The Wind in the Willows is a book for those "who keep the spirit of youth alive in them; of life, sunshine, running water, woodlands, dusty roads, winter firesides." So wrote Kenneth Grahame of his timeless tale of Rat, Mole, Badger, and Toad, in their lyrical world of gurgling rivers and whispering reeds, a world which is both beautiful and benevolently ordered. But it is also a world threatened by dark forces—"the Terror of the Wild Wood" with its "wicked little faces" and "glances of malice and hatred"—and defended by the mysterious Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
In the end, Grahame triumphantly succeeds in conveying his most precious theme: the miracle of loyalty and friendship.
Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), Scottish-born author, was raised by his grandmother in Berkshire, England, along the banks of the Thames River. He was educated at Oxford and then worked for the Bank of England. As a pastime, he wrote light nonfiction and articles for newspapers. The Wind in the Willows (1908), originally written as letters to his son, established him as a writer of children’s books and had a deep influence on fantasy literature.
