The animal spirituality of Kenneth Grahame.

By Clint Marsh & Timothy Renner

A missing child prompts two friends to set off on a moonlit rescue mission down an enigmatic river. What they discover by night’s end will change their lives forever.

This illustrated essay explores the profound mystery of “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” the central chapter of Kenneth Grahame’s masterpiece The Wind in the Willows, a beloved book bridging the worlds of animal and man. ­Grahame’s chapter is a subtle and moving account of friendship, perception, and humility. In it he establishes a mysticism which, ­although original to the animal kingdom, is accessible to mankind if only we will pause long enough to listen and look.