The Wind in the Willows (adapted), Kenneth Grahame
The Wind in the Willows (adapted)
Kenneth Grahame
Category: Novels
Genres: Adventure,Humor
Level 2.71:53 h50.6 mb
Follow Mole, Rat, Badger, and their proud but lovable friend Toad! Mole leaves his quiet underground home and discovers the River, where he becomes friends with Rat. Together they enjoy boating, picnics, and adventures, while Badger helps them when things become dangerous. But Toad is always looking for a new excitement, especially motor-cars. His wild driving soon gets him into serious trouble... This is an adapted version of the novel, shortened and simplified to A1-A2 level.

The Wind in the Willows

[adapted]

by
Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows (adapted)

I.
The River Bank

The Mole had been working hard all morning, spring-cleaning his little home. He swept and dusted, climbed on chairs, and covered the walls with white paint. Soon there was dust in his eyes and paint all over his black fur. His back hurt, and his arms were tired.

But spring was in the air and in the earth above him. At last the Mole threw down his brush.
“Bother!” he cried. “Hang spring-cleaning!”

Without even putting on his coat, he rushed out. He scratched and pushed his way up through his tunnel, saying, “Up we go! Up we go!” Then, suddenly, his nose came out into the sunlight, and he rolled happily in the warm grass.

“This is fine!” he said. “This is better than painting walls!”

He hurried across the meadow.
At a gap in the hedge, an old rabbit called, “Stop! Sixpence to use this private road!”

But the Mole pushed past him and ran on, calling back, “Onion sauce! Onion sauce!” The other rabbits began arguing about what they should have said to him, but of course it was too late.

Everything outside seemed wonderful. Birds were building nests, flowers were opening, and leaves were growing. Everyone was busy except the Mole, and he found that this made his holiday even more pleasant. Then he came to something he had never seen before: a river.

The water moved and sparkled in the sun. It seemed alive, always running, laughing, and talking to itself. The Mole followed it along the bank, completely fascinated. At last he sat down and watched it.

Across the water he noticed a dark hole in the opposite bank. Something small shone inside it. It disappeared, then appeared again. An eye. A little brown face slowly appeared around it, with whiskers, small ears, and thick smooth hair. It was the Water Rat!

“Hullo, Mole!” said the Rat.
“Hullo, Rat!” said the Mole.

“Would you like to come over?”
The Mole looked at the river. “It’s easy for you to say that.”

The Rat disappeared for a moment and then came out in a small boat, blue outside and white inside. He rowed across and held out a paw.
“Lean on that. Now step in!”

A moment later the Mole was sitting in a real boat for the first time in his life.

“This has been a wonderful day!” he said. “I’ve never been in a boat before.”
“Never?” cried the Rat. “Then what have you been doing all your life?”

“Is it really so wonderful?”
“Wonderful? There is nothing half so good as simply messing about in boats,” said the Rat dreamily.

“Look ahead, Rat!” cried the Mole.
Too late. The boat hit the bank, and the Rat fell backwards with his feet in the air.

“Messing about in boats,” he continued calmly as he got up, laughing. “It doesn’t matter where you go. That’s the charm of it.”

He invited the Mole to spend the day with him. Then he brought down a large picnic basket.

“What’s in it?” asked the Mole eagerly.
“Cold chicken, ham, beef, salad, sandwiches, ginger beer, lemonade—”
“Stop!” cried the Mole. “It’s too much!”
“Too much?” said the Rat seriously. “Other animals tell me I never bring enough.”

They travelled down the River while the Mole watched the water, the sunlight, and the green banks. Everything was new to him.

“So this is a river,” he said at last.
“The River,” corrected the Rat.

“And you really live here?”
“By it, with it, on it, and in it,” said the Rat. “It’s my whole world.”

The Mole pointed towards a dark wood in the distance.
“What is that?”
“The Wild Wood,” said the Rat. “We River people don’t go there very often.”

“Are the animals there nice?”
“Some are. The squirrels are all right, and some of the rabbits. Badger lives there too. Dear old Badger! Nobody bothers him. They know better.”

“And the others?”
“Well, there are Weasels, Stoats, Foxes, and others. They can be friendly enough, but sometimes they cause trouble.”
The Mole decided not to ask more.

“And what is beyond the Wild Wood?”
“The Wide World,” said the Rat. “It doesn’t matter to you or me. I’ve never been there, and I’m not going.”

Soon they entered a quiet little backwater. Green grass came down to the water, and nearby a mill-wheel turned beside a grey house. The place was so beautiful that the Mole could only stare.

The Rat tied up the boat, and the Mole happily unpacked the picnic basket. They spread everything on the grass and began to eat.

After a while, the Mole noticed a line of bubbles moving across the water.

“What’s that?”
“Bubbles?” said the Rat. “Oho!”

A broad wet head rose from the water, and the Otter climbed onto the bank.
“Greedy fellows!” he said, moving straight towards the food. “Why didn’t you invite me?”

The Rat introduced him to the Mole, and they became friends at once.

Then there was a sound in the hedge. Badger looked out.
“Come and join us, Badger!” called the Rat.

Badger saw the company.
“H’m! People,” he grunted.
Then he turned around and disappeared.

“That’s Badger,” said the Rat. “He hates company.”

The Otter told them that Toad was also out on the River in his newest boat.

“Toad is always interested in something new,” said the Rat. “First sailing, then punting, then house-boats. He says each new thing will be his whole life. Then he gets tired of it.”

“He’s a good fellow,” said the Otter, “but he has no stability. Especially in a boat!”

Just then Toad himself passed by in a racing boat, rowing badly but with great seriousness.

“He’ll fall out soon,” said the Rat.
“Of course he will,” laughed the Otter.

A moment later the Otter suddenly disappeared too. The Mole looked around, surprised, but the Rat said nothing. Soon another line of bubbles appeared on the water.

When it was time to leave, the Mole offered to pack the basket. Packing it was much less fun than unpacking it. First he forgot a plate, then a fork, and finally they discovered the mustard pot under him. Still, they finished at last.

On the way home, the Mole watched Rat rowing and began to feel very confident.

“Ratty, I want to row now!”
“Not yet,” said the Rat. “You need a few lessons first.”

But the Mole thought it looked easy. Suddenly he jumped up and grabbed the oars.
“Stop, you silly animal!” cried the Rat. “You’ll turn us over!”

The Mole pulled hard at the water, missed completely, and fell on top of Rat. Then—splash! The boat turned over, and the Mole went down into the cold River.

He struggled up, coughing, then began to sink again. Suddenly a strong paw caught him by the back of his neck. It was the Rat, and the Mole could tell that his friend was laughing.

The Rat brought him safely to the bank, rescued the boat and the picnic basket, and gathered everything together again.

The Mole sat miserably in the boat when they started home.
“Ratty,” he said quietly, “I’m very sorry. I behaved like a complete fool. Please forgive me.”

“That’s all right!” said the Rat cheerfully. “What’s a little water to a Water Rat? Don’t think about it again. Come and stay with me for a while. I’ll teach you to row and swim, and soon you’ll be as comfortable on the River as any of us.”

The Mole was too touched to answer.

That evening the Rat made a bright fire and gave him a warm dressing-gown and slippers. He told him exciting River stories until supper: stories about floods, fish, boats, Otter, and adventures with Badger.

Before long the Mole was so sleepy that Rat took him upstairs to bed. He fell asleep warm and peaceful, listening to his new friend, the River, moving softly outside the window. It was only the first of many happy days. As summer came, the Mole learned to swim and row, and he began to understand the joy of running water and life beside the River.