Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Wind in the Willows
    The Wind in the Willows
    The Wind in the Willows
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Wind in the Willows

    Written by Kenneth Grahame

    Narrated by Ralph Cosham

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    The magic unfolds from the first lines of Water Rat's soliloquy about messing about in boats in this captivating version of Kenneth Grahame's classic. Although it's generally considered a children's book, get a copy for yourself as well as the child in your life, as you won't want to give this away.


    Ralph Cosham's performance is a study in characterization without over-dramatization. His Ratty is breezy and lighthearted, his Mole shy and considerate. His Badger sounds just like that gruff old man you once knew who had a heart of gold. And his Toad-- well, his Toad is perfectly insufferable. Cosham sounds as if he is reading his favorite work of fiction, and his affection is contagious.


    Originally from Britain, Ralph Cosham has been in the US for over 30 years. He has had roles in major films and television but spends of most his time with the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C. He has a truly remarkable talent for reading, and has received many awards for his narrations.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSpotify Audiobooks
    Release dateJan 1, 2001
    ISBN9781467610612
    Author

    Kenneth Grahame

    Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh in 1859. He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, but family circumstances prevented him from entering Oxford University. He joined the Bank of England as a gentleman clerk in 1879, rising to become the Bank's Secretary in 1898. He wrote a series of short stories, married Elspeth Thomson in 1899 and their only child, Alistair, was born a year later. He left the Bank in 1908, the year that The Wind in the Willows was published. Though not an immediate success, by the time of Grahame's death in 1932 it was recognised as a children's classic.

    More audiobooks from Kenneth Grahame

    Related to The Wind in the Willows

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Animals For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Swan

      Aug 27, 2021

      The Swan
      5 min read

    • Article

      Why The Whale Lives In The Sea

      Apr 1, 2024

      Why The Whale Lives In The Sea
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Swan’s Nest

      Jun 8, 2022

      The Swan’s Nest
      2 min read

    • Article

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows

      Nov 1, 2022

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Last Ruby- Throat

      Oct 12, 2019

      The Last Ruby- Throat
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Twitch Upon The Thread

      Oct 17, 2019

      A Twitch Upon The Thread
      6 min read

    • Article

      Change Of Heart

      May 7, 2020

      Change Of Heart
      7 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Jan 1, 2021

      I learned the world through the bottoms of my feet, barein the creeks of summer, stepping on pebbles, the squidgeof moss between my toes. On hot asphalt, the hop and skipover cracks, feet already toughened by bramble, dirt, the pricklyground of pine

      4 min read

    • Article

      Antelope Dreams

      Feb 2, 2024

      Antelope Dreams
      4 min read

    • Article

      Cool As A Capybara

      Nov 1, 2023

      Cool As A Capybara
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Monkey And The Dolphin

      Jun 7, 2023

      The Monkey And The Dolphin
      2 min read

    • Article

      French Connection

      Sep 18, 2023

      French Connection
      7 min read

    • Article

      Temptation

      Dec 28, 2021

      Temptation
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Countryside For All

      Jun 29, 2023

      IT WAS ONE OF THOSE dinner parties that didn’t feel like it was going particularly well. Someone had just broken up with their girlfriend for want of someone else; my little puppy wouldn’t stop howling in the hall, and one of our guests was strung ou

      3 min read

    • Article

      Queen Of Salt

      Feb 6, 2020

      Queen Of Salt
      10 min read

    • Article

      Kaspaas

      Jun 12, 2020

      Kaspaas
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Sweet And Cool Intimacy

      Jul 14, 2021

      A Sweet And Cool Intimacy
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Right Time

      Oct 14, 2019

      The Right Time
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Maldives: A taste of Eden

      Jun 29, 2023

      The Maldives: A taste of Eden
      9 min read

    • Article

      Jumping the Rails

      Nov 16, 2020

      Jumping the Rails
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Wind in the Willows

