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Cover of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

  • 192 pages · about 3 hours
  • First published 1908
  • 1,346 editions
  • Free to read
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1 About this book

The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It tells the story of Mole, Ratty and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble.

It also contains short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories that Grahame told his son Alastair.

Although The Wind in the Willows received negative reviews upon its initial publication, the public loved it and it has since become a classic of British literature. It was listed at No. 16 in the BBC's survey The Big Read and has been adapted multiple times in different media.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  • Animals
  • Friendship
  • Country life
  • Legends and stories of Animals
  • Mythical Animals
  • Adventure
  • Fantasy
  • Voyages and travels

2 What to expect

A children's classic about four animal friends on an English riverbank: shy Mole, easygoing Rat, gruff Badger and the conceited Toad, who is mad about motorcars. Comic chapters about Toad's scrapes sit beside slower, lyrical ones about the river, the seasons and the comforts of home. It is gentle, nostalgic and very English, with rich old-fashioned vocabulary, and it reads aloud well.

Good for readers who want: a gentle children's classic, animal friends, and the English countryside.

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4 About Kenneth Grahame

1859–1932

Kenneth Grahame ( GRAY-əm; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a Scottish writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature The Wind in the Willows (1908). Born in Scotland, 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.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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