The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame

Life on the riverbank with close friends Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger is mostly peaceful. There's lots of entertaining as well as a great deal of messing about on the river. Just occasionally the peace is shattered, for example when Toad gets behind the wheel of his car and speeds around the countryside letting rip with the horn; or, more seriously, by brief attempts to defeat the weasels and stoats in the Wild Wood. Friendship, hospitality and the pursuit of fun propel these four animals on their adventures, and as they go about their lives against the backdrop of a watery landscape. (8+)