The Wind in the Willows

　 　春天來了，鼴鼠跳出洞穴來到河岸邊，不久認識了河鼠、蟾蜍和獾，然後展開一連串驚險的奇遇與幽默風趣的故事。作者熱愛大自然，他筆下的田園、河流、大自 然，處處洋溢著詩情畫意；他也熱愛大自然中的小動物，並賦予他們真實的生命，每一隻動物都有不同的個性，每一隻動物都刻畫得栩栩如生。讓我們走進書中這美 麗幽靜的世界，探訪一下這些可愛的動物朋友；隨著引人入勝的情節，我們的心也跟著動物們一起歷險，聽風聲絮語，與河水對話，欣賞英國鄉間四季優美的景色。

　　本書中譯本<<柳林中的風聲>>由晨星出版

　　One of the most celebrated works of classic literature for children, The Wind in the Willows follows Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger from one adventure to the next - in gypsy caravans and stolen cars, to prison and back to the Wild Wood. A story of animal cunning and human camaraderie, this remains a cherished tale more than a hundred years after its publication.

　　Illustrated by Arthur Rackham, with an afterword by David Stuart Davies.

肯尼思．格雷厄姆（Kenneth Grahame 1859-1932）

　　生於蘇格蘭的愛丁堡， 五歲喪母， 後來長期與外祖母住在泰晤士河畔的鄉村。格雷厄姆40歲結婚，次年其子阿力斯戴爾（Alistair）出生，但在20歲時意外過世，格雷厄姆和妻子從此過 著隱居生活。格雷厄姆喜歡自然和文學，業餘研究動物和寫作，從1887年起開始發表散文，讚美鄉村田園風光，相繼出版了以自己童年經歷寫成的《黃金時代》 (1895)和《夢幻時光》(1898)。

　　格雷厄姆的獨子4歲時，他為兒子編講故事，兒子聽得入迷，後來他用寫信的方式繼續為兒子 講 故事。在友人的建議下，他將這些故事改寫成書，1908年出版《柳林中的風聲》。此書出版後，多次重印再版，贏得了很大的聲譽，被譽為英國散文體作品的典 範，也使格雷厄姆成為英國文學史中的重要作家。當時美國總統羅斯福曾寫信告訴作者，他把此書一口氣讀了3遍。

　　Kenneth Grahame was born in Scotland in 1859. After the death of his mother he was sent to live with his grandparents in Berkshire and attended school in Oxford. On leaving school he worked at the Bank of England and also wrote articles and stories which he submitted to many publications.

　 　He married in 1899 and had a son, Alastair. His best-known story, The Wind in the Willows, was published in 1908. After the sudden death of his son, Grahame was grief-stricken and became reclusive. He died in 1932 and is buried in Oxford.