This book for me was a 3.5. A lot of the classics I chose for this year's challenge are books or authors that I feel like I should have read, but for some reason have never gotten around to actually reading. I grew up loving the cartoon movie of The Wind in the Willows, and I remember the Disneyland ride with fondness. I felt like it was slightly criminal that I had all of these wonderful childhood memories based around the book without ever having read it. Unfortunately, I think I prefer the idea of the book more than the actual novel.
I loved the characters. Rat, Mole, Badger, and Mr. Toad are all very lovable in their own special way, but I found the plot to be too meandering and slow for my taste. The chapters with the adventures of Mr. Toad were my favorite parts, but the story sidetracked quite a bit.
For me, the best part of this book was actually the illustrations. Shepard's illustrations bring The Wind in the Willows to life. They are whimsical and absolutely adorable.
