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Description
The novel crawls yet does maintain fast-pace to follow the four protagonist and their friends on their adventures and misadventures. Toad, a well-to-do heir, goes through innumerable craze such as his interest in motor-cars. His love for the cars incites him to steal one, which leads him to get arrested and sentenced to jail. He escapes from jail and disguised himself as a washer-women. At the same time, the other animals must deal with the bad reputations they have for being Toad’s friend.
Meanwhile, the house of Toad is taken over by wild and menacing animals from the wild woods, and the four friends come together to save their friend’s house. With the wild woodier driven away, Toad turns over a new leaf and becomes a respectable and aristocrat member of the animal community. He is loved and admired by others. He is happy and shows the gratitude towards his friends that deepens his friendship with Mole, Rat, Badger; and, the four often take long walks and live happily thereafter.
Review
‘The Wind in the Willows’ (1908) is the classic of children’s literature by Kenneth Grahame. This slow-moving and fast-paced novel, focuses on four anthropomorphized animals i.e. Mole, Rat (a European water vole), Toad, and Badger.
The novel is set in a pastoral version of Edwardian England. It is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie and celebrated for its evocation of the nature of Thames Valley.
This classic story is all about how the friends of Toad and other resident animals of the river bank saved him from his wrongdoing and excesses.
The novel has the taste of excitement, sentiments, destruction of private property (plenty of that), paganism, and a happy ending. The book provides the pleasure of reading to all age readers whether they are children, young adults, or grown-ups who relish Graham’s ability to evoke the long summer days of childhood.
The timeless classic generation, ‘The Wind in the Willows‘ may be difficult for today’s kids because of its language and pacing. But, parents can help in reading-aloud settings. The drawing and illustration of this edition have the same inked pictures as the original novel. The prose is beautiful and occasionally requires the use of the dictionary.
The publisher is serving the English-speaking world for a long time by publishing classic literature. The novel is one of the best works of a global bookshelf throughout history and across the genre or discipline. Its authoritative texts aren’t enhanced by introduction and notes provided by scholars as well as proper and up-to-date translations by award-winning contemporary authors. Mr. Toad was voted number 38 among the 100 Best Characters in Fiction since 1900 by Book magazine in their March/April 2002 issue. In the year 2003, The Wind in the Willow’ was listed at #16 in BBC’s survey ’The Big Read’.
Adaptation
The novel is set in a pastoral version of Edwardian England. It is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie and celebrated for its evocation of the nature of Thames Valley.
This classic story is all about how the friends of Toad and other resident animals of the river bank saved him from his wrongdoing and excesses.
The novel has the taste of excitement, sentiments, destruction of private property (plenty of that), paganism, and a happy ending. The book provides the pleasure of reading to all age readers whether they are children, young adults, or grown-ups who relish Graham’s ability to evoke the long summer days of childhood.
The timeless classic generation, ‘The Wind in the Willows‘ may be difficult for today’s kids because of its language and pacing. But, parents can help in reading-aloud settings. The drawing and illustration of this edition have the same inked pictures as the original novel. The prose is beautiful and occasionally requires the use of the dictionary.
The publisher is serving the English-speaking world for a long time by publishing classic literature. The novel is one of the best works of a global bookshelf throughout history and across the genre or discipline. Its authoritative texts aren’t enhanced by introduction and notes provided by scholars as well as proper and up-to-date translations by award-winning contemporary authors. Mr. Toad was voted number 38 among the 100 Best Characters in Fiction since 1900 by Book magazine in their March/April 2002 issue. In the year 2003, The Wind in the Willow’ was listed at #16 in BBC’s survey ’The Big Read’.
Adaptation
The novel has been adapted many times in the form of reprints, films, stage, theatrical films, radio shows, web series, and sequels or alternative versions over the years.
Stage
- In 1929, The novel was in its 31st printing when playwright A. a. Milne adapted part of it for the stage for the first time ever with the title ‘Toad of Toad Hall’.
- In 2014, the novel 3as adapted for a musical by Julian Fellowes.
- In 2019, Michael Whitmore adapted it for a musical play named ‘The Wind in the Willow’ for Quantum theater.