    4/5

    169 ratings131 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Originally published in 1908, this classic British animal fantasy began as a series of bedtime stories that the author created for his young son, and only found its way into print after Grahame retired from his career in banking. Described as everything from a paean to the beauty of English country life, to a portrait of the class structure of late Victorian Britain, The Wind in the Willows is one of those stories that can be interpreted in diverse ways, and appreciated on many different levels. The tale of four friends - humble Mole, who happens upon a new life and a new social circle one day, when he sticks his nose up out of his burrow; friendly Ratty, a stouthearted sailor and happy-go-lucky river-dweller, who serves to bind the friends together; wise and retiring Badger, who may prefer the solitude of his woods, but nevertheless proves a valuable ally and friend; and spoiled Toad (of Toad Hall), the conceited son of privilege, who has a better heart than either judgment or resolve - it is as engaging as it is well written, and every bit as relevant as the day it was first published.Chosen as our December selection, over in The Children's Fiction Book Club to which I belong, The Wind in the Willows is one of those books (of which there are far too many, I am afraid) that I have long been meaning to read, but to which I never seem to get to. How glad I am that my book-club commitments finally gave me the push I needed to pick it up, as I absolutely adored it! I can see why so many readers have recommended it to me over the years. The social analysis is certainly of interest - I find the idea (put forward in our book discussion, amongst other places) that the four friends each represent a different strata of the middle and upper classes, while the residents of The Wild Wood (the weasels, stoats and ferrets) represents the "underclass," quite convincing - although it was the beauty of the language that really stood out, on this initial read. The playful use of language, with made-up words and plenty of alliteration - So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws..." - the lyrical descriptions of the world of river and wood, and the gorgeous dreamlike passages leading up to the breathlessly magical encounter with Pan, in "Pipers at the Gates of Dawn," all left a powerful impression on me. I will be wanting to read this again, I think, and will be thinking of it for some time to come. It's just a lovely, lovely little book!
    • 4/5
      This was read out loud over the course of a month, so quite a bit different than my usual reading experiences. Even with the protracted reading, there was no difficulty following the thread of this classic's storyline. The chapters typically serve as mini-stories (much like Winnie the Pooh).As for the actual work, I think my review needs to be different than my usual too. I can't think of any other way to describe it except by comparing it to food. More contemporary books to me seem like there's a build-up chapter after chapter, much like a meal with multiple courses. Wind in the Willows is more like a really good stew. It starts off delicious and by the end of the book, there's still that flavor and richness that you enjoyed from the start.It's been a long time since I've encountered many of the words I found in this book and it was nice to exercise my vocabulary a little bit.
    • 2/5
      I don't like talking animal books, most especially when the animals interact with humans and are smaller than them one minute and the same size the next (as with Toad passing for a washerwoman). Then we have the issue of the main characters apparently having a great deal of wealth and not having to work or gather food, while the other animals do. As if this weren't bad enough- I hated Toad. Throughout the latter half of the book, I was hoping that he would die a horrible death. Overall it read fast, but was an awful story.
    • 4/5
      This was my first time reading Wind in the Willows, although I was aware of the stories having seen different cartoon adaptations. I wish I had read this book first as a child, but the fact that this was my first reading did not make it any less enjoyable. I love all the characters, their distinct personalities and their strong friendships. The stories are varied and the lessons timeless. The characters spend quiet time in conversation, sharing meals, and taking tranquil walks along the river, they take part in boating adventures, heroic takeovers and some even resort to car-theft and gaol breakouts. I think my favorite story is Dulce Domum, where Mole realizes the joys of hearth and home. In Wayfarers All, we see a a reflection of the author himself in Rat, who is siezed by thoughts of adventure in foreign lands. Mole talks some sense into Rat and calms him down by suggesting he write some poetry, giving him a pencil - "the Rat was absorbed and deaf to the world; alternately scribbling and sucking the top of his pencil. It is true that he sucked a good deal more than he scribbled; but it was joy to the Mole to know that the cure had at least begun." Read this book if you've never read it as a child, or even if you have, read it again. The stories have a lot to offer for all ages and you are sure to come away with a different perspective as an adult.
    • 4/5
      A fun book, but I have not read it in years.
    • 5/5
      You can tell why a classic
    • 3/5
      A cute story revolving around four animals and their trials and tribulations. There's nothing particularly substantial in it, although it should contain enough moral hints and cues for children to take note. Mr. Toad carried the story, partly because his behavior was so outrageous and that he apparently learned nothing from it, but the others, such as Mole and Rat, were real in their own way.
    • 3/5
      Though quirky, I didn't find this book to be exciting nor engaging.
    • 5/5
      Before I read this book, I thought that this is fantasy.But this is very instructive story.I can lean importance of friends and modesty again.I can notice that telling friends severe advice is difficult but considerate treatment.
    • 4/5
      This is a book with memorable images. I remember it much as I a remember a dream, at least one that stays in my mind. This memory is no doubt reinforced by the Disney film version of the story, but that does not detract from the impression the book made on a young boy. It is a book to which I plan to return and see if it still retains its power to impress and amaze me.
    • 5/5
      I absolutly love this book! It is beautifully written with a quality that is not seen often. Four true friends Rat, Mole, Badger and Toad experience many adventures together and support and encourage each other as only true friends would.
    • 5/5
      Wow, I never read this as a child, my only exposure was from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland. What an amazing book. Just finished reading this book to my five-year-old son. We both loved it. A wonderful story, such expressive writing. Great characters. I'll be reading this again.
    • 4/5
      I know I'd read this book as a kid, but have always been a bit surprised by how little impression it apparently left on me and how little I remembered about it. So a revisit seemed in order.And... Well, it's a perfectly fine kids' book. The writing is good, and doesn't condescend to or oversimplify itself for young readers, which I approve of, although a few of the hymn-to-nature passages do get to be a little bit much. And Toad is kind of a fun character; the chapter where his friends stage an intervention for him for his automotive addiction made me laugh out loud. But I can kind of see how kid-me didn't find it all that memorable. I just never quite felt as charmed by it as its reputation suggests I should be. It's nice enough, but when it comes to classic talking-animals-in-the-woods-of-Britain stories, it's never going to rival Winnie-the-Pooh for a place in my heart.
    • 5/5
      Classic novel for the older elementary age students, who enjoy stories where animals come to life and take on human characteristics. A good book to teach adverbs and how to use your imagination to write a story.
    • 5/5
      Ok, second attempt at a review after the damn interwebs ate my last one. Luckily I’m composing this one offline first.

