What do you think?
Rate this book
The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh
In 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh, a collection of stories about a rather stout, somewhat confused bear, was published in England and America. The enchanting tales of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin, and the others were an immediate success, and firmly established A. A. Milne, already an acclaimed dramatist, as a major author of children's books. Winnie-the-Pooh was followed in 1928 by the second collection, The House at Pooh Corner, which continued the adventures from the Hundred Acre Wood and introduced bouncy, lovable Tigger.
Ernest H. Shepard's brilliant illustrations were based on real toys owned by Milne's son, Christopher Robin. The artist visited Cotchford Farm, the Milne country home in Sussex, where he sketched the child, the stuffed animals, and the surrounding countryside.
The world of Winnie-the-Pooh is as popular today as when it was first created. Winnie-the-Pooh has appeared in twenty-one languages, among them Hebrew, Afrikaans, Esperanto, and Latin.
This deluxe volume brings all of the Pooh stories together in one full-color, large format book. The texts are complete and unabridged, and all of the illustrations, each gloriously recolored, are included. Here are the beloved stories of Pooh stuck in Rabbit's doorway, of gloomy Eeyore and his nearly forgotten birthday, of playing Poohsticks on the bridge, and so many more.
Elegant yet simple, whimsical yet wise, this classic edition is a book to savor and treasure.
Ernest H. Shepard's brilliant illustrations were based on real toys owned by Milne's son, Christopher Robin. The artist visited Cotchford Farm, the Milne country home in Sussex, where he sketched the child, the stuffed animals, and the surrounding countryside.
The world of Winnie-the-Pooh is as popular today as when it was first created. Winnie-the-Pooh has appeared in twenty-one languages, among them Hebrew, Afrikaans, Esperanto, and Latin.
This deluxe volume brings all of the Pooh stories together in one full-color, large format book. The texts are complete and unabridged, and all of the illustrations, each gloriously recolored, are included. Here are the beloved stories of Pooh stuck in Rabbit's doorway, of gloomy Eeyore and his nearly forgotten birthday, of playing Poohsticks on the bridge, and so many more.
Elegant yet simple, whimsical yet wise, this classic edition is a book to savor and treasure.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1926
590 people are currently reading
11.2k people want to read
About the author
A.A. Milne
1,601books3,535followersAlan Alexander Milne (pronounced /ˈmɪln/) was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems.
A. A. Milne was born in Kilburn, London, to parents Vince Milne and Sarah Marie Milne (née Heginbotham) and grew up at Henley House School, 6/7 Mortimer Road (now Crescent), Kilburn, a small public school run by his father. One of his teachers was H. G. Wells who taught there in 1889�90. Milne attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied on a mathematics scholarship. While there, he edited and wrote for Granta, a student magazine. He collaborated with his brother Kenneth and their articles appeared over the initials AKM. Milne's work came to the attention of the leading British humour magazine Punch, where Milne was to become a contributor and later an assistant editor.
Milne joined the British Army in World War I and served as an officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and later, after a debilitating illness, the Royal Corps of Signals. He was discharged on February 14, 1919.
After the war, he wrote a denunciation of war titled Peace with Honour (1934), which he retracted somewhat with 1940's War with Honour. During World War II, Milne was one of the most prominent critics of English writer P. G. Wodehouse, who was captured at his country home in France by the Nazis and imprisoned for a year. Wodehouse made radio broadcasts about his internment, which were broadcast from Berlin. Although the light-hearted broadcasts made fun of the Germans, Milne accused Wodehouse of committing an act of near treason by cooperating with his country's enemy. Wodehouse got some revenge on his former friend by creating fatuous parodies of the Christopher Robin poems in some of his later stories, and claiming that Milne "was probably jealous of all other writers.... But I loved his stuff."
He married Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913, and their only son, Christopher Robin Milne, was born in 1920. In 1925, A. A. Milne bought a country home, Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, East Sussex. During World War II, A. A. Milne was Captain of the Home Guard in Hartfield & Forest Row, insisting on being plain 'Mr. Milne' to the members of his platoon. He retired to the farm after a stroke and brain surgery in 1952 left him an invalid and by August 1953 "he seemed very old and disenchanted".
He was 74 years old when he passed away in 1956.
