The Willows at Christmas - Hardcover

Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger return once more in a new tale of the River Bank from the bestselling author of The Willows in Winter, Toad Triumphant and The Willows and Beyond.

The Tales of the Willows sequence – in which William Horwood returned to the idyllic setting of The Wind in the Willows and brought back Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved characters in three brand-new stories – has been a remarkable success story.

It began in 1993, with the Sunday Times bestseller The Willows in Winter, which immediately caught the imagination of the reading public and was made into a full-length animated film. The series continued with Toad Triumphant in 1995 and The Willows and Beyond in 1996.

Now, in The Willows at Christmas, William Horwood has created a compelling new tale that takes place after the events in The Wind in the Willows but before The Willows in Winter.

The twelve days of Christmas are fast approaching and Mole is planning to enjoy every one of them with his River Bank friends. So when the normally cheerful Mr Toad despairs at the arrival of Mrs Ffleshe, a quite impossibly rude house guest, Mole must do something about it.

But the plan he hatches with Ratty, Badger and Otter to rescue Toad goes horribly wrong. With the prospect of Christmas in gaol and a trial for capital offences soon to follow, Mole will have to work hard if he is to salvage something of the Christmas spirit for his friends...

‘Lovers of The Wind in the Willows will feel at home and will laugh a lot with sheer pleasure.’ The Times on The Willows in Winter

‘The old friends are just as they always were.’ Daily Telegraph on The Willows in Winter

'Explore again the unforgettable world of Toad Hall, the Wild Wood, the River Bank and the irrepressible Mr Toad.'

The twelve days of Christmas are fast approaching and Mole is planning to enjoy every one of them with his River Bank friends. So when the normally cheerful Mr Toad despairs at the arrival of Mrs Ffleshe, a quite impossibly rude house guest, Mole must do something about it. But the plan he hatches with Ratty, Badger and Otter to rescue Toad goes horribly wrong. With the prospect of Christmas in gaol and a trial for capital offences soon to follow, Mole will have to work hard if he is to salvage something of the Christmas spirit for his friends. . .

'The Willows at Christmas' is the crowning achievement of William Horwood's masterly cycle of sequels to Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows'. The new story is set just after the original but before Horwood's critically acclaimed 'The Willows in Winter', which so brilliantly brought the much-loved River Bankers back to life. It will give pleasure to countless readers around the world who have revelled in each new work, and capture the loyalty and imagination of many new readers, so . . . Merry Christmas!

'Lovers of 'The Wind in the Willows' will feel at home and will laugh a lot with sheer pleasure.'
'The Times'

'The Willows At Christmas' contains over seventy black and white illustrations, plus 7 full-colour plates – for the first time in the 'Willows' series.

WILLIAM HORWOOD is one of Britain's best-loved storytellers. The first volume in his highly popular 'Tales of the Willows' sequence was the 'Sunday Times' bestseller 'The Willows in Winter'. It was followed by the equally successful 'Toad Triumphant' and 'The Willows and Beyond', and was made into a feature-length animated film. Since beginning the sequence, he has received letters from thousands of readers thanking him for recapturing the spirit of Kenneth Grahame's great work, as well as acclaim from the critics.

'Faithful to Kenneth Grahame's classic . . . sheer escapism, full of character.'
'Daily Mail'

PATRICK BENSON's award-winning work includes illustrations for William Mayne's 'Hob Stories', for which he won the Mother Goose Award, Roald Dahl's final book, 'The Minpins', and the three J.R. Hartley books. His illustrations for 'The Willows in Winter', 'Toad Triumphant', 'The Willows and Beyond' and 'The Wind in the Willows' have received outstanding praise.

'The drawings by Patrick Benson are a joy.'
'Mail on Sunday'

Also available:

'Audio Backlist'

All read by Richard Briers

·
'The Wind in the Willows
·
Toad Triumphant
·
The Willows in Winter
·
The Willows and Beyond
'