Calico Illustrated Classics: The Wind in the Willows
chapter 1 The River Bank Mole had been working hard all morning long He was spring cleaning with brooms dusters and a pail of whitewash His eyes were filled with dust His throat was filled with dust Splashes of whitewash covered his fur His back ached I’ve had enough said Mole He bolted out the door without putting on his coat Something above was calling him up to the sun and air So he scraped and scratched and scratched and scraped with his paws until pop His snout came out into the sunlight Mole found himself rolling in the warm grass of a large meadow This is fun he thought This is better than 4
whitewashing The sunshine felt warm on his fur Soft breezes touched his brow The songs of birds reminded him how alone he had been underground Jumping on all four legs at once he ran across the meadow His heart raced Stop said an old rabbit This is a private road You must pay six pennies to pass But Mole didn’t stop He continued exploring the meadow The birds flowers and breeze made him happy He noticed all the creatures working around him working while he played He took great pleasure realizing that the best part of a holiday is not resting but seeing everyone else working He didn’t think he could feel any happier than he did in the meadow But then he came upon a river He had never seen a river before He was fascinated by the gurgling sound of the water The glints gleams and sparkles mesmerized him As he sat on the grass and looked across the river a dark hole in the bank caught his eye He 5
dreamed it would be the perfect home for an animal who longed to live by the river Just then something popped out of the hole and winked at Mole It was a little brown face with whiskers It had small ears and thick silky hair It was a water rat The two animals stood and stared at each other cautiously Hello Mole said Rat Hello Rat said Mole Would you like to come over asked Rat Mole was wondering how he’d reach the other side when he saw Rat unfasten a rope and step into a boat Mole hadn’t noticed the boat before It was painted blue outside and white inside It was the perfect size for two small animals Even though Mole wasn’t exactly sure what it was he stepped into it when it arrived This is a wonderful day said Mole I’ve never been in a boat before Rat shoved off What cried Rat Never been in a boat What have you been doing 6