- ‘The Wind in the Willow’ opera for children in two acts by Elena-Kats-Chernin (music) and Jens Luckwaldt (libretto, with English translation by Benjamin Gordon), commissioned by Staatstheater Kassel, word premiere 19 June 2020.
- ‘The Adventure of Ichabod and Mr, Toad', a 1949 animated adaptation produced by Walt Disney Productions for RKO Radio Pictures, narrated by Basil Rathbone. one half of the animated feature was based on other stories ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’.
- ‘The Wind in the Willow’ a 1996 live-action film written and directed by Terry Jones starring Steve Coogan as Mole, Eric Idle as Rat, and Jones as Mr. Toad.
- The Wind in the Willow was adapted for the first live-action film ‘Toad of Toad Hall’ by Michael Barry for BBC Television and transmitted live in 1946.
- The latest live-action TV film was in 2006 with Lee Ingleby as Mole, Mark Gatiss as Ratty, Matt Lucas as Toad, and Bob Hoskins as Badger.
Web Series
In 2014, Classic Alice took the titular character on a 6 episode re-imagining of The Wind in the Willows. Reid Cox played Toad, and Kate Hackett and Tony Noto served as loose Badger/Ratty/Mole characters.
Radio
The BBC has broadcast a number of radio productions of the story. Dramatization includes the number of series and episodes from the original publication of the novel to the date.
- Eight episodes from 4 to 14 April 1955, BBC Home Service, with Richard Goolden, Frank Duncan, Olaf Pooley, and Mary O’Farrell.
- The single 90-minute play, dramatized by A.A. Milne under the name Toad of Toad Hall, on 21 April 1973, BBC Radio4, with Derek Smith, Bernard Cribbins, Richard Goolden, and Cyril Luckham.
- Single two-hour play, dramatized by Alan Bennett, on 27 August 1994, BBC Radio 4
- Ten-part reading by Alan Bennett from 31 July to 11 August 1989, BBC Radio 4.
- Twelve-part reading by Bernard Cribbins from 22 December 1983 to 6 January 1984, BBC channel.
- Three-hour reading by June Whitfield, Nigel Anthony, James Sacon, and Nigel Lambert; Puffin audiobook, 1996.
- Kenneth Williams did a version of the book for radio
- In 2002 Paul Oakenfold produced a Trance Soundtrack for the story, aired on the Galaxy FM show Urban Soundtracks. These mix blended classic stories with a mixture of dance and contemporary music.
The novel was written in many alternative versions and has many sequels till the date that includes:
- In 1983, Dixon Scott published a Fresh Wind in the Willow, which not only predates Horwood’s sequels by several years but also includes some of the same incidents, including a climax in which Toad steals a Bleriot monoplane.
- Frederick Thurber’s ‘In the Wake of the Willows’ was published in 2019. It is the New World version of the original, recounting the adventures of the same set of characters, and their children, who lived on a coastal estuary in southern New England.
About the Author
Kenneth Grahame, born in Scotland on 8 March 1859, was a British writer and novelist. His most famous work is ‘The Wind in the Willow’ (1908) which is one of the classics of children’s literature. He also wrote ‘The Reluctant Dragon’. Both his famous books were adapted for stage, film, television, and web series many times.
In 1908, Grahame retired from his position as secretary of the Bank of England. He moved back to Berkshire, where he had lived as a child. He did spend his time by the River Thames, working on the series of bedtime stories, those he told to his son Alastair earlier, and preparing the manuscript for the book with the quote - “simply messing about in boats”, which was published in 1908. Kenneth Grahame died on 6 July 1932 but his books lived on and never have been out of print.
In 1908, Grahame retired from his position as secretary of the Bank of England. He moved back to Berkshire, where he had lived as a child. He did spend his time by the River Thames, working on the series of bedtime stories, those he told to his son Alastair earlier, and preparing the manuscript for the book with the quote - “simply messing about in boats”, which was published in 1908. Kenneth Grahame died on 6 July 1932 but his books lived on and never have been out of print.
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Rating: 4/5
Author: Kenneth Grahame
Publisher: Penguin Classics, Penguin books
Publishing Date: 27 October 2005
Language: English
Genre: Children’s Book, Young-adult, comic genre
ISBN-10: 0143039091
ISBN-13: 9780143039099
Pages: 197 ( Paperback)
Cost: $5.99 (Paperback)
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