This classic of the English countryside, . first published in 1908, is a favourite with readers of all ages. As the late Margery Fisher wrote, 'Adults are sadly aware of the figure of Grahame himself, languishing in a city office and longing for the river: children respond to the fun, the anarchy of Toad and the entrancing detail as Grahame's son Alastair must have done when he listened to the bedside stories that became a book. ' The author invited Arthur Rackham to illustrate his book, but Rackham said he was too busy - a decision he was happily able to reconsider in 1936 when he was approached by the American publisher of the Limited Editions Club. The project, which he carried out with love and great care for the authenticity of detail, was his last: the drawings appeared first in the USA in 1939 and in Britian in 1950.
This book was recognised in the Big Read Top 100 category by the Bbc Book Awards. It was recognised in the Big Read Top 20 category by the Bbc Book Awards.
This book is part of a book series called Everymans Library Childrens Classics .
There are 256 pages in this book. This book was published 1993 by Everyman .
Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was a Scottish writer, most famous for one of the all-time classics of children's literature, The Wind in the Willows, as well as for The Reluctant Dragon. Arthur Rackham is acknowledged as one of the leading lights of the golden age of children's book illustration in the 1920s, winning gold medals at both the Milan and Barcelona exhibitions.
This book contains the following story:
The Wind in the Willows
Mole is spring cleaning his home when Ratty persuades him that there is nothing so much fun as messing about on boats. The two set off In Ratty's row boat and picnic by the riverside, then spend days in Ratty's riverside home. One day they decide to visit Toad at Toad Hall. Toad persuades the two of them to join him in his lovely yellow caravan. All goes well until the caravan is knocked into the road by a passing motor car. Days pass and Mole tries and fails to persuade Ratty to take him to meet the elusive Badger, so he sets off on his own and gets lost in the Wild Wood. Ratty rescues him and they stay the night at Badger's House. Meanwhile Toad has become so obscessed with cars he'borrows' one from a courtyard and end up in prison. The jailer's daughter takes pity on him and helps him to escape dressed in her washerwoman's clothes. However whilst Toad has been in prison, stoats and weasels have taken over Toad Hall and in a final battle Badger, Ratty , Mole and Toad must eject them and reinstate Toad.
This book has been nominated for the following awards:
Bbc Book Awards
This book was recognised in the Big Read Top 100 category by the Bbc Book Awards.
Bbc Book Awards
This book was recognised in the Big Read Top 20 category by the Bbc Book Awards.
