''The Willows at Christmas'' is a children's novel by English writer William Horwood, first published in 1999. It is the fourth book of the ''Tales of the Willows'' series, a collection of four sequels to

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as ''The Reluctant Dragon (short story), T ...

's 1908 novel ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...

''. ''The Willows at Christmas'' is set after the events of ''

'' but before ''The Willows in Winter''. It is illustrated by Patrick Benson and includes full-page colour pictures .

Synopsis

The twelve days of Christmas are fast approaching and

Mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

is planning to enjoy every one of them with his River Bank friends, but he is horrified and upset to learn that nobody looks forward to the festive season. So when the normally cheerful Mr Toad despairs at the arrival of Mrs Ffleshe, a quite impossibly rude house guest, Mole must do something about it. But the plan he hatches with Ratty,

Badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...

and

Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

to rescue Toad goes horribly wrong. With the prospect of Christmas in gaol and a trial for capital offences soon to follow, Mole will have to work hard if he is to salvage something of the Christmas spirit for his friends.Alibris synopsis to Tales of the Willows
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References

External links

William Horwood official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willows at Christmas 1999 British novels 1999 children's books British children's novels Christmas novels Christmas children's books Sequel novels Books about frogs HarperCollins books Works based on The Wind in the Willows