      To me Kenneth Grahame’s _The Wind in the Willows_ is a particularly fine novel. It’s a children’s story and normally that would get my back up. I’m generally not a big fan of children’s lit or YA, and to add to this I didn’t even read this book as a child and thus have the requisite rose-coloured glasses to lend credence to my love for the story. Somehow, however, this tale of the adventures of four animal friends in an idealized and idyllic Edwardian English countryside resonated deeply with me. I think part of this has to do with the deft hand Grahame shows in the creation of his characters: shy amiable Mole, courageous and resolute Ratty (that’s Water Rat by the bye), gruff but stalwart Badger and, last but certainly not least, frivolous and vain Toad, all partake of elements of archetype and yet are never fully defined by it, they manage to emerge as characters in their own right. The setting too seems to straddle the line between generic and specific. The animal friends are constantly travelling against a background whose very names are emblematic: the River, the Wildwood, the Town and yet when we come to their homes we could not wish to find more congenial or personal places of the heart.

      Our tale (or perhaps I should say tales) begins as the shy Mole first pokes his nose out from his underground home to be presented with a newly discovered wider world he approaches with awe and wonder. I wouldn’t quite say that Mole is the main character of the stories that follow (though he is always a significant part of them), but I’ve always had a soft spot for him and enjoy seeing Grahame’s idealized English meadows, woods and countryside through his amiable eyes. Toad would probably be the more likely candidate, certainly for a good portion of the stories which concentrate on his adventures: a life-loving jester of a character with more money than brains always looking out for the next fad that is of course the fulfillment of his true heart’s desire…yet again. Indeed, keeping tabs on their friend and trying to hammer some good animal sense into his soft head is one of the major tasks the other characters must undertake in many of these tales. Grahame’s pacing is excellent, at times meandering with a leisurely pace from a boating foray on the River to spring-cleaning a much-loved home, and at others moving at breakneck speed to escape from prison or reclaim an ancestral home from dangerous enemies. Thus we follow our friends as they learn about their world and each other and I cannot say that there are many more enjoyable companions to be had for such a venture.

