The Wind in the Willows

by Malvina G. Vogel (Adaptor), Lorna Tomei (Illustrator), Kenneth Grahame

Enter an Enchanting World! The animals who live in River Bank invite us to follow them as they scamper about, make friends, have fun, and get into trouble, just as people do. Join Mole, Otter, and Water Rat as they get into and out of the mischief that vain, self-centered Toad creates. Into this natural world comes an invasion of the dangerous inhabitants of the Wild Wood, and modern inventions as well. Waiting inside are wonderful, whimsical adventures in this best-loved children's classic.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Animals, Young Adult, Classic Literature

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[✨Angelica✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, kui seiklusrikas raamat 😁 Lugesin paari tunniga läbi, sest uskumatult huvitav oli!

Nelja sõbra seiklused ja pidevalt ühe sõbra, härra Kärnkonn, päästmine sekeldustest! Avastasid ümbruskonda, õppisid tundma uusi loomi ning ninapidi vedama inimesi. Väga vemburikas raamat, mis kindlasti meeldib lastele.

[Gwendolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how charming. I'm dissapointed that I waited until adulthood to actually read this book. The story is witty and endearing. The characters are lovable and entertaining. It is a nice blend of silliness and obervations about people thier friendships.

"Poop-poop!"

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful Children's Classic, which emphasize Friendship, co-operation, good will and adventure.
What impressed me about the author was that he wrote the series for his 4 year old son. It was first published in 1908.

[Ruth]

I read this book to my 5 year old. He pretended to not enjoy it but brought it to me every evening telling me something like, "Here's that book we have to read" which I'm certain he wouldn't have done had he not enjoyed it. It was about 230 pages with a big lettering and a picture on each page. It touched on human frailties, friendship and mannerisms presented in the lives of little creatures.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

They liked it. Toad seems to do quite a bit of lying, stealing, etc. and they have lots of weapons and a big fight. Mybe a bit much for a 2 and 3 year old but I'm not sure they understood it all either.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for a light read. I remember reading this as a kid, but the writing in it is good enough that I enjoyed it as an adult.

[Rasmussen C. 7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Wind In The Willows”, a really good book about a bunch of animals, Mole,Badger, and Rat who are trying to control an insane toad. Toad is incredibly interested in different types of transportation. He is very rich, and is spending lots of money on all types of moving things. He starts with boats, carriages, and so on. Lots of things are getting broken,animals of the forest, are getting hurt because of his reckless, and dangerous behavior he must be stopped. Things are just about to get worse, because toad discovered, motor cars. The new, cool, and amazing way to get around everywhere. He is accused of stealing one later in the book and has to go to jail. Toads big, fancy, house is even captured by weasels and things get super crazy from there. From the “Great Illustrated Classics”, this book was also really good. I had watched the little twenty five animation by Disney of this book and really liked it, but this was way more better. There was way more action, and crazy events that took place in this book. I really liked the plot of the whole book, and the characters. I think that the theme of the book is that if you mess up you can always change and try to do better, because toad is a crazy, out of control mess and wants nothing else to do but drive around. However at the end of the book he has a change of heart and realizes that he can't keep being so obsessed with different types of transportation.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe because it was the (seriously) abridged version... the nuances of English society mannerisms were interesting, but kind of lost in this adaptation. I was reading this with my son and whenever we read together, we enjoy big picture adventures as well as life lessons in the stories. We liked Mole and Ratty and their adventures, but Toad? He was just an emotional, drama-queen who got away with so many shenanigans, serious ones, too. And his escapades take up more than half of the book. His final repentance and transformation were too hard to believe. Also, there was a lot more ganging up and beating up on each other using clubs and pistols and fists than I had anticipated - with some illustrations to these scenes! We've read quite a few of the Great Illustrated Classics, even ones with violence and death (e.g. Swiss Family Robinson), but those scenes were presented in a realistic setting that could be explained and understood.

For Wind in the Willows, it was harder to explain why weasels and stroats were portrayed as semi-gangster hooligans set on mayhem and bloodshed. So this particular Illustrated Classics - I would not recommend as a kids read. I think if you're going to read this story with your child, or if you want a tale about pastoral England, better to go with the original.

