The Wind in The Willows

Ages 7 to 13

Chiltern Publishing was formed in 2018 with a vision to create the most beautiful classics. Using a perfect mix of tradition and the very latest in printing techniques, 19th Century quality has met 21st Century technology. With wonderfully detailed covers, sparkling gilt edges, creamy pages, and stitched binding they are the most beautiful classics ever published. The Wind in the Willows is a classic 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 into trouble. They navigate the English countryside and learn valuable lessons about friendship and loyalty. The novel was based on bedtime stories Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen. The Wind in the Willows received negative reviews upon its initial release, but it has since become a classic of British literature. It has been adapted multiple times in different media. In 1899, at age 40, Kenneth Grahame married Elspeth Thomson, the daughter of Robert William Thomson. The next year they had their only child, a boy named Alastair (nicknamed "Mouse"). He was born premature, blind in one eye, and plagued by health problems throughout his life. When Alastair was about four years old, Grahame would tell him bedtime stories, some of which were about a toad and on his frequent boating holidays without his family. He would write further tales of Toad, Mole, Ratty, and Badger in letters to Alastair.

About the Author

Kenneth Grahame was a British writer best remembered for the classic of children's literature The Wind in the Willows. Scottish by birth, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in England, following the death of his mother and his father's inability to look after the children. Orphaned at an early age, Grahame went to live with his grandmother in England and attended St. Edward’s School, Oxford. Money was lacking for him to go to the university. Hence, his family guided him into a career at the Bank of England, with which he stayed until ill health compelled him to retire in 1908.