      I’ve seen arguments online that these stories are somewhat parochial and insular: whenever the world outside of the hedgerows intrudes it is usually either a dangerous temptation or a destructive force. I can’t really argue with this, but does all literature need to celebrate the novel and the strange? Isn’t there a place for the well-loved hearth and a joyous homecoming? _The Wind in the Willows_ is nothing if not a celebration of the comfortable and the familiar, a paen for a world and a type of beauty fading away. There may be good reasons for why it had to die out, but I would argue that there is still value in remembering it. When I try to put my finger on what it is about this book that so captures my imagination and elevates it from being merely a tale about talking animals within the context of a long-dead worldview I think that Christopher Milne, son of the author of _Winnie the Pooh_, may have said it best when he talked of “those chapters that explore human emotions – the emotions of fear, nostalgia, awe, wanderlust.” It is these parts of the book that speak directly to my heart and examine the wider aspects of the human spirit.
    • 5/5
      As I child, I tried to read this book several times. Each time, I made it about 1/2 a chapter in and I was bored to tears and stopped. But I kept being drawn back to it for two reasons. 1) It had animals in it and I found that appealing. 2) Disneyland's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Come on... a ride like that had to come from a great book!!So I'm now an adult and I'm walking through Borders and I see it on a discount rack. I grab it with the same instinct - knowing it must be a good book. This time, I made it past the first chapter. Midway through Chapter Two, I was hooked.What a beautifully written book. it was absolutely magical and eloquently written. I could just read some of the paragraphs and chapters over and over. My particular favorites were Dulce Domum, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Wayfarers All. These are some of the best writing I have read in a long time. The end was a bit of an off trajectory from the rest of the book... but still fun - a little more like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.... funny though, now that I'm an adult I wasn't as attracted to this aspect. It was the beauty of the chapters noted above.But I do want to go to Disneyland again, just to experience it from a knowing perspective...
    • 5/5
      Excellent comfort book for when the day has been just that bad.
    • 4/5
      Cute adventures of Mr. Toad and his friends. The story where they meet Pan seems out of place.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful children's book which, like so many really good children's books, is still of great interest to adults.
    • 5/5
      A classic of children's literature. Wonderful.
    • 4/5
      The Wind in the Willows is an a children's tale that adults should also enjoy. The Barnes and Noble classics edition gives needed background information on the book and Kenneth Grahame.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the most lovely, funny, and beautiful books that I have ever read. I've been reading and re-reading it since I was quite young, and it always leaves me wanting more. Mole, Rat, Badger, and especially the ingenious and inimitable Mr. Toad are a perfect fusion of temperaments, quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. An odd shifting of tone from one chapter to the next nonetheless works perfectly, a rare alchemy that would have (and often has) turned leaden in the hands of a lesser author.

      But I won't be reviewing the book in great detail here. Instead, here's how Sebastian, my seven-year-old son, reacted to the story.

      I have to admit that I was worried that the book might be too advanced for him. And at first, my fears seemed prophetic: the story didn't seem to interest him very much, and he often asked to read something else (or read one of his own books to me). I had carefully picked an unabridged edition (TWitW is often abridged, with "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" chapter being the most frequent casualty), but I found myself abridging the book on the fly. The language is truly lovely, but at Sebastian's age some of the longer descriptive passages just don't work.

      After struggling to read it to him for several weeks ("Dad, let's read something else tonight!") I picked up the book with the private resolution that if Sebastian didn't get more interested in it that night, I'd return it to the library and wait a year before trying again.

      And then Mole decided to make a private trek into the Wild Wood to meet Badger.

      I'd forgotten how frightening that section was! It's like a ghost story. Sebastian was riveted. From that point on, he was captivated; he even had me bring it in the car, so I could read it to him on the way to the train station (my wife was driving, of course).

      It took me a little while to work out the voices. Mole's is nasal and high, a bit like Terry Jones' when he's playing a silly part in Monty Python (ironically, Jones played Toad in a movie adaptation of the book, I believe). Rat is more mellifluous and a bit, well, educated; I keep thinking of "the playing fields of Eaton" when I'm reading him (not the actual fields, mind you; I've never seen them. I'm thinking of the phrase.)

      Badger is more gruff, deep, and direct (I think of Ed Asner's Lou Grant, but as a Brit). For Otter, I think of a British athlete, a "jock" type; cheerful, casual, and strong; a bit like Hugh Laurie, for some reason (obviously not when he's playing House).

      I should note that I'm NOT particularly trying to do British accents; I'm just letting the voices in my head shade the voices as I read them. So a tinge of accent creeps in, so to speak.

      Toad is the one character who gave me trouble. Eventually I decided that since Toad gets the best lines, and has the most emotional moments, I might as well use something close to my own voice - but pitched just a little higher, and with just a touch of melodrama. Toad is quite a ham, after all.

      For a seven-year-old, Toad is clearly the favorite of the book. That "his" chapters alternate with other ones was sometimes a small problem - but even so, during (for example) the Toad-free "Dulce Domum" chapter in which Mole's nose and heart are temporarily recaptured by the smells of his old home (a truly heartrending scene) Sebastian's interest remained strong enough to carry him through to the next chapter.

