Five-year-old Jimmy Rova is the unwanted child of a mother who rejects him, and whose other children bully him. The one thing he can call his own is a pair of shoes, a present from the only person he feels has ever loved him. When they are cruelly taken away, Jimmy spirals down into a state of loneliness and terrible loss from which there seems no recovery. This triumphant story of a boy's struggle with early trauma and his remarkable journey into adulthood is based on William Horwood's own remarkable childhood in south-east England after the Second World War. Using all the skills that went into the creation of his modern classics, Horwood has written an inspiring story of a journey from a past too painful to imagine to the future every child deserves.

William Horwood is the author of the acclaimed Duncton trilogies. Patrick Benson studied at the Chelsea Art School and St. Martin's School of Art. Both live in England.

The further escapades of four animal friends who live along a river in the English countryside--Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger.

A new edition of Kenneth Grahame's classic story, with outstanding illustrations by Patrick Benson and a new introduction by William Horwood, author of "The Willows in Winter."
Since its original publication in 1908, Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows "has become one of the true classics of English literature loved by children and adults alike.
For the generations who have grown up with the adventures of Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and Toad, Grahame's idyllic world is as fresh now as when they first discovered his enchanting tales-of Ratty sculling his boat on the River; Badger grumpily entertaining his friends in his comfortable underground home; and the exasperating Toad being driven into one tangle after another by his obsession with motor cars.
The continuing appeal of the riverbank characters have been demonstrated by the recent success of "The Willows in Winter, "the acclaimed sequel to "The Wind in the Willows "written by William Horwood and illustrated by Patrick Benson. Now Mr. Benson has turned to Grahame's original work and created a delightful new edition, in which his magical illustrations give fresh life to Grahame's unforgettable story. "The Wind in the Willows "is the perfect companion to "The Willows in Winter."