The Wind in the Willows in English

Kenneth Grahame

originalC2year1908genreAdventurevibeCosyFriendshipHomeaudioUSUK

A shy mole meets a water rat on the river bank. Together they get involved in the trouble caused by their friend Mr Toad.

The book is episodic: each chapter can be read almost as its own story, and the same four animals move between them. Some chapters follow Mr Toad's disasters with motor cars and prison escapes, while others describe quiet days on the river, a trek through the Wild Wood, or a dreamlike night. The language is full of description of water, plants and weather, in long, musical sentences. The animals speak politely, like English gentlemen, and talk about picnics, boats and houses. It rewards readers who enjoy atmosphere as much as plot.

What kind of book“The Wind in the Willows” is

Versions of “The Wind in the Willows” in English: C1

Same book, adapted to a level you can read without stopping

levelA1–A2B1–B2C1–C2pagesaudiobook

Vocabulary by level

A1 61%
A2 16%
B1 8%
B2 6%
not in dictionary 5%

A sample from “The Wind in the Willows” in English

One passage, the way each version writes it.

Tap any word — we will show the translation

Original · C2228 words

The River Bank

The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said, “Bother!” and “O blow!” and also “Hang spring-cleaning!” and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously, and he made for the steep little tunnel which answered in his case to the gravelled carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences are nearer to the sun and air. 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 and muttering to himself, “Up we go! Up we go!” till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.

C1.3227 words

The River Bank

The Mole had been working very hard all morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a bucket of whitewash; until he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and tired arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, entering even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was no wonder, then, that he suddenly threw down his brush on the floor, said, “Bother!” and “Oh, blow!” and also “Hang spring-cleaning!” and ran out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him strongly, and he made for the steep little tunnel which in his case was like the gravel driveway owned by animals whose homes are nearer to the sun and air. So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and pushed, and then he pushed again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and saying to himself, “Up we go! Up we go!” until at last, pop! his nose came out into the sunlight and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.

The same passage at different levelsContinue in the reader

The original language of “The Wind in the Willows” and what it gives you

How hard the language is C2

The English is richer than the cosy story suggests. The book has 58,744 words, and sentences average 19.4 words. About 61% of the vocabulary is A1 and 16% A2, but 5% lies beyond the 5,000 most frequent words and 5% is outside the dictionary, mostly nature words, place names and old-fashioned expressions. Our estimate for the original is B2, which is not a measurement. An adaptation at B1 is available.

What this means in practice: A warm, gentle read with a rich vocabulary: take it chapter by chapter and enjoy the atmosphere.

What to be ready for

Nature vocabulary. There are many words for river life, plants, birds and weather that you rarely meet in ordinary modern English.

Polite animals. The characters speak in a courteous, slightly old-fashioned way, with polite phrases and exclamations that are easy to pick up as chunks.

Edwardian style. The narration uses long, musical sentences and a gentle humour typical of English writing in the early twentieth century.

How to read it and not quit

Read the descriptions for the picture, not for every word: if a plant or bird name is unfamiliar, you do not need it to follow the story.
Pay attention to the dialogue tags (said the Rat, replied Mole) and polite phrases; they follow patterns and are easy to learn as chunks.
Read one chapter at a time. Each one is a complete story, and finishing one is a good place to stop.

Contents of “The Wind in the Willows” · 12 chapters

Ipage 1
I (continued)page 15
IIpage 16
II (continued)page 30
IIIpage 31
III (continued)page 44

All 12 chapters

IVpage 46
IV (continued)page 60
Vpage 63
V (continued)page 76
VIpage 81
VI (continued)page 95
VIIpage 96
VIIIpage 110
VIII (continued)page 123
IXpage 126
IX (continued)page 139
Xpage 146
X (continued)page 159
XIpage 166
XI (continued)page 179
XIIpage 186
XII (continued)page 200

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The story of “The Wind in the Willows”

1908
Published by Methuen
Methuen published the book in 1908; early reviews were mixed, but it soon became a lasting favourite.
1929
Toad of Toad Hall
A. A. Milne's stage adaptation opened in London in December 1929, focused on Toad's adventures, and became a Christmas tradition.
1931
Ernest Shepard's illustrations
E. H. Shepard's illustrated edition appeared in 1931 and established the standard look of Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad.
Bedtime stories for a son
The book grew out of stories and letters that Kenneth Grahame made up for his young son Alastair, which included the first adventures of Mr Toad.

