The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel written by Kenneth Grahame that was originally published in 1908. The stories follow the exploits of numerous animal friends and neighbors in the English countryside, most notably Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger. Despite the fact that the animals communicate, philosophize, and behave like humans, each creature has its own particular animal behaviors. The narrative begins when Mole decides to go to the riverside instead of doing his spring cleaning one morning. There he meets Rat, a water rat, and they spend the spring and summer together. One day, they pay a visit to the irrepressible, generous, and arrogant Mr. Toad, proprietor of Toad Hall, who has a lot of money but not much intelligence.
Toad is prone to fads, and Mole and Rat accompany him on a horse-drawn caravan tour, until a rushing automobile frightens the horse and smashes the caravan. The automobile has captured Toad's attention. Later, Mole and Rat travel to the Wild Wood to see the courteous and responsible Badger, to whom they report that Toad has purchased and broken numerous autos. The three pals try an intervention to stop Toad from purchasing and damaging additional automobiles. Toad escapes despite their efforts to restrain him, and when he comes upon an unsecured automobile, he snatches it. He is eventually apprehended and imprisoned. However, the jailer's daughter feels sorry for him and assists him in escaping.
Toad is finally rescued by Rat after many more escapades. In his absence, weasels and stoats had taken over Toad Hall, but Badger discovers that Toad Hall has a hidden tunnel entrance, and the intruders are expelled in a final fight followed by a joyous supper. Between Toad's adventures, the other three main characters have quieter experiences, most notably in the lyrical chapters "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", in which the god Pan appears unnamed to help Mole and Rat find Otter's lost child, and "Wayfarers All", in which Rat is nearly hypnotized by tales told by a sea rat.
Detailed information:
Author: Kenneth Grahame
Published: 1908
Genre: Classics, fiction, childrens, fantasy
Link to read: gutenberg.org/ebooks/289