A. A. Milne was born in Kilburn, London, to parents Vince Milne and Sarah Marie Milne (née Heginbotham) and grew up at Henley House School, 6/7 Mortimer Road (now Crescent), Kilburn, a small public school run by his father. One of his teachers was H. G. Wells who taught there in 1889�90. Milne attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied on a mathematics scholarship. While there, he edited and wrote for Granta, a student magazine. He collaborated with his brother Kenneth and their articles appeared over the initials AKM. Milne's work came to the attention of the leading British humour magazine Punch, where Milne was to become a contributor and later an assistant editor.
Milne joined the British Army in World War I and served as an officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and later, after a debilitating illness, the Royal Corps of Signals. He was discharged on February 14, 1919.
After the war, he wrote a denunciation of war titled Peace with Honour (1934), which he retracted somewhat with 1940's War with Honour. During World War II, Milne was one of the most prominent critics of English writer P. G. Wodehouse, who was captured at his country home in France by the Nazis and imprisoned for a year. Wodehouse made radio broadcasts about his internment, which were broadcast from Berlin. Although the light-hearted broadcasts made fun of the Germans, Milne accused Wodehouse of committing an act of near treason by cooperating with his country's enemy. Wodehouse got some revenge on his former friend by creating fatuous parodies of the Christopher Robin poems in some of his later stories, and claiming that Milne "was probably jealous of all other writers.... But I loved his stuff."
He married Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913, and their only son, Christopher Robin Milne, was born in 1920. In 1925, A. A. Milne bought a country home, Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, East Sussex. During World War II, A. A. Milne was Captain of the Home Guard in Hartfield & Forest Row, insisting on being plain 'Mr. Milne' to the members of his platoon. He retired to the farm after a stroke and brain surgery in 1952 left him an invalid and by August 1953 "he seemed very old and disenchanted".
He was 74 years old when he passed away in 1956.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,213 reviews
February 12, 2019
As part of a children's book readathon on in August 2018, voters chose by as one of our award-winning books to read this week. I was very excited to pick up this classic again as I haven't read it in over thirty years. I've seen several shows and cartoons with nieces, nephews, and cousins, but reading the wonderfully illustrated picture books was a fresh experience. I adore the world Milne has created with all the amazing characters in the woods. It's a bit of fantasy and magic combined with reality and lessons. I'd forgotten how 'mischievous' Pooh and his friends could be.
When we picked this classic, I never specified which of the books to read -- silly of me, actually, as Pooh might think or say! I left it up to each reader. I borrowed the book from the library, and it seems to be books 1 and 2, so I read more than I'd planned. At about 150 pages, it has some illustrations but way more text than I remembered. It was still adorable to read. There were ~10 stories introducing different characters and scenarios ranging from an encounter with bumble bees (where Pooh classically steals the honey -- or tries to!) to poor Eeyore losing his tail.
If you've never sampled Winnie the Pooh, get to the library now and read one of the stories. At the very least, tempt yourself by watching a cartoon version. At least now I know where Christopher Robin comes from... who the bear family is and what a pooh actually means! I definitely want to check out the movie that came out earlier this year (last year?) on Christopher Robin!
When we picked this classic, I never specified which of the books to read -- silly of me, actually, as Pooh might think or say! I left it up to each reader. I borrowed the book from the library, and it seems to be books 1 and 2, so I read more than I'd planned. At about 150 pages, it has some illustrations but way more text than I remembered. It was still adorable to read. There were ~10 stories introducing different characters and scenarios ranging from an encounter with bumble bees (where Pooh classically steals the honey -- or tries to!) to poor Eeyore losing his tail.
If you've never sampled Winnie the Pooh, get to the library now and read one of the stories. At the very least, tempt yourself by watching a cartoon version. At least now I know where Christopher Robin comes from... who the bear family is and what a pooh actually means! I definitely want to check out the movie that came out earlier this year (last year?) on Christopher Robin!
January 3, 2016
Have a deep, long look at the image above. That motley crew are undoubtedly the most famous toy animals in existence.
Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga (I cannot see Roo) and (last but not least) Tigger.
A. A. Milne, and established playwright and writer, constructed silly nursery stories and poems for his young son Christopher Robin, built around his beloved toys. He published them. And much to his chagrin, he came to be known as the creator of "Winnie-the-Pooh": all his "serious" works were forgotten!
Read this book, and you will understand why.
