Mimi wrote:
Have you never read nor even seen The Wind In The Willows? Back in the 80s there was a wonderful stop-motion animation by, I think, Cosgrove Hall, with a wonderful theme sung by Ralph McTell (‘do Streets Of London!’), where Toad was voiced by David Jason. Loads of other great actors voicing characters, too. It’s definitely stand up to watching today. It was joyous.
I don't remember reading it as a kid, but in my early 20s I found a beautifully-illustrated version on my parents' bookshelves and was captivated by it. It's just such a lovely evocation of the Edwardian era, and the characters are all very memorable. "Wayfarers all" is my favourite tale.
(You can read it as an attack on the twin evils of new money and radical politics disrupting the harmony of the established natural order, but that's an argument for the pub)