KEIRON RICHARDSON:One of my favourite books is The Wind in the Willows. Oh. Now, this funny, exciting story begins with a character called Mole, and he decides to give up on a day of boring spring cleaning and–
SQUEALS
KEIRON RICHARDSON:And they come here, to the riverbank. Now, Mole, who's usually a bit shy and quiet, soon becomes best friends with Ratty, and they have a whole lot of adventures on the river. And Ratty's neighbour, Toad, he loves boats as well. Well, until he decides he likes cars even more. But Toad is a great friend, though. Although, he's an even greater poser.
MUSIC
KEIRON RICHARDSON:You know, I read this story a very long time ago, and it's one that I've never forgotten. I live in a city, so reading Wind in the Willows, it gives me my escapism to the countryside. I like how the writer, Kenneth Grahame, uses language that makes you feel how magical, beautiful, scary the places like rivers and woods can really be.
KEIRON RICHARDSON:Who would've thought I would care what happened to a rat? Who would've thought that a toad can drive? Now, not everybody is a friend of Ratty and Mole's in the story, though. Weasels, stoats, and foxes, hmm, well, they live in the Wild Woods, and Ratty has warned Mole to stay well away.
KEIRON RICHARDSON:'Well, Mole ignores Ratty. 'And one evening, walking through the woods 'trying to find Mr. Badger, 'Mole suddenly gets a horrible feeling. 'He's not alone.'
KEIRON RICHARDSON:"It was over his shoulder, and indistinctly, that he first thought he saw a face, a little evil wedge-shaped face looking out at him from a hole. When he turned around and confronted it, it had vanished. He quickened his pace, telling himself cheerfully not to begin imagining things or there would be simply no end to it.
KEIRON RICHARDSON:He passed another hole, then another, and then, yes… no. Yes, certainly a little narrow face with hard eyes had flashed up for an instant from a hole. And then it was gone. He hesitated, braced himself up for an effort, and strode on. Then suddenly, and as if it had been so all the time, every hole, far and near,
KEIRON RICHARDSON:and there were hundreds of them, seemed to possess its face, coming and going rapidly, all fixing on him, glances of malice and hatred, all hard-eyed, evil, and sharp.
KEIRON RICHARDSON:If he could only get away from the holes in the banks, he thought, there'd be no more faces. He swung off the path and plunged into the untrodden places of the wood. Then the whistling began. Very faint and shrill it was, and far behind him when first he heard it.
KEIRON RICHARDSON:But somehow, it made him hurry forward. Then, still very faint and shrill, it sounded far ahead of him, and made him hesitate and want to go back. And as he halted in indecision, it broke out on either side, and seemed to be caught up and passed on throughout the whole length of the woods to its furthest limit.
KEIRON RICHARDSON:They were up and alert and ready, evidently, whoever they were. And he, he was alone, and unarmed, and far from any help, and the night was closing in."
LEAVES RUSTLING
CROW CAWING
KEIRON RICHARDSON:If you read the book, you'll see things got a lot worse for Mole. And you'll also see…
KEIRON RICHARDSON:ah, you'll see how he does find Badger after all. Now, Badger's old and wise. And he's also not a fan of unexpected guests, so you'll have to meet him in the book. Everyone who reads a story will have their own favourite character,
KEIRON RICHARDSON:but mine, mine's Mr. Toad. He's a troublemaker, and he's really enthusiastic about life, and he can't stop talking. I think reading is really important, because holding a book in my hand, now, it feels like I've got a really powerful tool, because inside these pages, I'm learning about different emotions that I didn't realize existed.
KEIRON RICHARDSON:So, you know, you don't have to go on a plane and you don't have to walk hundreds of miles to go somewhere new. Books can take you there. So if you wanna go somewhere special, to a place that you've never even dreamed of, think of somewhere, and I'll bet you there's a book been written about it.
MUSIC
KEIRON RICHARDSON:So even if I'm stuck inside my house, or I've got loads and loads of work to do, when all I wanna do is go to the riverbank or the Wild Wood, I just open my book.
MUSIC
KEIRON RICHARDSON:I really hope Toad knows where he's going.
Video summary
Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson explains why The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is his favourite children’s book.
He talks about the lovable characters of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad, and the way the story transports him to the countryside, which can be both beautiful and dangerous.
Animation helps him bring the story to life, and he reads an extract of when Mole is alone and scared in the Wild Wood.
Kieron believes you can travel anywhere in the world, and learn about all sorts of complex emotions, just by reading a book.
This clip is from the series Bringing Books to Life 1.
Video summary
The Wind in the Willows Teacher Notes
KS1 and KS2 English Discussion Questions
Before watching the video:
- Do you like stories about animals? What are some of your favourite animal characters in books or films?
- Have you ever been near a river or in the woods? How did it make you feel?
- What is your favourite thing to do on an adventurous day?
While watching the video:
- Pause at 01:35 - What do you think he means when he says the book gives him escapism?
- Pause at 02:05 - Which animals has Ratty warned Mole to stay away from?
- Pause at 05:01 second - Who is Kieron’s favourite character in the book? Why?
After watching the video:
- Which animal character do you think you are most like, and why?
- If you could add a new animal character to the story, what kind of animal would it be and why?
- Would you like to visit the places the animals went to in the story? Why or why not?
KS1 and KS2 English Activity Suggestions
- Nature Walk and Drawing: Go on a nature walk to a nearby park, woods or riverbank. Observe and sketch scenes that remind you of the scenes described in the book.
- Riverbank Diorama: Create a diorama of the riverbank using craft materials like paper, clay, or recycled items. Place the characters from the story in your diorama and present it to the class.
- Character Comparison: Create a Venn diagram comparing two characters from the story, highlighting their similarities and differences in traits, actions and adventures.
Take a look at our 500 Words resources for further inspiration around story writing.
These videos contribute to the current national curriculum requirements in:
- England - KS1/KS2 English: Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read.
- Northern, Ireland - KS1/KS2 Language and Literacy: Extend the range of their reading and develop their own preferences.
- Scotland - 1st and 2nd Level Literacy and English: Reading - Enjoyment and choice.
- Wales - Progression Step 2/3 Languages, Literacy and Communication: Literature fires imagination and inspires creativity.
These discussion questions and activity suggestions provide opportunities to develop english, science, geography and art and design knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts across all UK curricula.
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