The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel written by Kenneth Grahame. It was first published in 1908. The story focuses on four animals in a pastoral version of England. The novel is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie and celebrated for its evocation of the nature of the Thames valley. In 1908, Grahame retired from his position as secretary of the Bank of England and moved back to Berkshire. Grahame spent his childhood in Berkshire and spent his time by the River Thames doing much as the animal characters in his book do—namely, as one of the phrases from the book says, "simply messing about in boats"— and expanding the bedtime stories he had earlier told his son Alistair into a manuscript for the book.
The book was originally published as plain text, but many illustrated, comic and annotated versions have been published over the years. Notable illustrators include Paul Bransom (1913), Ernest H. Shepard (1933), Arthur Rackham (1940), Tasha Tudor (1966), Michael Hague (1980), Scott McKowen (2005), and Robert Ingpen (2007).
The Characters are:
Mole: A mild-mannered, home-loving animal, and the first character introduced in the story.
A Rat: Known as "Ratty" to his friends (though actually a water vole), he is cultured, relaxed and friendly
Mr. Toad: The wealthy scion of Toad Hall who inherited his wealth from his late father. Although good-natured, kind-hearted and not without intelligence, he is also spoiled.
Mr. Badger: Gruff and solitary, who "simply hates society", Badger embodies the "wise hermit" figure
Otter and Portly: A friend of Ratty with a stereotypical "Cockney costermonger" character, the extrovert Otter is tough and self-sufficient. Portly is his young son.
The Weasels: The story's main antagonists. They plot to take over Toad Hall.
Pan: A god who makes a single, anomalous appearance in Chapter 7, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn".