The Wind in the Willows

by Kenneth Grahame, Brian Jacques (Introduction by), Robin Lawrie (Illustrator)

Spend a season on the river bank and take a walk on the wild side...

Spring is in the air and Mole has found a wonderful new world. There's boating with Ratty, a feast with Badger and high jinx on the open road with that reckless ruffian, Mr Toad of Toad Hall. The four become the firmest of friends, but after Toad's latest escapade, can they join together and beat the wretched weasels?

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Animals, Young Adult, Middle Grade

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 1908

About the author

Kenneth Grahame was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature The Wind in the Willows (1908). Scottish by birth, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in England, following the death of his mother and his father's inability to look after the children. After attending St Edward's School in Oxford, his ambition to attend university was thwarted and he joined the Bank of England, where he had a successful career. Before writing The Wind in the Willows, he published three other books: Pagan Papers (1893), The Golden Age (1895), and Dream Days (1898).

Reviews

[J. Wootton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to review The Wind in the Willows is a strange undertaking. In the introduction to my copy, A. A. Milne wrote:

"One can argue over the merits of most books... 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, he asks her to return his letters. The old man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. ... When you sit down to [read] it, don't be so ridiculous as to suppose 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."

Milne's comments may seem overly grave, especially to those familiar with Grahame's lighthearted, whimsical, occasionally mystical, story of Mole and Water Rat's genteel life on the bank of the River and the adventures of the incorrigible and ridiculous (and highly entertaining) Mr. Toad, wanton son of worthier sires, but look here: if you love the story, you are clearly on the side of the Hobbits (indeed, if you want to know what life in the Shire is like, I can't think of a better book to refer you to); and if you dislike it, you may be an Orc at heart - seducable, like Toad, away from quiet contemplative enjoyment of this sometimes-slow book by the flash and boom of technological gimmickry. You might be the kind of person who prefers to run on an electric treadmill or rubber sports track than hike a nature trail.

And if you are, I hope you have friends as stubbornly loyal as Mole, Water Rat, and Badger who will stick by you, in spite of yourself, until you come around.

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun and whimsical!

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my son's favourite book. He was forever putting skirts of mine over his head and filling a basket with dirty laundry wandering around the house (with his father aiding and abetting him) saying he was Toad the washerwoman.

It looks like a lovely idyll of a small society of animals who live around the riverbank and have to put up with Toad whose money and grandiose schemes make him the dominant and eccentric character. Everyone loves the book and no one notices what is wrong with it.

What's wrong is everyone is male, there are no female animals, just a society of men. An idyll of an ideal society

Well not quite 'no one'. It has been written by Professor Hunt, Cardiff University, among others, that the book is a gay manifesto, and that Grahame, who married late, only lived with his wife and son at weekends. In the week sharing a London flat with Walford Grahame Robertson, a gay artist and both were friends with Oscar Wilde and moved in his society. Professor Hunt says, "That the book is all about male-on-male friendships – and highlights lines such as a bit about Mole and Ratty ‘tumbling between the sheets in great joy and contentment.’"

I wonder if the book had been written in more liberal times it would still have been just stories about males living together? Either way, it's a really great book, and not at all flawed by the omission of females.

Some reviews take a while to formulate. This one around 20 years... lol

[Jan-Maat]

An Edwardian children's book that ends with the reimposition by force of the traditional squirearchical social order on the upstart lower orders as represented by Weasels, Stoats and Ferrets.

It is a through introduction to traditional British conservatism, of the Country Life rather than the Economist variety, for children with a side order of mild paganism. As such is an unwitting counterpoint to The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.

As with How to Read Donald Duck, once you look at it and shrug off the view that it is just a children's book then the values on show are not so nice. What is it that readers are asked to feel nostalgia for?

This was published in 1908, before Lloyd George prepared his People's Budget in 1909/10, before The Parliament Act of 1911 and at the same time as women were agitating for the vote. There are the book's Weasels, Stoats and Ferrets - so take up your cudgel to uphold Merrie Olde England and our ancestral rights to under occupied manor houses and the freedom to behave with some reckless abandon!

Alternatively we have the nostalgia of The Leisure Class, our heroes are people who don't have to work, who are so different from ordinary people that they don't even have to be human any more and who can indulge themselves as they see fit - save for the inexplicable unreasonableness of the law.

Ultimately it is what is, as we all are, in this particular case a homoerotic fantasy in which all the men and boys can go off and live an upper middle-class life as animals by the river banks without having to deal with the consequences of that decision, the women will still be prepared to do the washing and the ironing apparently, and indeed woe betide the creature that tries to interrupt this way of life. The only duty is to one another, infringement of privilege punishable by violence. For all its emphasis on nature and the river, it is a very inward looking book. It is a closed off world, the industrial, urban society with a market economy is literally populated by a different species. There are few things quite as curious and peculiar as the stories people would like children to delight in.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best children’s classics have started with an adult inventing stories to tell to a child. “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, “Winnie the Pooh”, “Peter Pan” and even “Watership Down” all began this way, as did many others. The Wind in the Willows is another such. Like them, it is a novel which can be read on many levels, and arguably has a hidden subtext. And like some others, its writing was prompted by a family tragedy.

Kenneth Grahame had already established himself as a talented writer, and had considerable literary success in the 1890s. He regularly published stories in literary magazines. These stories about a family of parentless children, were collected in one volume called “The Golden Age” in 1895. He followed this up in 1898 with “Dream Days”, a sequel, which was even more successful, and established him as a writer with a special insight into childhood. “Dream Days” itself included another children’s story, “The Reluctant Dragon”. Throughout his career, he had published children’s books and a memoir of childhood. He was successful and well-known, well before The Wind In The Willows was even thought of.

Kenneth Grahame had a child of his own, Alastair, to whom he felt very close. He used to tell his son fanciful stories about wild animals who lived by the nearby river, and in the “Wild Wood”. When Alastair was about four years old, Kenneth Grahame would tell “Mouse” (his nickname for Alastair) bedtime stories about a toad. And whenever the two were apart, his father would write more tales about Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger in letters to his young son Alastair.

