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What is the story?

One spring day, the Mole ventures out from his burrow and discovers another way of life along the River, "messing about in boats" with his new-found friend the Water Rat. The Rat introduces him to many other ‘river-bankers’ especially the erratic Toad of Toad Hall, who convinces both Mole and Rat to join him in the latest fad, travelling around the country-side in his new horse-drawn caravan. Early in their trip, Toad sees for the first time, a motor-car.  (Cars were quite a novelty in 1908!)  He loses all interest in his caravan and becomes obsessed with cars. He purchases, drives and crashes one car after another.

Mole and Rat enlist the aid of the Badger, who lives in the ‘Wild Wood’ to help Toad overcome his affliction.

Their subsequent adventure includes charming diversions such as snowbound school-age hedgehogs who take refuge at Badger’s house, a party of field mice singing Christmas carols at Mole’s End, and a mystical encounter with a strange beast while searching for Otter’s lost son.

The friends must contend not only with Badger’s need to hibernate, Toad’s stubborn resistance and trickery, but also with the Wild Wooders (the stoats, weasels and ferrets) who take over Toad Hall after Toad is jailed for car theft.

As the Mole, Rat and Badger plot and then battle to take back Toad’s mansion home, they also do their best to help the vain and conceited Toad learn the value of humility.

About the author

Grahame was an outstanding student at St Edward's School in Oxford and wanted to attend Oxford University but was not allowed to do so by his guardian on grounds of cost.  Instead he was sent to work at the Bank of England which he did until retiring as Secretary of the Bank of England in 1907 due to ill health.  His son Alastair (Grahame's only child) was born blind in one eye and was plagued by health problems throughout his short life; Alastair Grahame eventually committed suicide, but — out of respect for his father's feelings — his demise was recorded as an accidental death.

He is most famous for writing The Wind in the Willows (1908), one of the classics of children's literature and originally written for his son who shared the waywardness of Toad of Toad Hall.  Grahame also wrote the children's story The Reluctant Dragon.

Grahame died on 6 July 1932 in Pangbourne, Berkshire

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Victor Sody, who plays the Mole in this recording, is a student who loves dramatic performance, cartooning, animation and computer games.

What others have said about The Wind in the Willows

"One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and, if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us. But I must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it, don't be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting in judgment on my taste, or on the art of Kenneth Grahame. You are merely sitting in judgment on yourself. You may be worthy: I don't know, But it is you who are on trial."

A.A. Milne

"Now I have read it and reread it, and have come to accept the characters as old friends; and I am almost more fond of it than of your previous books. Indeed, I feel about going to Africa very much as the sea-faring rat did when he almost made the water-rat wish to forsake everything and start wandering!"

Theodore Roosevelt