The Wind in the Willows — Kenneth Grahame

Enter a world of magical fantasy and enchanting wit as you follow the escapades of four very different friends and neighbors. Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger keep their animal characteristics as they go about their lives in the English countryside, but they dress and speak like humans they even write poetry and drive automobiles. And, though they are decent and honest fellows, they have their faults, too. They might even call to mind some people you know.

Toad, for instance, is good-natured and adventurous, but he is also boastful and arrogant. His insistence on having the newest and fanciest of everything, from the luxurious Toad Hall to the speediest of race cars, causes no end of trouble to himself and exasperation to his friends. The solitary Badger is not only wise and generous but also so fearsome that weasel parents use him to encourage their children into good behavior. Sweet Mole is hardworking, loyal, and has a wonderful sense of smell but tends to be impatient and timid. Having spent most of his life underground, the world above is to him a new, enthralling, but sometimes scary place. Luckily he has his best friend, the clever, worldly Rat, to help him make his way. Whether they're rowing on the river or defending Toad Hall from the wicked Wild Wooders, the four share rousing adventures and a remarkable friendship that overcomes the limits of personality and species.