Kenneth Grahame’s own childhood at this age however, was far from rosy. He had been born in 1859, in Edinburgh. His father was aristocratic; a failed lawyer, who loved poetry—but who loved vintage claret even more. The drinking became worse when Kenneth Grahame’s mother, Bessie, died soon after she had given birth to his brother, Roland. Kenneth was just 5, when he and his three siblings went to live with their grandmother. There they lived in a spacious but dilapidated home with huge grounds, by the river Thames, and were introduced to the riverside and boating by their uncle, who was a curate.

We can clearly see echoes of his childhood in The Wind in the Willows. His grandmother’s decrepit house, “The Mount” has transmogrified into the huge mansion, “Toad Hall”, and the book is redolent with riverside and boating scenes. Kenneth Grahame was forced to move to and fro between the two adults, when the chimney of the house collapsed one Christmas, and shortly afterwards their father tried to overcome his drinking problem and took the children back to live with him in Argyll, Scotland. This brief sojourn only lasted a year before they all returned to their grandmother, where Kenneth lived until he went to an Independent school in Oxford. Whilst there he had the freedom to explore the old city as well as the upper reaches of the River Thames, and the nearby countryside. All this comes into The Wind in the Willows.

The young Kenneth did well at school, and dreamed of going to university. He was actually offered a place at the prestigious Oxford University, and was set for high academic honours, but it was not to be. The family finances had dwindled so much that his father wanted him go into a profession straight from school. Kenneth Grahame was therefore forced straight into work at the Bank of England, and duly worked there for thirty years, gradually rising through the ranks to become its Secretary. In 1908, the year The Wind in the Willows was published, he took early retirement.

As a young man in his 20s, Kenneth Grahame was a contemporary and friend of Oscar Wilde. Although married, and having a home in Berkshire, during the week he shared a London home with the painter and theatre set designer, Walford Graham Robertson. Both were very involved with the gay community, whose leading light at the time was Oscar Wilde. Another connection with the gay community was through Constance Smedley, a family friend who helped with the publication of The Wind in the Willows. A year later she was to marry the artist Maxwell Armfield, who himself was gay.

It seems very possible that Kenneth Grahame was gay, despite having a wife and child. This was a time when homosexual acts were still illegal. The novel can be read as having a gay subtext, and passages such as the description of the ancient Greek god of the wild, Pan, are quite sensuous, with descriptions of his “rippling muscles”. One academic, Professor Hunt, the emeritus professor in English and children’s literature at Cardiff University, suggests that the works were manifestations of a life which Kenneth Grahame longed for. Whether this is conscious or not, it is noticeably “a story of maleness and male companionship”, with hardly a female in sight. The only exceptions are the washerwoman, the barge woman and the jailer’s daughter. All of these are secondary characters, and perhaps even more significantly, they are human, not animal.

It is the animals in this story who are the well-nuanced, fully developed characters; the humans are merely stock types, who fill some of the minor roles. Yes, Badger is the wise teacher, mentor or parent figure, and one who is looked to for leadership, but he has his own quirky faults. His speech is described as “common”; he excitedly want to get his “grub” (food). And amusingly, both Rat and Mole end up very confused as Badger insists, “I want to learn ’em, not teach ’em!” when they are discussing teaching the stoats and weasels a lesson (chastening them).

Despite his success, and eligibility as husband material, Kenneth Grahame remained awkward in the company of the opposite sex. Only when he was 40 did he marry Elspeth Thomson, a woman who was devoted to him. Kenneth Grahame however, in a strange echo of James M. Barrie, remained distant, and incapable of demonstrating love. Elspeth grew increasingly miserable, taking to her bed for much of the day.

Their only child, Alastair, or “Mouse” was born a little prematurely, in 1900. He was blind in his right eye, and the other had a severe squint. Mouse was much loved by both parents, but it was probably the case that Kenneth Grahame was trying to relive his own childhood through his son, especially his thwarted academic aspirations, and he had absurdly high academic expectations of Alastair. “Mouse” had morbid fancies, and when he was three and a half, in an act chillingly prophetic of his own death, amused himself playing a game where he lay in front of speeding cars to bring them screeching to a halt. Another odd instance occurred when he was given his presents on his fourth birthday. Instead of enjoying playing with them, he started to repack them in complete silence.

This strange little boy was bullied at Rugby School, and again when transferring to Eton. He left the school, and was privately tutored in Surrey. Mouse was of a nervous disposition, and aware that he was not coming up to his father’s unrealistic expectations for him. His eyesight was worsening; he was fragile, and thoroughly miserable when he started as an undergraduate at Christ Church College, in 1918. He made no friends and joined no social clubs. He was to fail his Scripture, Greek and Latin exams three times within his first year; if he failed them again, he would be sent down (have to leave university).

It had all got too much for him. At his last dinner in Hall, he downed a glass of port, surprising the undergraduate sitting next to him. Alastair then set off across the meadows—the setting for all the stories his father had told him, which had entranced him so—and which were to become The Wind in the Willows. Across the meadows was the railway track.

With supreme irony, just as Peter Llewelyn Davis, the original for J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” was to do many years later, Mouse threw himself under a train. He was just 19 years old.

When his decapitated body was found the next day, his pockets were crammed with religious books for his dreaded Scripture exam. He was buried in 1920, on his 20th birthday. His grave is hidden in a quiet corner of Oxford, in Holywell Cemetery, in the shadow of the medieval St. Cross Church. Located beside the River Thames, this is the gentle setting for Kenneth Grahame’s masterpiece. His father scattered lilies of the valley over the coffin. And 12 years later, his father too, a shattered genius who had now written The Wind In The Willows, was to be buried beside the doomed little boy who had inspired him. Perhaps after all, he had gained some catharsis through writing down the stories he had told his beloved little boy.

At the time of Alastair’s death, Kenneth Grahame was no longer the Secretary of the Bank of England. He left his post abruptly in 1908, following a reported dispute with a governor, Walter Cunliffe. Some academics view Walter Cunliffe as the template for Toad, in his bullyish and forceful nature, and it has been suggested that Walter Cunliffe knew of Grahame’s sexuality and bullied him about it, which led to his early retirement.

