''I am a Toad extraordinaire, a magnificent Toad! None is my equal. What Toad, what creature, has ever showed such capacity, such expertise, such brilliance, as I have today?!''

Here, at last, is the stunning re-creation of the much-loved world of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows which we secretly all knew we wanted, but never dared hope we might find...

For now, in an act of homage and celebration, William Horwood, author of the bestselling Duncton trilogies, has brought to life once more the four most loved characters in English literature: the loyal Mole, the resourceful Water Rat, the stern but wise Badger and, of course, the exasperating, irresistible Toad.

Since he was a child, William Horwood has known and loved The Wind in the Willows, but something at the end of the book has always worried him -- the idea that, as Grahame put it, 'He was indeed an altered Toad'.

'Toad altered!' says Horwood. 'I didn't believe it then and I don't now, and I doubt if many millions of people who have enjoyed Grahame's book believe it either. Toad always seemed to me incorrigibly unaltered, and I wanted to know was "What happened to him next?"'

The result is an enchanting, unforgettable new novel, enlivened by the delightful illustrations of Patrick Benson, in which William Horwood has recaptured all the joy, magic and good humour of Grahame's great work -- and Toad is still as exasperatingly lovable as he ever was.

Condition: Pre-loved book. Minor yellowing of pages. Otherwise in good condition.

Format: Hardcover
Year published: 1993
Pages: 289
Sub-genre: Children's fantasy.
Imprint: HarperCollins