The Wind in the Willows | Plot Summary

The Wind in the Willows Overview

The Wind in the Willows continues to be a treasured book of childhood, one whose readers grow up to pass along to their own children. The book is a collection of adventures that combine to tell the story of a group of everyday English animals who live along the banks of the River. Almost immediately the characters of Toad, Ratty, Mole, and Badger become as "real" as our next door neighbor, and we forget that they are "just" animals. The personalities of the characters are familiar to all of us: the silly, impulsive Toad; the practical Ratty; the emotional Mole; and the stodgy Badger.

Grahame shows them at their best, and at their worst, dealing with problems to which we can all be sympathetic: losing one's home, getting into trouble for behaving foolishly, and learning the value of friends and loyalty. The characters are appealing to readers of...
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