Kenneth Grahame and his wife (and son, Mouse) then moved to an old farmhouse, where father and son spent their time, “simply messing about in boats”. As we have seen, he used the bedtime stories he had told Alastair at this time, as a basis for the manuscript of The Wind in the Willows, where his characters do much of the same. But he was never to write anything else. For all his fame and fortune, Kenneth Grahame remained a tortured soul until his death in 1932, a broken-hearted man of 73.

Yet the legacy of this tragic life, is a delightfully whimsical tale which has entertained both children and adults for generations. We can recognise all the anthropomorphised animals so well from our own lives. It starts with Mole, an “Everyman” and hero of the story, a home-loving ordinary sort of chap. He is tempted to explore a little further than his own comfortable domesticity, when he meets Ratty, and is very impressed by his ideas. The water rat turns out to be a dashing free-spirited, imaginative and capable friend, and the two of them have many adventures. One involves meeting Badger, a venerable wise old soul, with his down to earth reasoning and help. He is a father figure or teacher to the others. Then of course there is Toad, who is wildly taken up by any new craze, and tempted by anything new. Toad is convinced that he can outwit everybody, and his ridiculous antics provide most of the humour in this book. He represents the spirit of abandonment and adventure that many of us might dream about, but are either too shy, or too practical and self-controlled to do.

Toad is impossibly vain and conceited, rather dim-witted, but when not devising new plot and tricks, he is very loyal. He has inherited a great house from his father, who knew full well what his impressionable and impulsive son was like, and asked Badger to look out for him, after he died. Toad is therefore immensely rich, but has a good heart essentially and is very generous to his friends, who spend much of their time getting him out off the scrapes he gets himself into. Children will love Mr. Toad, and secretly admire his devil-may-care attitude, and defiance of conventional rules and etiquette. His antics land him in jail, and lose him his home to vandals, in the form of weasels, stoats and ferrets, yet even this does not cool Toad’s delightfully wicked ways.

The purpose of children’s stories during this “golden era” of children’s literature, was largely didactic. Today its overt themes of appreciation for domesticity and manners may seem quaint and moralistic, yet in reality, most parents would want their children to follow these. Throughout the novel, Rat and Badger are praised for their hospitality, or and as in the case of Toad, criticised for their lack of it. Kenneth Grahame also shows children how to act towards others in certain situations, sometimes by speaking directly to the reader to comment on the importance of etiquette, from the smallest examples of table manners, or much larger concerns of honesty. Through both its plot and its writing style, The Wind in the Willows clearly shows the manners deemed proper in the Edwardian era.

Unlike the much more savage story of “Peter Pan”, Kenneth Grahame’s characters have to face the consequences of their actions. Both Mole and Toad make mistakes, and suffer for them. When Mole ignores the warning he has had, and ventures into the woods, he soon finds himself in a terrifying, dangerous situation. Only the aid of his friend and mentor, Rat, saves him. Toad is warned several times about his extravagant spending and reckless driving, and is eventually thrown in jail for ignoring those warnings. Ultimately he is forced by Badger to confront his behavioural problems. The characters in this novel are realistically flawed, as we all are, but children are shown that the way to learn and grow is to face those consequences.

The exploits and escapades of Mr. Toad were such an appealing part of the book, that 2 decades later, when it was in its 31st printing, the author A.A. Milne adapted those chapters for the stage. The result was A.A. Milne’s 1929 play, “Toad of Toad Hall”. Almost a century later, it was yet again adapted for the stage, this time as a musical, by Julian Fellowes. This is a book which has never been out of print, has many adaptations, and never lost its appeal.

One reason for this is that it is not just a collection of moral tales, but also an exciting adventure. Kenneth Grahame’s characters love adventures. In common with Victorian and Edwardian gentlemen, those from this class do not work. Instead they go on visits, take boats out on the river, go for long picnics, and enjoy the open air and Nature. Both they and we therefore as a consequence appreciate the beauty of Nature through exploration. Toad takes his road trips, home-loving Mole explores the Wild Wood on his own, and even Rat, thoroughly settled in his riverbank home, is momentarily tempted to setting out for an ocean life, at the end of the season. Each of the main characters is subject to the lure of adventure.

Yet whilst each of them has an adventurous spirit, and enjoys their various escapades, they all enjoy the sense of having a place of their own to return to. Rat and Badger seem older, and are more set in their ways. They prefer to stay close to their homes, while Mole and Toad want to see as much of the world as they can. Nevertheless, Mole and Toad are also glad to have a home to go to, and which they view with great affection. The closing scenes of the novel reiterate the power of home, with their triumphant return to Toad Hall.

Interestingly, although they are not human, each character represents a certain stage of a human’s life. Badger is the oldest and hence commands the most respect. Rat acts as if he is slightly younger than Badger, (for example, he is more active around his home) but he still seems to be very sensible and quite mature. Mole behaves like a young man just trying to make his way in the world. Sometimes he is quite daring, but he also needs someone to guide him, as he tends to make foolish decisions. Toad’s behaviour, very obviously, is that of a spoiled, immature child.

At this time, young men would often find their place in the world through the mentorship of an older, more established gentleman. We see an example of this with Rat and Mole. They instantly like each other, which enables Rat to advise Mole in many areas, and help him towards maturity, turning him into a considerate and kind gentleman. The reader sees how successful Rat has been by the end of the story. Mole plays an essential role in the final adventure at Toad Hall, and is highly praised by Badger. Toad, on the other hand, is a more difficult case, so only Badger can fill that role of a mentor. It will take a while, but we do see signs that Toad will improve as well. It is clear that Kenneth Grahame had a strong belief in the power an older man had, as a guide to a younger one.

The novel is a series of episodes, in twelve chapters; each in a way complete in themselves, and each varying a lot in its style and pace. Some are adventure stories, full of camaraderie; some are humorous interludes, often with a little moral lesson. Some are thrilling, and full of excitement; some far more contemplative, and beautifully evocative of the English countryside. And two chapters in particular, chapter 5, “Dulce Domum” about an animal’s instinct for home, and chapter 7, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”, about the great god Pan, are mystical, and very strange. Aspects of and references to the novel are to be found in unlikely places; “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”, is also the name of Pink Floyd’s first album in 1967.

