This Hardcover Book item from St. Martin´s Press was reviewed on 4-Nov-2008.
Search ISBN:0312136242 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. The Wind in the Willows Reference Book. Classifications : General Ages 9-12 Children's Books Subjects Books General AAS Ages 9-12 Children's Books Subjects Books Fiction Animals Children's Books Subjects Books General AAS Animals Children's Books Subjects Bo . Click the following link to view the cover of The Wind in the Willows. Related topics: General. Ages 9-12. Children´s Books. Subjects. Books. General AAS. Ages 9-12. Children´s Books. Subjects. Books. requestid: ea71cec0-94e3-4622-9563-64abf3708e51
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1) Hardcover Book The Wind in the Willows by St. Martin´s Press. I believe that a narrator can really make an audio book and Flo Gibson does such a fabulous job of the voices of the characters in "The Wind in the Willows". This is one of my son´s all time favorite books and audio books. I highly recommend it.¤ 2) Hardcover Book The Wind in the Willows by St. Martin´s Press. The Wind in the Willows is a children´s novel by Kenneth Grahame, and was originally published in 1908. It concerns the doings of four anthropomorphized creatures: Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad. Most of the book involves their day-to-day activities, and there is very little plot to speak of.
The book is quite often tediously slow. No character other than Toad does anything remotely interesting or anything approximating an "adventure". Most of the book involves Mole and Rat puttering around their happy but excruciatingly mundane lives. Those chapters which involve Toad are slightly more interesting. The last chapter of the book has the makings of a full-blown action scene, but Grahame breezes through it in astonishingly short order. The characters are moderately interesting, but three out of the four protagonists are irritatingly melodramatic in their behavior.
Something Grahame has done well is vividly depict the charms of nature and the English countryside. But sometimes he does this too vividly, particularly at the beginnings of chapters, where the reader is often faced with page after page of nothing but description.
The Wind in the Willows is not without its charms, but it isn´t particularly interesting.
¤ 3) Hardcover Book The Wind in the Willows by St. Martin´s Press. We actually chose this book for our summer book club. It is really different reading it as an adult and for yourself. It was great fun!
It is amazing how you can see yourself in most of the characters. Do you know people who you see in the different animals?
We had a wonderful discussion.¤ 4) Hardcover Book The Wind in the Willows by St. Martin´s Press. Before you order, note that the Signet Classics paperback version is quite small (about 4" x 6.5") with small font and small drawings. Nice for traveling light, I suppose, but I wish that, instead, I´d purchased a more attractive and easier to read-aloud version to share with my kids.¤ 5) Hardcover Book The Wind in the Willows by St. Martin´s Press. While Grahame´s The Wind in the Willows may have been written for children, it mimics and speaks to adults, as well. The characters in his "low fantasy" story, though animal in name, physical description, and dwelling habitats, portray many of the same foibles and flaws as those represented by human beings.
Mr. Toad, for example, is not only wealthy and pretentious, but spoiled, haughty, self-serving, and thoughtless. He takes his truest friends for granted, and things nothing of thievery or dealing underhandedly to accomplish his selfish wants. For toad, Mr. Toad, like some people we encounter, has no real material needs, but has wants that seldom satisfy him for more than a moment.
Mr. Toad´s friends, Old Badger, Water Rat, and Mole also have personalities that mirror that of adult humans. Perhaps Grahame intended to reach children at an age when they are teachable and impress upon them manners and sensibilities that will guide their interpersonal relationships as they grow.
Though the poetically beautiful settings of the story are present in the "real world," the magical occurrences of motorcar-driving frogs, gondola-sailing rats, and suit-wearing badgers, make this fantastical story entertaining, particular for children, who possess a vivid imagination that is oftentimes stifled by everyday pressures in the world of grown-ups.
Both children and adults can identify with the personalities of Grahame´s imaginary characters, and there are age-old lessons taught in this story that are often present in mythology and even Biblical teachings. There is even a God-like character in the book, called The Piper, who brings the seasons and protects the animals.
The morals taught in the story are satisfying, in that, in the end, Mr. Toad is a changed man, er, frog, in that he has learned to appreciate the value of true friendship accept his good fortune with humility. Through his animal characters, Grahame represents the bad in human nature made good, while entertaining us with comedic situations that--if they didn´t involve such fantastical creatures--could be considered realistic.
¤ 6) Hardcover Book The Wind in the Willows by St. Martin´s Press. A new edition of Kenneth Grahame´s classic story, with outstanding illustrations by Patrick Benson and a new introduction by William Horwood, author of The Willows in Winter.
Since its original publication in 1908, Kenneth Grahame´s The Wind in the Willows has become one of the true classics of English literature loved by children and adults alike.
For the generations who have grown up with the adventures of Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and Toad, Grahame´s idyllic world is as fresh now as when they first discovered his enchanting tales-of Ratty sculling his boat on the River; Badger grumpily entertaining his friends in his comfortable underground home; and the exasperating Toad being driven into one tangle after another by his obsession with motor cars.
The continuing appeal of the riverbank characters have been demonstrated by the recent success of The Willows in Winter, the acclaimed sequel to The Wind in the Willows written by William Horwood and illustrated by Patrick Benson. Now Mr. Benson has turned to Grahame´s original work and created a delightful new edition, in which his magical illustrations give fresh life to Grahame´s unforgettable story. The Wind in the Willows is the perfect companion to The Willows in Winter.
¤7) Hardcover Book The Wind in the Willows by St. Martin´s Press. "[Mole] thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before--this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again." Such is the cautious, agreeable Mole´s first introduction to the river and the Life Adventurous. Emerging from his home at Mole End one spring, his whole world changes when he hooks up with the good-natured, boat-loving Water Rat, the boastful Toad of Toad Hall, the society- hating Badger who lives in the frightening Wild Wood, and countless other mostly well-meaning creatures. Michael Hague´s exquisitely detailed, breathtaking color illustrations on almost every generous spread--along with Kenneth Grahame´s elegant, delightfully old-fashioned characterizations of the animals--make this book a wonderful read-aloud. Grahame´s The Wind in the Willows has enchanted readers for four generations, and this lavishly illustrated gift edition is perhaps the finest around. (All ages, or 9 to 12) This reviews refers to ISBN 0805002138.¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 2-Dec-2008, 03121362429780312136246, 8X0-350-570-420-550-000-8 
The Wind in the Willows, Book, Image © St. Martin´s Press
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