True, nothing much happens in the stories. There are no hair-raising escapades, no dashing adventures and no earth-shaking events. What we have here are a bunch of rather silly animals (the team mentioned above, along with two imaginary ones, Rabbit and Owl) in Hundred Acre Woods, doing a lot of silly things, talking nonsensically (though pompously) most of the time, and making prize fools of themselves. Yet these stories are magical, for adults and children alike.
Christopher Robin is the acknowledged lord of this idyllic kingdom: the stories start when he comes down the stairs, dragging Pooh-bear behind him ("bump, bump, bump") and ends when he goes up the stairs in the same fashion. The cosy world of the nursery transforms itself into a magic land where you can hunt "heffalumps" or go on "expotitions" to the North Pole. The cast of characters are always the same, and the happenings, similar. Where these stories score are in the way the characters are etched. With true English underplayed humour, Milne has invested these stuffed toys with fascinating personalities.
Pooh, the "Bear of Very Little Brain", but subject to occasional flashes of brilliance and bursts of versification.
Piglet, the smallest and weakest of them all but sometimes capable of doing "Very Grand Things".
The clever Rabbit, many a time too much so for his own good.
The pedantic and pompous Owl, who can't restrain himself from holding forth at the slightest provocation.
The long-suffering Eeyore with his never-ending complaints.
The devoted Kanga and her frisky little son Roo, whom she keeps in her pocket.
Happy-go-lucky Tigger, bouncing all over the woods.
These characters are typically English: in fact, they could have stepped out from a P.G.Wodehouse novel. When a child reads these stories, he/ she will enjoy them at their face value; while the perceptive adult will be fascinated by the subtext.
It is no surprise that these stories endure. As Milne says: "...the Forest will always be there...and anybody who is Friendly with Bears can find it." Christopher Robin will grow up; making way for other kids who will take his place. But this imaginary landscape will endure, because "in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing."
Fantastic book!
P.S. The illustrations by E.H.Shepard should also be mentioned. They are so much a part of the story that we cannot imagine the book without the pictures.
October 1, 2011
For , Heart of Darkness (25) versus The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh (24)
In which the animals go on a Second Expotition, and Pooh discovers that Not Everyone Likes Hums
There was a corner of the Hundred Acre Wood that the animals rarely visited. Even Eeyore found it too Sad and Gloomy, and it had more than its fair share of annoying insects. Owl, in his grand way, sometimes called it the Forest's Heart of Darkness, and that always made Piglet shiver and say, thank goodness, he wasn't going to go there soon, no thank you! So as you can imagine, not all the animals were pleased when Christopher Robin told them they would undertake a Second Expotition to find out what was in the Dark Patch.
"I'm not going there, no thank you!" said Piglet, trying to sound as firm as possible. "I'm very busy, any number of things to do, like, like..." But Christopher Robin just laughed.
"Don't worry, Piglet!" he said. "We'll all look after you. Just stay next to Pooh and you'll be quite safe." And before Piglet knew what had happened, they were all walking towards the Dark Patch in a long line, with Christopher Robin and Pooh and him at the front, Rabbit's Friends and Relations at the end, and the other animals in the middle.
The Dark Patch was even Darker and Gloomier than they remembered, and strange noises came from the trees. The further in they got, the worse it became. The ground turned wet and marshy, and one Friend and Relation had to be pulled out when he started to sink. Piglet clutched Pooh's hand as tightly as he could and tried not to look around.
"I'm scared, Pooh," he whispered. "You don't think there are Heffalumps here?"
"What I think," said Christoper Robin, who had overheard, "is that Pooh should give us one of his Hums." And Pooh, who had been thinking the very same thing but had been too shy to say so, cleared his throat and began:
"Well," said Pooh, "I only put them in because they Came To Me. I'm going to take them right out again." And he continued
"The Hummer! The Hummer!" it said.
"Oh Pooh!" said Piglet. "It is a Python! Or a Heffalump! Oh, what shall we do!"
"I don't know," said Pooh. "Whatever it is, it Doesn't Like My Hums." He wondered if he should feel offended, but before he could decide they suddenly came out in a remarkably pleasant clearing. The sun was shining brightly, there was soft grass to sit on, butterflies were flitting between the flowers, and a charming little lake just seemed to call out to the animals to paddle their tired feet in it.
"What a lovely place!" said Kanga in surprise. "Who could have imagined it would be right in the middle of the Dark Patch?"
"I shall call it Pooh's Pond," said Christopher Robin firmly. "And now I think it's time for lunch."