Yet oddly, as a whole, it works, as countless enthusiastic readers have attested. Catchphrases such as “messing about in boats” and “poop, poop!” have found their way into English culture. There are many abridgements and rewritten forms of the novel, with appropriate language for very young children. When I approached my latest reread. I was certain that I would easily be able to select just one of the three versions that I have, to keep. Nevertheless, all three seem to have somehow found their way back on to my shelves.

The Wind in the Willows is quintessentially English, and moreover very Edwardian. As we have seen, it is very concerned with correct form, and good manners; with what is required to be an upright jolly good fellow. We recognise the English traits of pomposity and bluster, a certain reserve, a sense of decency, a “stiff upper lip” in the face of danger, a dry and understated sense of humour, a sense of the ridiculous and absurd, and an enjoyment of adventure. The whole is imbued with a love of Nature and the English countryside, with lyrical passages which are quite beautiful. The whole is a paean to the English countryside, and Kenneth Grahame repeatedly shows his views of the superiority of country life over city life.

The novel begins when Mole decides to leave his crowded home in order to live more in the country, and this idea continues to permeate through each episode. We see the author’s views in his portrayal of the destructiveness of the motor car. He continually criticizes the ugliness of industrial life; a city became the Wild Wood once the humans abandoned it. But his love for the pastoral life comes through most in his prose, which is rich in imagery about the beauty of nature.

“the rich meadow-grass seemed that morning of a freshness and a greenness unsurpassable. Never had they noticed the roses so vivid, the willow-herb so riotous, the meadow-sweet so odorous and pervading.”

The relaxing settings, rustic picnics and peaceful rambles along the riverside, all contrast with the hectic, crowded city. As its author said, it is a book for those “who keep the spirit of youth alive in them; of life, sunshine, running water, woodlands dusty roads, winter firesides”. Altogether it is a very endearing book, and one which can be read over and over again.

It is one of the great children’s classics, and a book which is full of a type of carefree happiness. How especially poignant and ironic, then, that the little boy who enabled its creation, found that such delight and happiness always eluded himself.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is no plot, just vibes.

If you're in the mood to just think about forest animals wearing tweed, and picnics in rowboats, and dinner parties attended by a bunch of rabbits and stuff à la the third act of Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox, and it's cool with you if that replaces story altogether, you're in luck.

In short, if you want to get the same effect as if you looked at this picture for about an hour:


You're in the right place.

Bottom line: I cannot imagine children reading this book, but I can imagine cottagecore twenty-somethings reading it!

clear ur sh*t book 64
no quest, just seeing how many more i can finish

[Meghhnaa (On a Review-Writing Break!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful and entrancing story for children to wonder and adults to ponder! :)

The protagonists, our incorrigible and exasperating toad, the loyal and responsible friends, the water rat and ever-gadding mole, and finally our revered badger.

It's about the forest adventures of the comrades rat and mole, luncheons, dinner parties, forest gala setting and hubbub, the vanity and conceited adventures of Mr. Toad and the sagacity of our revered Badger. All are gallivanting around in the forest, a pure joyride!

Kenneth Grahame can make anyone develop a stark fascination for forests by his brilliant exposition of dense nature theme and tidbit details that go unnoticed. There is not a moment of mental lull, when you dive into this menagerie of our distinctive and adorable protagonists.

A meditative outstanding forest joyride which professes loyalty and value of friendship, ramifications of greed and robbery, misjudgments and reverence , conceit and vanity, and above all - animal etiquettes.

The animal kingdom religiously adheres to few protocols (human kingdom should learn about the diligent adherence to etiquettes, world will become a paradise for all !)

"It is quite against animal etiquette to dwell on possible trouble ahead, or even to allude to it"

“No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter.”

A perfect 5-star for this meditative read on this amusing menagerie and hilarious adventures.

Nb - I loved, how the jailer's daughter, clever and perspicacious, eventually befriends the toad and helps him escape from the prison.

For adults- There are so many insanely trivial things that we miss out in our daily lives, which this nature-themed exposition and colorful distinctive menagerie will teach us to ponder and appreciate!!!!

[Lisa of Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle British Bedtime Story

Published in 1907, The Wind in the Willows is decidedly British literature. Before even getting to the exclamation of “Stuff and nonsense!", there is some mild swearing and sophisticated vocabulary for a children’s book.

The book focuses on a cast of animals and their adventures: Mole, Rat, Badger, and (my personal favorite) Toad.

The world is cozy, and I found myself breaking out randomly in smile while reading this.

Although this comfort read is enjoyable, the paragraphs are too long. I had to dust off my trusty dyslexic bookmark which has a transparent yellow pane which isolates one line of text at a time. Therefore, my suggestion would be to listen to the audiobook especially if you want to listen to something soothing.

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Feb Birdsong
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Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal

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[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. It is not that I am reading a whole lot less, I am just not REALLY enjoying the time that I am reading. It might be that the whole family is in back to school mode, so schedules have changed. Or, maybe just the general ups and downs of life will occasionally put me in a “low interest in reading” category. All of this just to say that The Wind in The Willows is another victim of my “reading is meh” state.

When I first started this, I tried to read it to my kids every night. I figured since it was written for a younger crowd and I found it in the kid’s books section at the library it might be perfect for them. I recently read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to them and they loved it. So, this would be the next best step, right? Nope . . . they were not interested at all. We sat down for about 10 nights straight trying to read this and they quickly lost interest, loudly exclaiming “I’m bored” after a few pages. Around 40 or 50 pages in I finally gave up.

Then I went on to reading it on my own. Maybe my experience was tainted by my disgruntled children, but I was not getting much more excited about it than they did. Every time I read it I had to force myself to refocus as my mind was wandering. Now, this is not a complicated book, so the fact that I was losing touch with the content was definitely a red flag. And, I think another thing about it that was frustrating was that most of the book is really long run on sentences with lots of commas. You might think that doesn’t make a difference, but it is quite taxing on the brain when sentence after sentence goes on and on without a break. I kept wanted to yell “yes, yes, I get it! You can stop now!”

