HarperCollins’ children’s imprint Farshore has acquired The Adventures of Portly the Otter: Untold Tales from the Wind in the Willows by award-winning children’s author M. G. Leonard. The book of exciting spin-off stories from the much-loved classic The Wind in the Willows, written by Kenneth Grahame and illustrated by E.H. Shepard, will publish in March 2026, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of E.H. Shepard’s death and the 95th anniversary of his landmark illustrations for The Wind in the Willows. Farshore holds the rights to the original Shepard illustrations.
World rights were acquired from Kirsty McLachlan, Morgan Green Creatives, by Lucy Courtenay, Senior Commissioning Editor, Farshore. Tiffany Leeson, Creative Director, acquired world rights from the James Catchpole Agency Ltd for artist Polly Dunbar to illustrate the book.
Lucy Courtenay said: “On this fiftieth anniversary of illustrator E.H. Shepard’s death, it’s incredibly exciting for us to be able to extend the much-loved world of The Wind in the Willows with the fabulous, multi-award-winning M.G. Leonard. With its gentle messages about the natural world and gorgeous, full-colour illustrations by Polly Dunbar, naughty Portly’s adventures will be a sure-fire hit for all the family in this really special gift edition.”
- G. Leonard said: “The Wind in the Willows is one of those special books that stays with you all your life. The heavenly combination of Kenneth Grahame’s delicious story with E. H. Shepard’s beautiful illustrations brought nature into my young imagination and played a part in the writer I am today. It has been a joy and an honour to imagine how the intrepid little otter, Portly, caused a riverbank search and ended up between the feet of Pan. I have tried to write a series of perfect bedtime stories, that families can enjoy together, for that is how I was introduced to The Wind in the Willows. Polly Dunbar’s illustrations are bursting with life and charm, and the perfect accompaniment to my words. I hope young readers will take Portly to their hearts and love him as much as I do.”
M G Leonard’s books have won many awards, including Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year 2021 and British Book Awards Book of the Year 2021 – Children’s fiction, as well as being nominated three times for the Carnegie Medal, twice shortlisted for an Edgar by the Mystery Writers of America and twice longlisted for the Wainwright Prize. Her latest novel, Hunt for the Golden Scarab, was selected as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month in February 2025.
Polly Dunbar is one of the best-known author/illustrators working in the UK today and has created many much-loved books for children. She said: “It’s an utter joy to be illustrating The Adventures of Portly the Otter. The writing is incredibly zingy and fresh, while capturing all the warmth and magic of the original book. The characters feel like beloved old friends from so many of our childhoods, so it’s a real honour to bring them to life.”
