In Counselling for Toads , author Robert de Board was inspired by the children’s novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham and combinedthat withhis knowledge of psychology. In addition to the characters from The Wind in the Willows , de Board added a new character, Heron, based on his own experiences as a counselor.
De Board read The Wind in the Willows as a boy during World War II. At that time, he was sent to a small fishing village until the danger of the war eased. There, he had many adventures that he never forgot. It’s no coincidencethat the description of the seasidetown that appears at the end of Counselling for Toads exactly matchesthe fishing village he stayed in.