For many, this is a classic. If it was released now, I am not sure if it would be met with the same excitement. The story is kind of silly, which is okay as it is for kids. But, since it didn’t keep my kids interested, it must not be the right kind of silly. I need to look into the background of this story as I am sure that the anthropomorphic woodland creatures interacting with humans in a normal fashion must be an allegory for something. Or, maybe it all doesn’t mean anything. Either way, I am glad it is finally done and, on the bright side of things, I can check another classic off the list!

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four animals are the main characters in this book, a superb, adventurous, amusing entertainment from 1908. Ratty the friendly river rat and loves his stream , Badger, sour, not a fan of others keeps in the woods, Mole uncomfortable, shy, lives in a hole, and Toad , rich, incorrigible, very fun- loving though a bit unhinged, with the biggest, best house in the neighborhood . These four, close friends...sometimes...they can and will annoy each but never be disunited for long. Toad the fearless, the life of the party however not always at an appropriate situation, easily bored spends like a drunken, mad sailor which he often resembles. Believes he is smarter than in reality, to be blunt just another frog. Buying boats, floating up and down the the river not good, or a very skilled oarsman , clumsy, needs help from his friends frequently, a boy in a mature body . Poor Ratty his rescues begin to grow tiresome and now dear old Toad buys a pricey motor car, the silly better word, nincompoop will soon at this high rate lose all his late, lamented father's money. Police chase the Toad for quite numerous indiscretions, washerwoman her horse stolen, joyriding in other chaps automobiles, driving like a maniac . Nevertheless he is not a bad amphibian and hiding with the rather tired friends in their hollows, can be pleasant next to the harsh alternate...gloomy jail no joy, the grub bad and in such sparse amounts too . The writer Mr. Kenneth Grahame was a very important banker one of three running the Bank of England, youngest ever then, who wrote this for his 4 year old sick boy not a professional however. Reads the tale to the nearly blind child, him undoubtedly too young then to comprehend until later in his sad , short life. Mr. Grahame childhood's sweet memories of living with a kind uncle by the calm upper Thames River, so pleasant an escape from the pain of parents no longer around. Siblings scattered to other relatives. The beautiful flowing, though muddy brown waters, white clouds turning dark, fishes jumping in the air, splashing down, swimming beneath, birds flying about, happily chirping on trees, lizards walking funny side- to- side movements. Oh if the talented author had only written more, glorious things would the world have gained...
just a couple of other short stories published. His personality comes through a lover of country life, a man withdrew from society with wife and child. This still will be a substantial monument to him.

[Anthony Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1908, when the world was being shaken by the newly self-confident masses. Women were propagandising for the vote; the Irish were demanding Home Rule; the Trade Unions were showing their strength. Socialism theatened. A spectre was haunting Europe, and particularly England.

Wind in the Willows is an elegant parable about class struggle, about the dangers of decadant country-house-living in the face of powerful revolutionary forces.

There are maybe four generations in the story. There is the young man Ratty, a gentle sort of chap who spends his time messing about in boats. He is joined by the younger, less experienced Mole. Mole may even be petty-bourgeois, but he proves himself to be stout-hearted for all that. Mr Toad, however, has come into his inheritance, and lives in his country house. Toad is an irresponsible figure, taking up foolish hobbies of which, in the story, the most fateful is the motor car. The older man is Badger, and it is he that casts cold water on this irresponsibility.

But where is all this irresponsiblity going to lead? Outside this cosy comfortable setting, lie the dangerous forces in the Wild Wood. Mr Toad, besotted by his motor car, is arrested and sent to gaol. His defences down, his house is quickly occupied by the weasles and stoats who live in the Wild Wood.

To the rescue comes Mr Badger, who is wise enough to see that if Toad is to regain his valuable property, he must forsake idleness and frivolity and stand up to the people of the Wild Wood. So the band of gentlemanly heroes take up arms and re-establish the shaken social order.

"We shall creep out quietly into the butler's pantry -", cried the Toad,

"- with our pistols and swords and sticks - ", shouted the Rat,

"- and rush in upon them -", said the Badger,

"- and whack 'em and whack 'em and whack 'em - ", cried the Toad in ecstasy.

This is, then, a cautionary tale, a warning to the propertied classes to take up, if necessary, arms against the lower classes and to stop living lives of decadent indolence.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my review of the text of this wonderful book, please LINK HERE.

This review is for an excellent illustrated edition of the children’s classic novel, The Wind in the Willows. The text is complete, printed in a largish font in an oversize book, and the many beautiful illustrations are by the established fantasy artist, Michael Hague. The quality of his work has been compared with that of Arthur Rackham, and indeed I noticed a few nods and tributes to his talented forebear, even to the style of Michael Hague’s signature on the corner of one particularly sepia-toned watercolour, using a wide alphabetical style, inside a hand-drawn oblong frame. This is very reminiscent of Arthur Rackham’s trademark signature.

Michael Hague describes how the love of The Wind in the Willows had passed through four generations of his family, with his grandmother remembering with delight her own father reading the book to her, shortly after it had first been published in 1908. When Michael Hague himself was asked to illustrate the book, he felt this to be a great honour, following in the steps of Ernest H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham, but he was also conscious of a great sense of responsibility:

“I love the book. I love the dependable Water Rat, the kindly Mole, the sturdy Badger, and especially I love Mr. Toad … There is, I think, a bit of Toad in all of us. Certainly there must have been a bit of Mr Toad in me when I agreed to illustrate his book.”



Michael Hague makes it clear that he does not try to reinterpret the story, but instead:

“to infuse my illustrations with the same spirit that Kenneth Graham’s magic words convey … I begin with character studies and try to capture on paper what I see in my mind’s eye.”

His small thumbnail sketches of each character are then developed and enlarged to full sketches, before Michael Hague begins to draw the full scene. This way of working has produced illustrations which are full of life, immediacy and energy. The individual personalities seem exactly right, as if they have sprung straight out of the story. I personally much prefer these to Ernest H. Shepard’s sketchily drawn features on his characters in this book, which do not seem to have the quirkiness and life of those in the “Winnie the Pooh” books.



Michael Hague works in line and water colour, although, unusually, he draws in 2H pencil initially, so that the thin wash will not be smudged. Either an ochre or blue wash is then laid down, depending on whether he envisages a cool or a warm picture. The other colours are then applied, and the ink lines are the final stage.



