The Wind in the Willows

Spring is in the air, and Mole, who should be cleaning his burrow, can’t stop himself from throwing down the rags and buckets, sneezing off the dust, and going out into the sunshine. But his walk in the woods lasts longer than he expected, when he makes friends with Ratty, discovers the joys of messing about in boats, and finds a single night’s invitation to stay in his new friend’s riverbank home turning into an entirely new life.

So begins this beloved children’s classic, a story of bucolic happiness and the power of friendship. Timid Mole and affable Ratty are joined by their wise friend Badger in their attempts to keep the charming but unreliable Toad out of trouble. Heir to Toad Hall, he has a deplorable habit of setting off on risky adventures – from which he always needs rescuing by his friends. From his obsession with motor cars to his adventures in a gipsy caravan, and the great battle to reclaim Toad Hall from the invading stoats, life with Toad is never quiet.

An enduringly beloved work which captures the joys of country life and the charm of Edwardian England, this book has become one of the most important works of children’s literature since its publication over a century ago.

Author Biography

Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was born in Scotland but raised in England by his grandmother after his mother’s death. He worked at the Bank of England for thirty years, writing books in his spare time. The Wind in the Willows, his masterpiece, began as a series of stories told to his son, either at bedtime or in letters sent home from Grahame’s solitary boating holidays.