The 100th anniversary of Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows will be celebrated with a competition to write a modern version of the children's classic.

The River & Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, in Britain has launched a writing competition that challenges authors to put a modern take on Grahame's themes.

"Kenneth Grahame knew all about the power of the river on the imagination, and on our real lives," museum representative Paul Mainds told BBC.

"This competition gives authors the opportunity to re-animate these themes and make them more relevant for today's young readers, especially in light of the environmental issues that now affect our rivers and the wildlife that lives in and around them."

Writers are challenged to pen a "river-related" short story "for our times."

The museum, on the river Thames, has a permanent exhibition dedicated to Wind in the Willows.

Grahame's tale of the adventures of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger was published Oct. 8, 1908, four months after he left his job at the Bank of England.

Grahame, described as a shy and intelligent man, worked at the bank for 30 years.

The Bank of England museum in London is mounting an exhibition of papers and history related to his employment at the bank, including his letter of resignation.

In the handwritten letter, Grahame describes being under "constant strain" and said he feared "further deterioration of brain and nerve."

"Grahame's departure from the bank is quite mysterious," museum curator John Keyworth told the Telegraph newspaper.

"His resignation letter goes to some lengths to describe his mental state, but this was not entirely confirmed by the bank's doctor and there is a suggestion that a separate ongoing dispute with director Walter Cunliffe may have been the cause of Grahame's early departure."

In addition to this dispute, Grahame had been shot at by a bank robber in 1903.

He left the bank at age 49 with a reduced pension. However, the commercial success of the Wind in the Willows compensated for his financial loss.

The Kenneth Grahame exhibit at the Bank of England museum opens Wednesday.