      Without question, the high point comes in Chapter X, "The Further Adventures of Toad". Toad's incredibly funny song, his escapes and adventures, his highs and lows are all perfect grist for the child reader/listener (and for the parent who loves reading dramatically to their child, for that matter).

      The final two chapters cap the book off perfectly. Any properly bloodthirsty child will revel in the passages in which piles of pistols, swords, and cudgels are amassed for each animal to use in the battle to come. Tiptoeing along the secret passage, the battle itself...this is the sort of thing children love, when it's well-told. And it is perfectly written here.

      I will confess that the reform of Toad is not quite believable (Sebastian confidently told me that Toad would not stay reformed). And the ending comes just a little too quickly. I have always wished as soon as I finished the book that there was more - and so did Sebastian. I know that sequels have been written by some modern-day author; I tried to read one of them, but at the time it didn't quite work for me. Some day, perhaps, I'll try it again...but maybe not. It would be more rewarding to simply re-read The Wind in the Willows once again.
    • 5/5
      Somewhere alongside a river lives a Water Rat and a Mole, two friends who take pleasure in the simple things, like taking a ride in Ratty's boat and having a picnic. Their friends Toad, Otter and Badger, living near the river and in the Wide Wood, join them in various adventures throughout the seasons.Somehow, when I was young and reading The Chronicles Narnia and all the Thornton W. Burgess tales, I missed this children's classic featuring Mole and the Water Rat, pompous old Toad and the sturdy Badger. I especially loved Toad, his faddish delights and mood swings from deepest despair to puffed up self-display. This was a truly charming read, by turns familiar (due to a movie I saw as a child) and new. The episodic chapters and long, meandering sentences lend themselves to a read-aloud, and I look forward to someday sharing this story with a young child.
    • 5/5
      Another favourite from my childhood - starting to look a little twee now, but still love it!
    • 5/5
      I suppose I was in the mood for this book, but it was a sheer delight and it immediately became a favorite book. My copy has an introduction and afterword, as well as a brief author bio written by Jane Yolen which I really appreciated. We only have a small cast of central characters here, a mole, a water rat, a badger and a toad, 'Mr. Toad'. I adore Mole and Ratty. I found myself loving every one of them, maybe even Mr. Toad. This is a children's book for grown-ups as well as mid aged kids. When I got to chapter 7, titled "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" my mouth dropped open. My copy only has a few illustrations in it - lovely black and white drawings, and the artist is not credited, although I think I deciphered the name Zimic. Then I decided that artist Tricia Zimic created the delightful cover illustration as well as the interior pen and ink drawings.I much more partial to the early half of the book, the rather nostalgic, pastoral adventures of Mole, Rat and Badger as well as the Piper piece in the middle. As Jane Yolen notes, this is really three sorts of stories in one book.
    • 5/5
      I've known the story of The Wind In The Willows forever, one of those things that seeps in in the time before memory begins, but on the other hand I have no memory of ever having read the book.And it is wonderful.Warm and clever and lovely, and touched by some sort of magic.It's all the little things like Mole feeling so much more at home in Badger's sett, because he's an underground animal at heart, but loving the river enough to forego that. And Ratty being lovely, and kind and ... Ratty is my favourite. And, it must be said, has been since I was wee.Completely and utterly worth reading, no matter how old you are.
    • 4/5
      I think I read this timeless adventure on five occasions as a child. . .Magical and often under-rated, Mr Grahame cleverly explores the meaning of friendship and the carprice of the upperclasses; depicting an idyllic era in England that was about to change forever with the advent of World War One. Much adapted in the modern era, the original story and illustrations by E H Shepard (the only ones approved by Mr Grahame) are by far the most satisfying.
    • 4/5
      A charming story of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr Toad, and the adventures they have together. One of the best children's books ever written.
    • 5/5
      I'm still thinking of this novel and the various levels of enjoyment encountered. Mole and Water Rat have a kind of friendship only dreamt of...it is like an ideal form of male bounding whee everything is okay with everyone and everyone works calmly towards the best interest of each other.Why you should read it, however, can be boiled down to one single scene with Toad and a pretend car made of chairs. If you've read it, you know the one!
    • 3/5
      I really wanted to love this book. It started off well, but it just started feeling like a chore to read. With just another 50 pages to read, I can't get motivated to finish. Was there some reason why there weren't any female animals/characters?