[Carlos Llanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, I wonder how classics can get away with stuff that would get a modern TV show in trouble. There's a lot of violence in this book, which is not a problem for me, but it makes me think about double standards in literature.

Love that characters, specially Badger. My daughter had no patience for Toad and thought that Mole was a little irresponsible sometimes, but she loved that narrative and the illustrations in our edition.

[Keshia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I have mixed reviews about this one. On the one hand, I love the nature and animals and whimsy of the story. On the other hand, it’s got quit a bit more violence then I was expecting, especially for a young children’s book. I do think there are a ton of teachable moments though, which is great.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great junior's version of a wonderful classic. My 7 yo son is convinced this is an 'easier' book than some of our other ones primarily on the case that the font size is larger. Whatever works! He enjoyed laughing at Toad's antics.

[Lindsey Sieders · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had started with the original Wind in the Willows but switched to this one - the original was just a bit hard for the younger kids to follow along with! Great family reading with everyone wanting to be like the Rat and no-one wanting to be like Toad :)

[Stephen Tryon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book when I first read it as a boy many years ago. This last time, I read it to my son... I think I enjoyed that experience more than he did. He did grow into a voracious reader in his own right, so maybe he got something out of it.

[Jennifer Mugrage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of Illustrated Classics as a kid. In fact, for many classics, that's the only version I ever read. This one, I just finished reading with my own kid.

Mr. Toad is SUCH snob!!! The English class system is strong with this one.

[Robbinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my niece for her Summer Reading List. And we loved it. It was so fun and entertaining. It was really neat to read about animals having human characteristics. Would highly recommend for a young reader.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eli was on the edge of his seat

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of three animals friends who live in River Bank. How they become good friends and got into trouble and help each other in their hard times. It very cute story to read! Really enjoyed it!

[Hilery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read with my 10 year old.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one! Simple morals you can teach from but it’s also an older language and story telling style which is good for kids to be exposed to.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this mini book as a child!
These mini books help me inspired me to read the complete versions!

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a ride! The ending is totally unexpected!

[Melissa Stutsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun adventure that my 2 kids enjoyed listening when I read to them.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read-aloud with my young daughter, as it kept her interest and the illustrations were helpful.

[Anna Blauw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful

[Jul · Rating 5 out of 5]

so darling

[Michael Hockly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb Edwardian classic. Not sure how many times I have read the adventures of these larger than life animals living in rural England. Most quotable is Rat sharing with his new friend Mole that " there is nothing like messing around in boats".

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an annotated version of the original story. Read aloud to 5 and 8 year old daughters. 5 year old was quickly tired of Mr. Toads scoff law and selfish antics and the fighting. 8 year old enjoyed book far more and enjoys animated versions. I prefer the original version. Much of the original book was omitted. Excluded many of the original book's detail and depth, which extensively changed the way the characters appear to the reader. For those preferring a simplified story with limited descriptive wording, this is for you. My favorite part of this book is it's beautiful illustrations. Those of us that love the original book's poetic description and imagery, read the original.

[Mellissa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Loved reading about Toad and all the adventures. Good character lessons in this classic, while the abridgment and illustrations make it appropriate for all ages. Read this to the kids each day after breakfast and it was a total hit! The children even saw an old car and yelled, "Motorcar! Pop pop!!! Let's find Toad!"

I appreciate these Great Illustrated Classics so much- they really help make family reading time a lot easier and more enjoyable!!!

Wonderful!!!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my preschooler. This abridged and illustrated version was perfect as an introduction to chapter books. The story itself was engaging but a little dated. My biggest complaint is that the character Toad is spoiled and entitled and gets away with it for the most part but it's still a fun story.

[Sayo -bibliotequeish- · Rating 3 out of 5]

How annoying was that toad!

This adorable story follows a group of friends, a mole and a rat, an allusive badger, and a narcissistic toad.
As a child, toad was silly... as an adult, he is reckless, a danger to society and should be held accountable for his actions.

Poop-Poop indeed!