The classic story of Mole, Rat, Toad, Badger and the wonderful adventures they share As spring begins to bloom across the countryside, so too does Mole's desire to leave his underground home and venture into the wilds above. His journey delivers him to the banks of a riverthe first Mole has ever seenand to the blue-and-white boat captained by Rat. Their camaraderie sparked, Mole and Rat continue into the Wild Wood, meeting up with the cantankerous Badger and the impulsive Toad. No stranger to calamity, Toad and his reckless habitsincluding a tendency toward spectacular car crasheswill get the four friends into heaps of trouble, but their steadfast loyalty to one another always sees them through.The Wind in the Willowsis a charming, unforgettable ode to friendship and one of the most cherished children's stories of all time. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but in early childhood, after being orphaned, moved to live with his grandmother on the banks of the River Thames in southern England. He was an outstanding pupil 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 in 1879, and rose through the ranks until retiring as its Secretary in 1908 due to ill health. In addition to ill health, Grahame's retirement was precipitated in 1903 by a strange, possibly political, shooting incident at the bank. Grahame was shot at three times, all of them missed. Grahame's marriage to Elspeth Thomson was an unhappy one. They had only one child, a boy named Alastair, who was born blind in one eye and was plagued by health problems throughout his short life. Alastair eventually committed suicide on a railway track while an undergraduate at Oxford University, two days before his 20th birthday on 7 May, 1920. Out of respect for Kenneth Grahame, Alastair's demise was recorded as an accidental death. Kenneth Grahame died in Pangbourne, Berkshire in 1932.
