The Wind in the Willows is a classic of childrens literature written in 1908 by Kenneth Grahame. The story is alternately slow-moving and fast-paced, focusing on three animal characters in rural England. The book is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality and camaraderie. It gives as much pleasure to adult readers as to children,. The book made Grahames fortune, enabling him to retire from his hated bank job and move to the country. He spent his time by the River Thames doing much as the animal characters in his book do, namely simply messing about in boats.