A perfect book to read in the middle of a cold Edmonton winter. ( )

Great fun to reacquaint myself with Rat, Mole, Badger and Toad after so many years. Something was missing from the magical experience........Yes, a young child hanging off every word. Looks like one to keep for any future grand children ( )

The Wind in the Willows is as daffy and charming as it must have seemed when it was first published in 1908. Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s novel follows the anthropomorphic adventures of several woodland creatures, primarily Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad.

They enjoy many pastimes, including “messing about in boats,” Christmas caroling, and driving motor cars. This last becomes Mr. Toad’s passion, landing him in all sorts of trouble and, eventually, a dungeon. The animals have many adventures along the river and in the Wild Wood, but they all love home best, where they like to cozy up in front of a fireplace and enjoy simple meals with friends.

What makes the book so funny is how the animals live alongside people, doing people things, but without exciting comment. And they do it all regardless of the comparative size of things. Mole and Rat harness a horse to a gypsy caravan, field mice slice a ham and fry it for breakfast, Toad drives people cars and wears a washerwoman’s clothes to escape from prison.

It is easy to see why this book remains popular. Among other claims to fame, Teddy Roosevelt said he read it several times, P.G. Wodehouse was clearly influenced by the lighthearted humor (one of his novels, Joy in the Morning, shares the same title as the carol sung by the field mice), and it shows up as one of Radcliffe's Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century.

Also posted on Rose City Reader. ( )

This book was originally published in 1908 but still remains a classic. I read it for this course expecting something along the lines of "Winnie-The-Pooh." While the characters in both are animals, that's about where the similarity ends. "Willows" does take place along a riverbank while "Pooh" adventures take place in the 100-acre wood...and parallels can be drawn there. However, the animals in "Willows" are very different than the ones in "Pooh." In "Willows," the cast members are more like humans in animals disguises...they smoke, drive, and push the limits of the law. This book is more a collection of intertwined tales of the group of four animals trying to help Toad fight off his bouts of boredom. It's much more fun and enjoyable the further into the book you get and I'm not sure the first half of the book has enough to keep a typical fourth-grade class interested. There are lessons to learn from the tales of the group and recognizing how friendship, courage, and kindness are displayed would be an interesting study for young readers. I enjoyed the book--for the most part--but I would still hesitate to add this to my list of read-aloud books.

Fun, and lessons to be learned. I'm glad I finally read it.