonder, the grace of nature and the ideal of home—so magically realized.

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Beth Powers

Nov 28, 2018

great storytelling.

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Pat Bowne

Mar 26, 2019

It's two books in one, and I think there's a big divide between those who read it for the parts with toad and those who read it for the parts without toad.

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