Kenneth Graham achieved a masterpiece with The Wind in the Willows. Please don't judge it on the basis of Disney's "Mr. Toad" cartoon; the book itself is lyrical and engaging, with fun characters in wonderful settings facing a number of thrilling adventures. Some scenes are purely down to earth, such as Mr. Toad's escapades with his beloved automobiles, and some are sheer magic, as the Piper at the Gates of Dawn chapter. Reading the musical Christmas chapter has become a holiday tradition in my family.

This is truly a book that anyone can enjoy, a claim that is often made on the front covers of teen-market books but which rarely stands up to the promise. In this case I could read this book to my youngest and oldest child, and all three of us would be entranced.

This childhood favorite is as fresh and charming as when it was first published--and when my father read it to us with obvious . delight when we were kids. The animal protagonists--Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad--remind us of folks we know, which endears them to us with their all-too-human dreams and foibles. For both People and Creatures struggle to survive in the forests and streams of life.

Exhausted from his strenuous spring cleaning, Mole sets out into the world Aboveground, where he discovers the joys and challenges of riverbank life with his new friend and host, the water rat. But beware the perils lurking in the adjacent Wild Wood!

Kenneth Grahame weaves a gentle tale with willow strands of friendship, dedication to ideals and personal sacrifice for others. Come ride the roads with Toady, and scull down the river with Ratty; savor the sentimental whisperings of Home with Mole. Then join the ranks of Badger's Avengers to honor ancestral memories. This beloved classic combines humor and pathos with lively adventure in an animal realm which closely parallels human endeavor. This book is a true gem, to be rediscovered by successive generations and treasured by children of all ages!

Kenneth Grahame's classic children's tale can be enjoyed by people of all ages. As we follow the rural adventures of Ratty, Mole, Toad, and Badger, we encounter moments of earnest emotion, and intense moments that brush the depths of what it is to be human. For Grahame's characters, taken from amongst the familiar animals that inhabit the English countryside, have all the vulnerability and sensitivity of real human beings, and we genuinely warm to them as together they learn life's lessons.

The early scenes of Ratty and Mole's boat trip and picnic are a delight, and the story progresses into absolute hilarity as we meet Toad and are introduced to his crazy adventures and ill-fated escapades, as well as his incorrigible, over-inflated sense of self-importance. The most humourous episodes involve the wise and avuncular Badger's attempts to thwart Toad's hairbrained schemes and his seemingly endless conceitedness. Toad never seems to learn his lesson, and he remains a tremendously loveable rogue, though a rogue nevertheless.

Ernest Shepard's brilliant illustrations will only add to what is an incredibly touching, joyful, and involving experience.