The Wind in the Willows

Wind in the Willows, a long-time favorite of many readers, centers around the animal citizens of an English riverbank. Each animal has a different personality, from easy-going Mole to the wise and wily Badger, the spoiling-for-a-fight Weasels and of course boastful Toad, the owner of splendid Toad Hall who has too much money and too little sense to know what to do with it. The education of Toad by his well-meaning friends is a good lesson. The battle for Toad Hall near the end of the book is also exciting. The content is entirely suitable for kids. The prose is a pleasure to read out loud and creates wonderful imaginary pictures. And it's funny, too (for example, the scene where Toad is nearly struck down by a car, which he has never seen before, and decides he must have one.)