Changes

Toad comes across a motorcar in the village and decides to drive in it. He crashes it and is arrested, thrown into the dungeon for twenty years. It's thanks to kindness from the jailer's daughter that he's able to break out of prison in the guise of a washerwoman. He asks for help from an engineer and a horse-drawn barge. He briefly gets hired by the barge woman, but he gets thrown into the river after botching up the recent load of laundry. In revenge, Toad steals the woman's horse and sells it to a gypsy. He comes across the same motorcar that he stole and got arrested for, won over by his passion and ends up stealing it. This gets the attention of the police, who chase him until he falls into the river with the motorcar.

Toad comes across a motorcar in the village and decides to drive in it. He crashes it and is arrested, thrown into the dungeon for twenty years. It's thanks to kindness from the jailer's daughter that he's able to break out of prison in the guise of a washerwoman. He asks for help from an engineer and a horse-drawn barge. He briefly gets hired by the barge woman, but he gets thrown into the river after botching up the recent load of laundry. In revenge, Toad steals the woman's horse and sells it to a gypsy. He comes across the same motorcar that he stole and got arrested for, won over by his passion and ends up stealing it. This gets the attention of the police, who chase him until he falls into the river with the motorcar.

While Toad has his adventures, there are two other stories about his riverside friends. The first has Mole and Rat looking for Otter's lost son Portly, Otter worried that Portly never goes missing for too long. Fortunately, they do find him unharmed and in the presence of the Greek satyr Pan. Pan removes their memories of this meeting ''"lest the awful remembrance should remain and grow, and overshadow mirth and pleasure"''. This inspires Rat for his latest poem while he and Mole are on their way home.

While Toad has his adventures, there are two other stories about his riverside friends. The first has Mole and Rat looking for Otter's lost son Portly, Otter worried that Portly never goes missing for too long. Fortunately, they do find him unharmed and in the presence of the Greek satyr Pan. Pan removes their memories of this meeting ''"lest the awful remembrance should remain and grow, and overshadow mirth and pleasure"''. This inspires Rat for his latest poem while he and Mole are on their way home. The second story tells of Rat feeling restless one late summer day, as if something is missing from his life. He meets a sea rat who tells him about his adventures out at sea, exploring places like Greece and Italy. Tempted and going crazy, Rat tries to abandon his riverside home, but Mole snaps him out of it. To Rat's credit, he does come to his senses and decides to stay by the river, but he does get inspired by the stories that the sea rat has told him and decides to try some poetry about it.

 

The second story tells of Rat feeling restless one late summer day, as if something is missing from his life. He meets a sea rat who tells him about his adventures out at sea, exploring places like Greece and Italy. Tempted and going crazy, Rat tries to abandon his riverside home, but Mole snaps him out of it. To Rat's credit, he does come to his senses and decides to stay by the river, but he does get inspired by the stories that the sea rat has told him and decides to try some poetry about it.

Back with Toad's adventure, Toad drifts a while before coming to the home of Rat, who brings him to his house. Mole and Badger had stayed at Toad Hall and have been keeping things there in order until the weasels, stoats, and ferrets from the Wild Wood chased them out. Hearing this, Toad tries confronting the Wild Wood residents, but they destroy Rat's boat in the process, leading to Rat calling out Toad for all his misdeeds. Toad regrets what he has put his three friends through and promises to make it up to them, and the four friends come up with a plan to drive the Wild Wood animals out and take back Toad Hall.

Back with Toad's adventure, Toad drifts a while before coming to the home of Rat, who brings him to his house. Mole and Badger had stayed at Toad Hall and have been keeping things there in order until the weasels, stoats, and ferrets from the Wild Wood chased them out. Hearing this, Toad tries confronting the Wild Wood residents, but they destroy Rat's boat in the process, leading to Rat calling out Toad for all his misdeeds. Toad regrets what he has put his three friends through and promises to make it up to them, and the four friends come up with a plan to drive the Wild Wood animals out and take back Toad Hall.

==Characters==

==Characters==

'''Mole:''' Mole is a quiet, ordinary fellow who gets caught up in huge adventures and arguably shares the role of spotlight character with Mr. Toad. Soft-spoken and a dedicated homebody, he nonetheless sometimes gets wild urges to go out into the wild and "hang spring cleaning!" Eventually, he adapts to a busier and eventful life, and he later shows that he's good with children.

'''Mole:''' Mole is a quiet, ordinary fellow who gets caught up in huge adventures and arguably shares the role of spotlight character with Mr. Toad. Soft-spoken and a dedicated homebody, he nonetheless sometimes gets wild urges to go out into the wild and "hang spring cleaning!" Eventually, he adapts to a busier and eventful life, and he later shows that he's good with children (such as welcoming mouse children singing Christmas carols to feast with him and Rat in Mole's newly refurnished home).

'''Rat:''' Rat is Mole's best friend and is fiercely loyal to his other friends. He lives a rather conservative life by the river, feeling at home by the water (''"What it doesn't have is not worth having, and what it doesn't know is not worth knowing."'') and happily messing about in boats. Whenever Badger isn't present, Rat acts as the voice of reason and is somewhat annoyed by the fast pace of modern living. In spite of being called a rat, he's actually a water vole (which is also called a water rat, hence his name).

'''Rat:''' Rat is Mole's best friend and is fiercely loyal to his other friends. He lives a rather conservative life by the river, feeling at home by the water (''"What it hasn't got is not worth having, and what it doesn't know is not worth knowing."'') and happily messing about in boats. Whenever Badger isn't present, Rat acts as the voice of reason and is somewhat annoyed by the fast pace of modern living. In spite of being called a rat, he's actually a water vole (which is also called a water rat, hence his name).

'''Toad:''' Toad is one of the spotlight characters in the book, living a fancy rich life in Toad Hall. He is most famous for throwing himself to the latest fads one day and then going to another fad the next; he had started with houseboats then to boating in general, and then he went to carts and motorcars (his latest obsession). While he can be arrogant and reckless, he does value his friends and wants to do right by them.

'''Toad:''' Toad is one of the spotlight characters in the book, living a fancy rich life in Toad Hall. He is most famous for throwing himself to the latest fads one day and then going to another fad the next; he had started with houseboats then to boating in general, and then he went to carts and motorcars (his latest obsession). While he can be arrogant and reckless, he does value his friends and wants to do right by them.

'''Badger:''' Badger is a hermit living by himself in the middle of the Wild Wood, in an underground set. He's a large and fearsome animal who hates going into society (and doesn't approve of things like not putting elbows on tables), but he can be welcoming to visitors and has a fondness for children.

'''Badger:''' Badger is a hermit living by himself in the middle of the Wild Wood, in an underground set. He's a large and fearsome animal who hates going into society (and doesn't approve of things like not putting elbows on tables, though it's shown that he took too narrow a view on this), but he can be welcoming to visitors and has a fondness for children. Like Mole, he has a fondness for living underground since they're both burrowing animals.

'''Otter:''': While not a main protagonist, Otter is a friend of all four animals. A brave and boisterous animal, he is perfectly at home on the river with his son Portly. He is also one of the few animals besides Badger to go through the Wild Wood by himself and not be scared.

'''Otter:''': While not a main protagonist, Otter is a friend of all four animals. A brave and boisterous animal, he is perfectly at home on the river with his son Portly. He is also one of the few animals besides Badger to go through the Wild Wood by himself and not be scared.

==Film adaptations==

==Film adaptations==

In 1949, Walt Disney released his version of ''The Wind in the Willows'' in his film ''The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad'', sharing this with Washington Irving's ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow''. He has done some changes like Toad being framed for stealing the motorcar instead of actually stealing it himself and changing Rat from a sailor with a Bohemian streak to a stuffy yet caring Englishman.

In 1949, Walt Disney released his version of ''The Wind in the Willows'' in his film ''The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad'', sharing this with Washington Irving's ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow''. He has done some changes like Toad being framed for stealing the motorcar instead of actually stealing it himself and changing Rat from a sailor with a Bohemian streak to a stuffy yet caring Englishman.

An animated film was adapted in 1995 that follows the book almost faithfully, which is then followed in 1996 by a sequel called ''The Willows in Winter''.

An animated film was adapted in 1995 that follows the book almost faithfully, which is then followed in 1996 by a sequel called ''The Willows in Winter''.

[[Category:Novels]]

[[Category:Novels]]

[[Category:Children's Literature]]

[[Category:Children's Literature]]