Kenneth Grahame

Born in Edinburgh on March 8, 1859, Kenneth Grahame became one of the best-loved writers in children's literature. After a difficult childhood, he was educated in England and went on to work at the Bank of England, where he built a long career before retiring to write full time.

He first won readers with collections such as Pagan Papers, The Golden Age, Dream Days, and the much-loved story The Reluctant Dragon. His most famous book, The Wind in the Willows (1908), grew in part from stories told for his son and became a classic, celebrated for characters like Mole, Rat, Badger, and Mr. Toad.

Grahame died on July 6, 1932, in Pangbourne, Berkshire. More than a century after The Wind in the Willows was published, his work is still treasured for its gentle charm, playful imagination, and deep sense of home, friendship, and adventure.