The result is a vibrant yet naturalistic illustration of old-fashioned country life. The affectionately drawn characters are set within countryside which is imbued with the season and the time of day, and is heavily atmospheric. The trees are dark, knobbly, brooding - and a few have faces, especially in the night time scenes. The riverbank is fresh and verdant, with easily to identify familiar flora bursting forth.



Indoor scenes are bustling with cheerful people, full of good humour (and a few sly jokes, such as a pickpocket in action, on the edge of one railway scene!) They are carefully observed, showing authentic Edwardian dress, and accurate ancient buildings such as the gaol. Equally, the indoor scenes of Mole’s homes and Toad’s castle feel cosy and comfortable, or impressively ornate, complete with oil portraits of Toad’s illustrious ancestors. All are a delight to pause over, and enjoy the detail therein.


If you wish to choose just one illustrated version for a child to read, when they are old enough to enjoy the unabridged novel with its original language, this edition is definitely the one I would recommend.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

PART TWO OF PETER JACKSON'S THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (CONCLUSION)

[Night. Toad Hall, interior. STEPHEN FRY as TOAD and ORLANDO BLOOM as BADGER are in the middle of a wild melée with numerous STOATS and WEASELS.]

BADGER: It's no good, Toad! There's too many of them! [With a blow of his cudgel, he knocks a WEASEL into the open fire.]

TOAD: We can hold them off, Badger old chap!

[EVANGELINE LILLY as a HOT BADGER-BABE crashes through the window and lands next to them.]

BADGER: [Choked with emotion] You came back.

HOT BADGER-BABE: Badger.

[For a moment, they just look at each other. A STOAT tries to take advantage of their inattention to sneak up on them from behind, but TOAD grabs a carving knife from the dining table and wittily disembowels him.]

BADGER: Thanks, Toad.

[TWO MORE STOATS have meanwhile advanced on TOAD. BADGER amusingly decapitates them with a single blow of his cudgel.]

TOAD: Nice work, Badger!

[Dissolve to the pantry, where MARTIN FREEMAN as MOLE is frantically mixing something in a large bowl, assisted by ELIJAH WOOD as RATTY.]

MOLE: Okay, that's the sugar. Now we need some fertilizer.

RATTY: Will this horse-shit do?

MOLE: It'll have to.

[He dumps it into the bowl, pours in the contents of a bottle, then accidentally drops everything on the floor.]

RATTY: Oh dear--

[A deafening explosion. Clouds of smoke cover everything, then we see letters superimposed on them saying PART THREE COMING NEXT CHRISTMAS.]

A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF KENNETH GRAHAME: What have we done?

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genuinely refreshing little romp through tunnels & pastures. Zen is something that's somehow--& very surprisingly--reached. This is the ultimate impression the reader is left with.

Outstanding, engaging and more fun than Aesop's menagerie, it moralizes vaguely on fidelity, the value of friendships & associations... The final sentence even addresses finally the main target audience-- the 'lil tykes and treasured ones; and even sustains with the theory that looks may be deceiving... the Badger is ultimately not the savage beast you may've erroneously predicted.

Sure, it is rife with discrepancies: a world where humans speak animal & animals speak human. The aid of humans is, I will admit --KAhYYute! There is wisdom in this, far surpassing anything in Disney's* imaginarium. The animals begin to hear a single string, a musical undertone, & this drives their natures and certainly seals their fates.

Which are you? Adventurous Toad? Impressionable Mole? Generous Badger? otter? fox? washer-woman? little girl (remember, womenfolk don't enter the tale until half-way the story!)?... or do you simply presume to know it all, omnipresent, and wise as the wind?

*okay, so obviously the Disney version DOES exist [although, did the ride outright disappear from the Anaheim theme park?]. I'm not stupid... But really the book is a longer journey, more in the literary tradition of Thoreau, and not instantaneous and vapid and bumpy, like the "ride." [But, DID YOU KNOW?!?! You CAN read Kenneth Grahame's entire novel waiting in line for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. If it still exists.]

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. My GR friend (and author), Holly Ducarte, recommended it to me; and,
2. it's a perfect read for my "Classics Month"!

Positives:
1. these interwoven animal tales were told as bedtime stories for Kenneth Grahame's son. They are warm and lighthearted with short, sweet plots featuring the loveable characters of Mole, Water Rat (I pictured a Muskrat), Toad and Badger;
2. speaking of characters, my favorite has to be Toad! Although quite conceited, Grahame expertly portrays him as a very likeable rascal. Luckily for Toad, his friends help keep him in check;
3. the settings, indoors and out, are all very descriptive! I loved all the cozy picnics and homey mealtimes. I also had fun trying to picture Rat, Toad and Mole catching a horse and harnessing it to a cart! and,
4. for me, this story was a little reminiscent of Watership Down, but much less intense and a lot more fun!

My only niggle:
Although written with children in mind, it's unfortunate that today's youngsters (and even some adults) would lack the patience and appreciation for the rich vocabulary and expressive prose in this well-loved story composed over 100 years ago; however,

I highly recommend this quick and fun read about the value of friendship!

[Carolyn Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Toad…

[C.]

This is one of those books I want to love; I REALLY, really want to love this book. I've read so many essays by book lovers who have fond, childhood memories of being read this by their father, or who ushered in spring each year by taking this book to a grassy field and reading this in the first warm breezes of May. I want to find the tea and boating and wooded English countryside to be slow yet sonoriously comforting, like a Bach cello suite or a warm cup of cider on a cool April night.

But I just find it tediously boring. I've tried it three times, and after about twelve pages I sigh, put it down, and pick up something else. Perhaps my father needed to have read it to me when I was young.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"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."

Reading children's classics/books which I have missed out during my childhood when I'm an adult is quite a learning experience. To me, they're much more than just books meant for children. I, as an adult, who do not know everything about how children feel (especially for these fast changing times) and as someone who could only remember what I used to feel as a child, these books provide me with so much life and experience that they are teaching me lessons about different lives, letting me dive into emotions which I thought didn't exist and most importantly, they are filling up the void which I left behind with all my innocent curiosity and doubts.