In culture “The Wind in the Willows”

8 adaptations and mentions, 1908–1996

1908
In the language "Messing about in boats"
Rat's line that there is nothing half so worth doing as simply messing about in boats is quoted as a motto for pleasure without purpose.
1908
In the language Mr Toad
The name is used for a boastful, impulsive enthusiast who drops one craze for the next, with the motorcar and its "Poop-poop!" as the best-known one.
1940
Art Arthur Rackham's illustrations
Rackham's last major commission, an illustrated edition, was published after his death and offers a rival picture to Shepard's.
1949
Film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Disney)
Disney's animated version of Toad's story later led to the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride attractions in its theme parks.
1967
Music The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Pink Floyd)
The band took the title of its first album from the book's seventh chapter.
1990
Stage The Wind in the Willows (Alan Bennett)
Bennett's adaptation at the National Theatre brought out the book's melancholy and its English countryside world.
1996
Film The Wind in the Willows (Terry Jones)
The Monty Python member directed and played Toad in a live-action version with a Python-style comic tone.
Series Cosgrove Hall's The Wind in the Willows
The British studio's animated version, with David Jason as Toad, made the characters familiar to a generation of television viewers.

Questions and answers about “The Wind in the Willows” in English

Is The Wind in the Willows a children's book?

It was written as one, but adults read it for the atmosphere and the humour. Kenneth Grahame first made up the stories for his young son, and that origin shows in the warm, storytelling voice.

What kind of animal is Ratty?

Ratty is a water vole, even though the book calls him a Water Rat. That is a common mix-up, because water voles were often called water rats.

Which chapters are the funniest?

The chapters about Mr Toad, who gets obsessed with motor cars and keeps getting into trouble. They are the most comic and the most action-filled in the book.

Which chapter is the strangest?

'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' is a quiet, almost mystical chapter, unlike the rest. It surprises many readers, and some love it while others skip it.

Is there a plot, or is it just episodes?

It is mostly episodes, held together by the same characters and the changing seasons. Each chapter can be read alone, but the story of Mr Toad runs through several of them.

Does it have sequels?

Not by Grahame. Other writers have produced sequels, but the original book stands alone and does not need them.

How close is the Disney film to the book?

Disney's 1949 film is a short version that focuses on Mr Toad. It leaves out most of the quiet chapters, so the book has a calmer, more varied feeling.

Is it hard to read in English?

It is moderately hard. The vocabulary is mostly common, but the long descriptive sentences and the Edwardian expressions take some getting used to.

Who drew the best-known illustrations?

E. H. Shepard, who also illustrated Winnie-the-Pooh, drew the version many people picture. His 1931 drawings of Mole, Ratty and Toad are still printed in many editions.

Where do people give up?

Usually in the long descriptive passages, or the slow, dreamy chapters. If you find one dull, move to the next: the episodes do not depend on each other.

In brief about “The Wind in the Willows”

17 fields of imprint data and measured text characteristics. All of it checkable.

Original title: The Wind in the Willows
Author: Kenneth Grahame
First published: 1908
Original language: English
Genre: Adventure · Animals · Classics
Mood: Cosy
Themes: Friendship · Home · Nature · Freedom
Setting: The English countryside: a river bank, the Wild Wood, fields and a grand country house · Edwardian England, around the time the book appeared in 1908
Distinct words: 6,580

Words per sentence: 19 words
Level of the original: C2
Versions: C2, C1.3
Length of the original: 23 ch. · 58,744 words
Reading time: ~5 h 30 min
Source text: Standard Ebooks
Rights: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain Dedication)
Download: EPUB