The Wind in the Willows

Book Description

Considered a masterpiece of contemporary fiction by many, this charming idyll about Toad, Rat, Mole, and Badger represents the best of British whimsical fantasy. Kenneth Grahame's creatures endearingly share friendship (and tea) alongside the River, as together they face the turmoil of modern life and the pleasures of Arcadia.

Amazon.com

If you ever feel like falling into a beautiful comic-book story--in the same way one falls back into a warm field of grass--reach for Michel Plessix's lush adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows. The artwork is an aquarelle, with thin, precise, detailed lines. It's no wonder he received numerous awards for his previous effort, Julien Boisvert, a contemporary take on the Tintin character type. In Wind in the Willows, Plessix breathes life into Mole, Rat, and Toad (of Toad Hall) as they picnic on the riverbank, indulge in Toad's latest fad, and get lost in Wild Wood. The pacing is masterful: each panel lingers just long enough to make you appreciate the simple pleasures of life.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. In spirit, in style, and in technique, Benson's illustrations for The Wind in the Willows are first cousins to the book's original ink drawings by Ernest H. Shepard, which many consider so nearly perfect any new artwork is superfluous. However, from the endpaper maps to the quiet scenes of woods and riverbanks to the comical pictures of Toad's adventures, Benson's sensitive cross-hatched drawings offer excellent interpretations of characters and events. The best choice for any library would be to add this to the collection and let children choose the version that suits them. If they come across the other editions later, it will be like looking through a cousin's photos of a long-ago family reunion: so familiar and so full of beloved characters, yet seen from a slightly different perspective. Any way you look at it, this new edition will be treasured.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Carolyn Phelan

From AudioFile

This classic adventure story, set in early twentieth-century Britain, features the lovable characters Rat, Toad, Mole, and Badger. Narrator Shelly Frasier's clear, pleasant voice carefully distinguishes these four creatures, and it's easy to keep their identities straight, though her throaty characterization of Ratty's voice occasionally makes one want to cough. However, Frasier must constantly switch from her native American accent to the British voices of her characters, which is somewhat distracting at first, though one gets used to it as the story moves along. The naughty toad is her best creation--she seems to understand his dreamy but destructive love of motor cars completely. J.C.G.

The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

A linked series of animal tales by Kenneth Grahame, considered a classic of English children's literature. The book was begun as a series of bedtime stories for Grahame's son and was published in 1908. The tales relate the adventures of four animal friends and neighbors in the English countryside--Mole, Rat, Toad (of Toad Hall), and Badger. Although the animals converse and behave like humans, each creature also retains its distinctive animal habits.

Book Dimension

length: (cm)19.3 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)13.5