This particular book is much more than a children's book. If I had read this book as a child, I might have seen it as just a story of the animal characters going through their daily lives and having some kind of adventure.

There are times in the story which would have been difficult for me to understand as a kid but made more sense to me as an adult. Like when the characters are having a breakdown and how the other characters deal with it; the Mole making a scene remembering his home; the novelty of being together until the end even when things get uncomfortable, strange and bizarre; the pretentious showoffs; handling difficult people in your circle; families and socializing; laws and prison; identity and belonging; mental health and mental state; and yes, that pride goes before the fall. Toad. Hope you do not dislike him that much. I could see the images of so many in his character. As well as in the characters of the humble Mole, the respectable Badger and the practical Rat. I am simply blown away by how these characters have been shaped and discussed throughout the adventurous story.

But now when I read it as an adult, the lines have so much more to deliver. The story is more meaningful and it gave me lots of things to think about.

*Some favourite lines:

"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 "

"Why can't fellows be allowed to do what they like when they like and as they like, instead of other fellows sitting on banks and watching them all the time and making remarks and poetry and things about them? What nonsense it all is!"

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

They don't write books like The Wind in the Willows anymore.

Today's books for children are sly rhymes, action and social engineering. Wind belongs to an older, more innocent time when even accomplished men such as Kenneth Grahame, A. A. Milne and J. R. R. Tolkien invented stories for their children.

Stories which over the years became classics of literature.
Wind isn't a fairy tale so much as it's life told for those who will inherit it. Told by those who love the inheritors.

Even if you've read it before—especially if you've seen Disney's Bowlderized revision—read it again. Pause along the way to consider the world Grahmane portrays. This is England; this is childhood; this is life as we remember it, or wish it was.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was suspicious of this book when I was a kid. It's all, "Hey kids, here's a fun story about talking animals," right? And I was like no, this is just you banging on about trees. This is a pastoral poem in disguise. It's boring. This book is like the guy who comes into your classroom and sits backwards on a chair all, "Sammy the sock puppet is here to get real about abstinence!" It's like when your mom was like "I froze this banana and it's just as good as a popsicle!" It is not. Mom is full of shit.

More things that are bullshit
- Carob
- The Berenstain Bears
- Mathletes
- Sturbridge Village

You can't fool kids, and since I am super immature you can't fool me either: Wind in the Willows is still boring. I'm not saying it's all bad! The parts with Mr. Toad are pretty entertaining. Poop poop! Lol, I'm on Team Toad. And it's sweet that Ratty and Mole are so obviously gay.


blah blah blah trees and shit

But it's like sitting through Mr. Rogers just to get to the Make-Believe stuff. In between there are just pages and pages of hogwash like this:

"Mole stood still a moment, held in thought. As one wakened suddenly from a beautiful dream, who struggles to recall it, but can recapture nothing but a dim sense of the beauty in it, the beauty! Till that, too, fades away in its turn, and the dreamer bitterly accepts the hard, cold waking and all its penalties."

And here's what that is: it's booooring.

So, what was bullshit for you when you were a kid? Knowing is half the battle! Now I want a popsicle.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The world has held great Heroes, ...

As history-books have showed;
But never a name to go down to fame
Compared with that of Toad!"

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, a turn-of-the century children's story written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908, has deservedly withstood the onslaught of time. On the surface, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS is an allegory that tells the story of the adventures and misadventures of Toad, Rat, Badger and Mole in the rural English countryside. The pastoral narratives and witty dialogues are charming, evocative and warmly mellifluous without ever approaching doleful or lugubrious. I simply can't imagine the smile it would bring to a child's face were a parent to make the effort to read this as a bed-time story with four separate voices reserved for each of the main characters.

But, considered on a deeper level, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS could be considered a metaphor for Toad's descent into self-destructive behaviour and his friends' loyal and loving intervention to rescue him from his love of fast motor cars, portrayed as an utterly consuming addiction. Love, loyalty, friendship, arrogance, courage, steadfastness and gratitude are among the emotions that Grahame has portrayed so accurately in a very simple but quite moving narrative.

As you might imagine, like most children's stories, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS does end on an "all's well that ends well" note but Toad's behaviour in the future remains an obvious open question. Highly recommended ... what TOOK me so long to find this one?

Paul Weiss

[Piyangie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wind in the Willows is widely accepted as a children's novel. To some extent, this classification is justified since its story consists of the adventures of a Mole, a Rat, a Badger, and a stubborn toad. But the line is drawn there. The story may be told in the manner of animal adventures, but thematically it goes deeper catering more to the young adult/adult audiences.

The interesting characters of the Mole, the Rat, the Badger, and the stubborn Toad, and their adventures teach the values of friendship, loyalty, dire consequences of greed, pride and vanity, and more importantly the value of protecting and blending in with nature. When Kenneth Grahame wrote it, the United Kingdom was under an industrial and technological revolution. Industrial and technological progress marred the established agricultural economy. It also threatened the people's natural relationship with nature. If the story is privy to his perspective, one can feel Grahame's disapproval of these new developments that threatened the natural environment and its relationship with the people.

The adventures of these different characters were interesting in themselves. However, my enjoyment of the story rose from the different personalities of the characters (especially the exasperating toad) and the thematic expositions that Grahame had worked on. Credit must go to him for the successful creation of this complex enterprise of writing a story for children to enjoy and adults to ponder.

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread in audio. A book I wish I could hug. Visiting these old friends is always a joy and as an adult I love the wilder chapters where Grahame captures the essence of animal instinct. I do love these four creatures.

