The Willows at Christmas

Last updated

The Willows at Christmas
The Willows at Christmas.jpg
Front cover of the first edition
Author William Horwood
IllustratorPatrick Benson
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
Fantasy
Children's literature
Publisher HarperCollins, St. Martin's Press
Publication date
20 October 1999
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Audiobook
Pages244 pp
ISBN 0-00-225604-5
Preceded byThe Willows and Beyond 

The Willows at Christmas is a children's novel by English writer William Horwood, first published in 1999. It is the fourth book of the Tales of the Willows series, a collection of four sequels to Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows . [1] [2]

Contents

The Willows at Christmas is set after the events of The Wind in the Willows but before The Willows in Winter. It is illustrated by Patrick Benson and includes full-page colour pictures. [3]

Synopsis

The twelve days of Christmas are fast approaching and Mole is planning to enjoy every one of them with his River Bank friends, but he is horrified and upset to learn that nobody looks forward to the festive season. 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. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> 1908 childrens novel by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is a classic children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. It also details short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen.

<i>Toad of Toad Hall</i> Play by A. A. Milne

Toad of Toad Hall is a play written by A. A. Milne – the first of several dramatisations of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows – with incidental music by Harold Fraser-Simson. It was originally produced by William Armstrong at the Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool, on 21 December 1929. It was given in the West End the following year, and has been revived frequently by many theatrical companies.

William Horwood is an English novelist. He grew up on the East Kent coast, primarily in Deal, within a family fractious with "parental separation, secret illegitimacy, alcoholism and genteel poverty".

<i>The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad</i> 1949 animated Disney film

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a 1949 American animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It consists of two segments: the first based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's novel The Wind in the Willows and narrated by Basil Rathbone, and the second based on Washington Irving's 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and narrated by Bing Crosby. The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen, and was directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, and James Algar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ait</span> Islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England

An ait or eyot is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1996 film) 1996 British film by Terry Jones

The Wind in the Willows is a 1996 British adventure comedy film based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows, adapted and directed by Terry Jones, and produced by Jake Eberts and John Goldstone. The film stars Terry Jones, Steve Coogan, Eric Idle and Nicol Williamson. While positively regarded, it was a box office bomb and had distribution problems in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Toad</span> Fictional character

Mr. Toad, of Toad Hall, is one of the main characters in the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1983 film) 1983 British stop-motion animated television film

The Wind in the Willows is a 1983 British stop motion animated film produced by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television and aired on the ITV network. The film is based on Kenneth Grahame's classic 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. It won a BAFTA award and an international Emmy award.

The Wind in the Willows is a British stop motion animated television series that was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1988, based on characters from Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows and following the 1983 feature-length pilot film.

<i>Moles Christmas</i> 1994 British TV series or program

Mole's Christmas is a 30-minute animated film released in 1994. The voices involved are Richard Briers (Rat), Peter Davison (Mole) and Ellie Beaven with Imelda Staunton (Mother). Directed by Martin Gates, it is based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows and is part of a series.

<i>Wind in the Willows</i> (1988 film) 1988 Australian TV film

Wind in the Willows is a 1988 Australian made-for-television animated film created by Burbank Films Australia. The film is based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 English children's novel of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pont Pill</span> River in Cornwall, England

Pont Pill, joins the River Fowey at Penleath Point just below the memorial to Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch at the north-east corner of Fowey harbour. Pont Pill is a tidal river and is only navigable at high water.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (2006 film) 2006 British-Canadian television film by Rachel Talalay

The Wind in the Willows is a 2006 live-action television adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. It was a joint production of the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and starred Matt Lucas, Bob Hoskins (Badger), Mark Gatiss (Ratty), and Lee Ingleby (Mole), with a cameo appearance from Michael Murphy as the Judge. Rachel Talalay directed. It debuted in Canada on CBC Television on 18 December 2006 in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 1 January 2007, in the U.S. on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre on 8 April 2007 and in Australia on ABC TV on 23 December 2007. It was filmed on location in Bucharest, Romania.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1987 film) 1987 animated television film by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass

The Wind in the Willows is a 1987 American animated musical television film directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, co-founders of Rankin/Bass Productions in New York, New York. It is an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. Set in a pastoral version of England, the film focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters and contains themes of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie. The film features the voices of Charles Nelson Reilly, Roddy McDowall, José Ferrer, and Eddie Bracken. The screenplay was written by Romeo Muller, a long-time Rankin/Bass writer whose work included Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969), The Hobbit (1977), and The Flight of Dragons (1982), among others. The film's animation was outsourced to James C.Y. Wang's Cuckoo's Nest Studios in Taipei, Taiwan.

A Tale of Two Toads is a 1989 hour-long feature from the 1980s stop motion animation series The Wind in the Willows, which itself was based on the 1908 novel by Kenneth Grahame. The film was animated by Cosgrove Hall and broadcast on Children's ITV. A further season of 13 episodes was shown under the title, Oh, Mr. Toad in some countries, whilst retaining the title The Wind in the Willows in others.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1995 film) 1995 British animated television film by Dave Unwin

The Wind in the Willows is a 1995 British animated television film directed by Dave Unwin and written by Ted Walker, and based on the 1908 novel of the same name, a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame. It was produced by the TVC in London.

Mouse and Mole is a 1996 British television series devised by Joy Whitby's Grasshopper Productions. It was based on the series of children's books written by Joyce Dunbar and illustrated by James Mayhew which were first published in 1993 by Transworld, and later by Graffeg Ltd. Originally envisaged as 26 x 5 minute episodes, only 19 were ever finished, although the soundtracks for the remaining seven episodes, created by Ben Baird at Aquarium Studios are still in existence.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (musical) Musical

The Wind in the Willows is a musical written by Julian Fellowes, with music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, based on the 1908 novel of the same name, written by Kenneth Grahame. The musical received its world premiere at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth in October 2016, before transferring to The Lowry in Salford and the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. The following year the production transferred to the West End's London Palladium, where it was filmed for cinema broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toad Hall</span> Fictional home of Mr. Toad

Toad Hall is the fictional home of Mr. Toad, a character in the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

<i>The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show</i> 1970 Rankin/Bass animated television series

The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show is a 1970 American animated television series that aired on ABC's Saturday morning schedule. The show features two characters created by British children's writer Kenneth Grahame: the Reluctant Dragon from the 1898 short story of the same name, and Mr. Toad from the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. The show was created by Rankin/Bass Productions in New York City, who produced 17 episodes. The show was a flop and canceled midway through its first season, airing from September 12 until December 26, 1970. ABC aired reruns of the show on Sunday mornings during the 1971–72 season. Copies of all 17 episodes were deposited at the Library of Congress, but only 8 episodes from other sources have been made publicly available as of 2024.

References