Like his renowned countryman Lewis Carroll, British author Kenneth Grahame (1859–1932) found writing tales for children a pleasant diversion from his regular duties in the everyday world. The Wind in the Willows, his most memorable collection of stories, is today a much-loved classic of children's literature.Begun as a series of bedtime stories that Grahame, a bank executive, told his young son, this engaging fantasy recounts the whimsical adventures of a delightful company of animals — among them Mole, Ray, Badger, and Toad — all of whom possess decidedly human characteristics.This charming new version, with over 30 original illustrations by Thea Kliros, has been specially prepared for young readers and retains all the character and flavor of the original stories. Once again youngsters follow the shy but curious Mole as he sets out one spring day from his little underground home and is befriended by the extremely personable Water Rat, who introduces him to Badger, the reclusive philosopher, and to pleasure-seeking Toad of Toad Hall.Children and adults alike will fall under the charming spell of this humorous potpourri of make-believe as it paints a gently satirical picture of loyalties, weakness, and extravagant behavior.
Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but in early childhood, after being orphaned, moved to live with his grandmother on the banks of the River Thames in southern England. He was an outstanding pupil at St Edward's School in Oxford and wanted to attend Oxford University but was not allowed to do so by his guardian on grounds of cost. Instead he was sent to work at the Bank of England in 1879, and rose through the ranks until retiring as its Secretary in 1908 due to ill health. In addition to ill health, Grahame's retirement was precipitated in 1903 by a strange, possibly political, shooting incident at the bank. Grahame was shot at three times, all of them missed. Grahame's marriage to Elspeth Thomson was an unhappy one. They had only one child, a boy named Alastair, who was born blind in one eye and was plagued by health problems throughout his short life. Alastair eventually committed suicide on a railway track while an undergraduate at Oxford University, two days before his 20th birthday on 7 May, 1920. Out of respect for Kenneth Grahame, Alastair's demise was recorded as an accidental death. Kenneth Grahame died in Pangbourne, Berkshire in 1932.
