The Wind in the Willows

August 1, 2002
Mary Jane Begin illustrates the classic story of Mole, Badger, Rat and Toad, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Each chapter opens with a vignette and includes a full-page painting of a dramatic moment in the proceedings.

October 1, 2002
A few literary staples get a new look this season, while others are adapted and retold. Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad return in Kenneth Grahame's turn-of-the-20th-century classic, The Wind in the Willows (1908), newly illustrated by Michael Foreman. The keepsake edition presents Grahame's unabridged text alongside illustrations of the picnic-bound Mole and Rat capsizing their boat into a watery blue-green world and carolers bringing Yuletide joy to Mole End. Back matter contains a brief biography of the author as well as reproductions of original letters that Grahame sent to his young son, containing the seeds of the story.

June 26, 2017
A children’s standard for over a century is given a first class reading by actor Wincott. Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger are four lovable animal friends who live on the river. Together they enjoy a quiet life of picnics and boating. But adventures do touch their lives upon occasion, the most well-known of these being the fabulous Mr. Toad’s wild ride in a stolen automobile, an act that lands the childishly impulsive amphibian in jail, which then leads to a clever escape and further escapades. The prose and phrasing of the tales, first published in 1908, may be antiquated for today’s children, but actor Wincott’s exuberant reading is lively enough to catch the attention of listeners of all ages. His upbeat, enthusiastic narration brings vitality to every passage, poem, and personality. This audiobook is an excellent way to introduce young readers to this literary classic. Ages 9–up.

September 1, 2003
Michael Hague illustrates three collections of time-proven tales. Originally published in 1910, Old Mother West Wind by Thornton W. Burgess introduces a group of enchanting woodland creatures, the Merry Little Breezes, Reddy Fox and Tommy Trout among them, to a new generation of readers. Michael Hague's Favorite Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales offers nine classic stories including The Snow Queen, Thumbelina and The Little Mermaid, all adapted by Jane Woodward. And lastly, Hague portrays the lush habitat of Toad, Mole, Rat and Badger in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. The handsomely designed oversize volumes present Hague's artwork in framed spreads and spot illustrations, just right for lap reading.

September 15, 2003
Inga Moore's illustrations lend a luminous air to the tale of Mole, Mr. Toad, Badger and Rat in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, abridged by Moore. She uses delicate pen-and-ink drawings and watercolor wash to convey framed images of cobblestone streets, spot illustrations of Badger's welcoming hearth and wide framed expanses of the countryside.