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The Wind in the Willows

kenneth grahame gillian avery

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“All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.”

For more than a century, The Wind in the Willows and its endearing protagonists—Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and, of course, the incorrigible Toad—have enchanted children of all ages. Whether the four friends are setting forth on an exciting adventure, engaging in a comic caper, or simply relaxing by the River Thames, their stories will surprise and captivate you.

Hailed as one of the most enduringly popular works of the twentieth century, this story is a classic of magical fancy and enchanting wit. Penned in lyrical prose, the adventures and misadventures of the book’s intrepid quartet of heroes raise fantasy to the level of myth. Reflecting the freshness of childhood wonder, it still offers adults endless sophistication, substance, and depth.

The animals’ world embodies the author’s wry, whimsical, and unfailingly inventive imagination. It is a world that succeeding generations of both adult and young readers have found irresistible. But why say more? To use the words of the estimable Mr. Toad himself: “Travel, change, interest, excitement!...Come inside.”

197 pages, Paperback

First published October 8,1908
Literary awards
lewis carroll shelf award, australian book industry award (abia), 

This edition

Format
197 pages, Paperback
Published
July 26, 2005 by Penguin Books
ISBN
9780143039099
ASIN
0143039091
Language
English
Characters More characters

More editions

About the author

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kenneth grahame

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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).

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 97 votes)
5 stars
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97 reviews All reviews
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Mazooky
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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The Wind in the Willows is a delight. Like every good classic, it’s worth rereading, both for the enjoyment it brings and the new insights previously hidden or overlooked. It speaks to the reader differently in different stages of life, but to any reader at any stage it says, “Here is a delight for those who have had adventure enough, who have had the strength to live a quiet life, who relish old friendships, and whose lines are set in cultivated gardens.” I laughed at the many antics of Toad, and, like the caroling mice who warmed themselves with the food and drink at Mole’s humble dwelling, my heart too was warmed.
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Biuder
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Though female characters are almost completely nonexistent in this story, I find myself enjoying this book all over again; this could easily be the fourth time I've read this book. There is a certain comfortable, uncomplicated rural Britishness about this story. With all its class divisions and expectations firmly in place, and not questioned at all....
Dear Mole and Rat boating along the river on a lazy summer afternoon, Badger's stern, codgery self, and absolutely unrepentantly silly and vain Toad stealing cars entertained me and had me wishing a little that I could visit Mole's tidy and well laid out little home, listen to one of Rat's poems, and have breakfast at Badger's warm, comfortable and wonderful home in the Forest; (Badger's home also felt to me like it was a model for Tolkien's Bag End.)
I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the audio from Librivox.
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source06
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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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.
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Leib_lore
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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A delightful classic!
Mole, Badger and Rat (Ratty) are friends of the infamous Toad of Toad Hall. While his friends live the simple country life, Toad lives the life of a millionaire Playboy. one day while taking his friends for a ride in his carriage an automobile spooks the horse and overturns the carriage. Toad then gets a wild hair that he must have an automobile at all costs. Can toads friends save him from his very self before it's too late?
This is a great little story that helps tell children not just a tall tale filled with animals but helps them distinguish moral values and presents friendship from several different points of view. The characters are different but mesh so well that most anyone can identify with at least one of them. The story, although not long, is beautifully written in lush detail. Perfect for young readers who are just beginning to learn to read big books.
The actual book story is a bit different from the Disney version of Mr. Toad, but they definitely have their similarities. If I remember correctly the underlying story is very much the same. I do think however, watching the Disney version would be a great compliment to the story after reading the book.
My son and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. He loved Rat the best as he was so kind-hearted and gentle and willing to take Mole under his wing in so many undertakings.
This is a book I think every child should read at least once. And if you are an adult and have not read it I would highly recommend doing so.
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Namealrexisted
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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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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victorsam
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This book has everything that you need in a children's book! Caricature animals, morals in disguise, adventure and humour. It also has a special ambiance about it that makes you feel safe and content while reading this story. I'm surprised I haven't read it before, because I know I would've absolutely loved it as a child.
My favourite character was the Mole; however, the absurd and stupid Mr. Toad cracked me up, and I ended up absolutely loving him as well. I also loved the setting of the woods and how we get to follow the characters for some years; it all felt right and they became my friends. And one of the scenes broke my heart a little bit because it was so vividly described.
I think this book is perfect for children because of the reasons written above; furthermore, this is a story which is very suitable for rereading, and it's a story you can't help but love. This is definitely a book that I'll be recommending to my own kids someday! I just need to get my hands on a beautiful, illustrated version :)
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elmonosuke
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This is one of them children's classics that I know best of the adaptations, most memorably Cosgrove Halls stop-motion animation from the 1980's.
I wanted to add this to our Disney collection as featured in the 1949 big screen outing of 'The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad'.

The novel follows four anthropomorphic characters in Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad in various adventures, at times it felt more like a collection of short stories.

It might be because the adaptations were so strong in my mind, but I was desperate to get back to the chapters involving Toad.
There's something thrilling about his impulsive obsession with the motor car.

This is very quintessential British and easy to see why it landed 14th in a BBC survey to find the nation's favourite books in 2003.
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nic016
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This really isn't a children's book; I don't think you can really admire the beauty here until you are older. My edition is, in fact, the edition my great aunt gave my father.

It isn't so much the sense of a simpler time, more of a sense of simpler life. If the Hobbits in Middle Earth are the standard English folk, the animals, the mammals, are the standard English folk here.

Still enjoyable.

Love Ratty.
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