[Joanne Harris]

Having first read this so many years ago, I found myself revisiting it with joy and some incredulity that it's still seen as a children's book. It's sublime - the poetry of the prose; the descriptions of the natural world; the sly PG Wodehouse humour, and most of all the jewel-like clarity of that very little world: the Riverbank; the Wild Wood; the World Beyond a kind of blur on the distant horizon. The characters are marvellous: combining some wonderful comic dialogue (which I can't help hearing in Alan Bennett's voice) with some genuinely terrific insights into: addiction, alcoholism and male mid-life crises (Toad); depression (Rat); and anxiety (Mole). Most of all, what's striking to me is the essential *kindness* of it all: there's drama, but of a special sort: there's conflict, but a conflict that is resolved through quiet discussion, good sense and understanding. And of course, there's friendship; the kind of real, satisfying friendship that we all hope for, but that few of us ever find. In a way it's what THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING might have been, if Sam and Frodo had spent their lives messing about on the river with Bilbo and Gandalf, instead of having to fight the minions of darkness. Reading it is good for the soul: perhaps even more so as an adult than it was when I was child. It reminds us that, even in the darkest of times, there are simple pleasures to be had; that however dark our future may seem, friendship and love can carry us through.

[Ines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read this book together with my almost 7 years old daughter, let’s say she has read it to me...
The stories are a bit odd, but the friendship between the mouse, the badger and the mole is nice.... my daughter did not like the toad at all, classic character typical of our days " all pretensions and rights but no duty"
I found no particularly important meaning in these stories, except the friendship that binds this little gang, still accepting the Toad, despite all the trouble combined...
We would only give two stars, but since we took the book with Inga Moore’s beautiful and dreamy illustrations we rounded it up to 3. I overestimated, and by a lot, this book. Too bad!!











Ho letto questo libro insieme alla mia bambina di quasi 7 anni, diciamo che lei l'ho ha letto a me....
le storie sono un pò strampalate, ma è carina l'amicizia tra il topo, il tasso e la talpa.... a mia figlia non è piaciuto per niente il Rospo, classico personaggio tipico dei nostri giorni " tutte pretese e diritti ma nessun dovere"
non ho trovato nessun significato particolarmente importante in queste storie, se non l'amicizia che lega questa piccola banda, accettando ancora Rospo, nonostante tutti i guai combinati...
Avremmo dato solo due stelline, ma dato che abbiamo preso l'edizione con le illustrazioni stupende e sognanti di Inga Moore abbiamo arrotondato a 3. Ho sopravvalutato, e di molto, questo libro. Peccato!!

[Jason Koivu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lavishly described meandering adventures of the mild nature.

The Wind in the Willows has an intrinsically English flavor. The characters are happy to live their ordinary lives with only a hint of interest in the wider world. Too strong of an adventurous spiritedness is considered uncouth. Such hearty frivolity as Toad's is frowned upon to the utmost!

Unfortunately this goes for the author, too. Kenneth Grahame's plots are not terribly gripping due to their lack of depth. He seems pleased rather to spend the time describing a pleasant boating holiday down the river. If it wasn't for the scenes with the Wonderful Toad, the Fantastic Toad there would be very little excitement indeed.

However, it is the bond of friendship and the love of homely pleasures that entices us to read on. I gave it 3 stars, because I liked The Wind in the Willows. No more and no less, and let's keep it as nice and cozily close to uncontroversial as that, shall we?

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read now to make up for reading it a long time ago.

What did I think about it? The adventures of Toad, that inestimable peerage of nobility and intelligence?

Pfffttth.

Unlike the other classic I just finished, these talking animals have little to do with religion or politics other than a cameo performance from Pan. And that was just a little last minute grace. :)

So what did I think about the whole book? It's a comic buddy novel with very loud and distinctive Victorian animals having adventures, watching Toad get into trouble or eventually getting Toad out of trouble, or otherwise enjoying rashers of bacon.

Funny? As in Three Men in a Boat funny? Perhaps. But this one is absolutely a children's novel, too. And quite fun. :)

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have children and you have not read this gem with them, do it now. Go buy a lovely illustrated edition and make a memory that I think will last beyond childhood. Mole, Ratty, Toad and Badger are characters worth knowing and visiting in childhood again and again.

When I closed the last page of this book, I was sad to see these characters go. I enjoyed the story, which had a classic quality from page one. There are numerous lessons to be learned here, the value of nature and how to live a balanced life, and the value of society. However, I think this is primarily a tale about the true quality of friendship, loving your friends, helping them, telling them in a non-hurtful way when they are over-the-top, and just sharing with them all the true pleasures in life: a fire, good food, a float down a river and a secure night's rest. I thought about my best friend and how she has seen me through all the travails of life and shared so many brilliant moments and how we have turned fright into laughter and a lack of funds into a celebration just by being together. It made me very nostalgic and I wanted to run over to her house, the way we did when we were young and lived close by, and have a sleep over and talk into the morning hours and get up and share a breakfast and plan an outing. I wanted to link arms and walk into a forest, unafraid and replete with smiles.

If I am ever feeling sad and lost in the world, I think I will grab this book and read it again. I hope I can find an illustrated hard copy somewhere, preferably with illustrations by Moore, whose work has bowled me over online. Oddly enough, I thought I had read this before, but found that I had not, and I'm very glad I decided to join the group reading and get my very pleasurable introduction to Mr. Grahame's fabulous menagerie.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

And with just 6 hours to spare - the 2017 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge has been completed

The prompt: A book you bought on a trip.

A whimsical classic tale featuring Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad. We have sheltered Mole, venturing out to see the river with Rat. There's the stodgy old Badger who turns out to be much more warmhearted than anticipated. The fanciful Toad learns several valuable life lessons - one of which requires the garb of a grandmother during a prison escape!

Charming, fun and a bit concerning. Look, reading this as an adult, I do have a few questions:
-- Do all critters have the same name? If two moles meet, do they refer to each other as Mole? Or is it just our cast of characters that has the misfortune of being named after their species?
-- How can they eat meat? It seems like all animals are intelligent beings in this book so how can they bear to eat ham and sausages? Perhaps the tasty animals don't count...

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[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second reading of this did not disappoint. I never read it as a child, but the first time was many years ago, and I thought it was wonderful. It was equally good this time. I am usually a stickler for logic and some semblance of reality in my reading, but animals wearing clothes, toads that drive cars, rats that row boats, civilized animals using china and crystal and utensils; well, what can I say, I bought in. I was invited into the cozy burrows of Rat, Mole, and Badger, the opulent Toad Hall, went on adventures with all of them, and enjoyed every minute. This is a thoroughly satisfying read for those looking for a brief escape in the pages of a book.