The Wind in the Willows (1996)

If reading The Wind in the Willows as a child was, for you, an awakening to the near-mystical, make-believe wonders of the natural world, turning a cold shoulder on a video version of the Kenneth Grahame classic may seem to you a necessary measure to avoid memory muddling. Don't. This animated adaptation, gently narrated by Vanessa Redgrave, portrays Moley, Mr. Toad, and the rest of the riverbank battalion tastefully, wittily, and with charm by the bucketsful. True to the tale, these forest chaps are British, right down to their regal accents and suitable degrees of reserve. Lest you should conclude that such characteristics block the lecherous Toad from being a scoundrel or make Mole less of a lovable dimwit, though, the animals' adventures get under way lickety-split. Mole abandons his modest home in favor of an apprenticeship on the ways of the river alongside knowledgeable Rat and, in the movie's sole scary scene, winds up lost in the wild woods; Toad's enthusiasm for motorcars earns him a 20-year sentence and the insult of having to masquerade as a washer woman; and young Portly the otter goes missing, giving everyone a scare. Separating this cartoon caper from the herd is, of course, the writing--"nature kicks off its clothes" as part of the river's "wintertime poetry," and chums are richly celebrated; "In the company of friends," our narrator memorably intones, quoting Grahame, "even the most frugal of feasts is a banquet." Recommended for kids, and grown-ups, 3 and up. --Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

Audio Version read by Flo Gibson

I believe that a narrator can really make an audio book and Flo Gibson does such a fabulous job of the voices of the characters in "The Wind in the Willows". This is one of my son's all time favorite books and audio books. I highly recommend it. November 15, 2008

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by Kenneth Grahame, and was originally published in 1908. It concerns the doings of four anthropomorphized creatures: Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad. Most of the book involves their day-to-day activities, and there is very little plot to speak of.

The book is quite often tediously slow. No character other than Toad does anything remotely interesting or anything approximating an "adventure". Most of the book involves Mole and Rat puttering around their happy but excruciatingly mundane lives. Those chapters which involve Toad are slightly more interesting. The last chapter of the book has the makings of a full-blown action scene, but Grahame breezes through it in astonishingly short order. The characters are moderately interesting, but three out of the four protagonists are irritatingly melodramatic in their behavior.

Something Grahame has done well is vividly depict the charms of nature and the English countryside. But sometimes he does this too vividly, particularly at the beginnings of chapters, where the reader is often faced with page after page of nothing but description.

The Wind in the Willows is not without its charms, but it isn't particularly interesting.
October 21, 2008

How could you not love this book?

We actually chose this book for our summer book club. It is really different reading it as an adult and for yourself. It was great fun!
It is amazing how you can see yourself in most of the characters. Do you know people who you see in the different animals?
We had a wonderful discussion. September 18, 2008

Signet Classics version is very small

Before you order, note that the Signet Classics paperback version is quite small (about 4" x 6.5") with small font and small drawings. Nice for traveling light, I suppose, but I wish that, instead, I'd purchased a more attractive and easier to read-aloud version to share with my kids. August 8, 2008

Not just for children.

While Grahame's The Wind in the Willows may have been written for children, it mimics and speaks to adults, as well. The characters in his "low fantasy" story, though animal in name, physical description, and dwelling habitats, portray many of the same foibles and flaws as those represented by human beings.
Mr. Toad, for example, is not only wealthy and pretentious, but spoiled, haughty, self-serving, and thoughtless. He takes his truest friends for granted, and things nothing of thievery or dealing underhandedly to accomplish his selfish wants. For toad, Mr. Toad, like some people we encounter, has no real material needs, but has wants that seldom satisfy him for more than a moment.
Mr. Toad's friends, Old Badger, Water Rat, and Mole also have personalities that mirror that of adult humans. Perhaps Grahame intended to reach children at an age when they are teachable and impress upon them manners and sensibilities that will guide their interpersonal relationships as they grow.
Though the poetically beautiful settings of the story are present in the "real world," the magical occurrences of motorcar-driving frogs, gondola-sailing rats, and suit-wearing badgers, make this fantastical story entertaining, particular for children, who possess a vivid imagination that is oftentimes stifled by everyday pressures in the world of grown-ups.
Both children and adults can identify with the personalities of Grahame's imaginary characters, and there are age-old lessons taught in this story that are often present in mythology and even Biblical teachings. There is even a God-like character in the book, called The Piper, who brings the seasons and protects the animals.
The morals taught in the story are satisfying, in that, in the end, Mr. Toad is a changed man, er, frog, in that he has learned to appreciate the value of true friendship accept his good fortune with humility. Through his animal characters, Grahame represents the bad in human nature made good, while entertaining us with comedic situations that--if they didn't involve such fantastical creatures--could be considered realistic.
June 10, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...