So they all unpacked their food and had a perfectly wonderful picnic. And from that day on, no one was ever again scared of the Dark Part of the Forest.
In which the animals go on a Second Expotition, and Pooh discovers that Not Everyone Likes Hums
There was a corner of the Hundred Acre Wood that the animals rarely visited. Even Eeyore found it too Sad and Gloomy, and it had more than its fair share of annoying insects. Owl, in his grand way, sometimes called it the Forest's Heart of Darkness, and that always made Piglet shiver and say, thank goodness, he wasn't going to go there soon, no thank you! So as you can imagine, not all the animals were pleased when Christopher Robin told them they would undertake a Second Expotition to find out what was in the Dark Patch.
"I'm not going there, no thank you!" said Piglet, trying to sound as firm as possible. "I'm very busy, any number of things to do, like, like..." But Christopher Robin just laughed.
"Don't worry, Piglet!" he said. "We'll all look after you. Just stay next to Pooh and you'll be quite safe." And before Piglet knew what had happened, they were all walking towards the Dark Patch in a long line, with Christopher Robin and Pooh and him at the front, Rabbit's Friends and Relations at the end, and the other animals in the middle.
The Dark Patch was even Darker and Gloomier than they remembered, and strange noises came from the trees. The further in they got, the worse it became. The ground turned wet and marshy, and one Friend and Relation had to be pulled out when he started to sink. Piglet clutched Pooh's hand as tightly as he could and tried not to look around.
"I'm scared, Pooh," he whispered. "You don't think there are Heffalumps here?"
"What I think," said Christoper Robin, who had overheard, "is that Pooh should give us one of his Hums." And Pooh, who had been thinking the very same thing but had been too shy to say so, cleared his throat and began:
On Monday, when the jungle's hotPiglet released his grip on Pooh's hand a tiny fraction, so he continued.
I wonder to myself a lot
Now is it true or is it not
That what is which or which is what?
On Tuesday, when there's gnats and fleas"There aren't really any Pythons?" asked Piglet in a terrified voice.
And pythons slither through the trees
Then very readily one sees
That these are whose - but whose are these?
"Well," said Pooh, "I only put them in because they Came To Me. I'm going to take them right out again." And he continued
On Wednesday...But the animals never found out what happened on Wednesday, because at that moment a loud, groaning voice came from the forest right in front of them.
"The Hummer! The Hummer!" it said.
"Oh Pooh!" said Piglet. "It is a Python! Or a Heffalump! Oh, what shall we do!"
"I don't know," said Pooh. "Whatever it is, it Doesn't Like My Hums." He wondered if he should feel offended, but before he could decide they suddenly came out in a remarkably pleasant clearing. The sun was shining brightly, there was soft grass to sit on, butterflies were flitting between the flowers, and a charming little lake just seemed to call out to the animals to paddle their tired feet in it.
"What a lovely place!" said Kanga in surprise. "Who could have imagined it would be right in the middle of the Dark Patch?"
"I shall call it Pooh's Pond," said Christopher Robin firmly. "And now I think it's time for lunch."
So they all unpacked their food and had a perfectly wonderful picnic. And from that day on, no one was ever again scared of the Dark Part of the Forest.
September 10, 2021
Vis dar miela, aš vis dar Nulėpausis. Viskas kaip buvę.
October 21, 2011
tournament versus Mary Poppins.
Christopher Robin: May I color with my Winnie the Pooh and friends coloring book before I make up my bed with ideal hospital corners? My shins are scraped from having too much fun cleaning.
His boy lips turn to blue in his deathly pale white face. Her mask conforms to a perfect Noh shape. He reads the lips. No. Oh noh! Oh no! Christopher Robin is dying.
Mary Poppins: I am Governess to the good Christopher Robin. My credentials say it all because I do it all: I transform children into productive adults of society who will feel a fondness for me long after they have toppled their mothers and fathers from their pedestals. That is to say that my shit never stinks. But today he is too ill to tidy up the nursery. Another name he asks to see on his dying breath. A spoonful of fun fun coated in chocolate frosting has not made the medicine go down in the most delicious way. Mary! Not the virgin Mary. It is I, Mary Poppins. I suspect the bear has sewn the pills into his belly and is redistributing them on the black market, to the hospital orderlies and registered nurses, to the children's ward and all, for a tidy profit. I have laughed until I have cried to the ceiling and back. Now I ask you, O wise one, what should I do to reach this boy who would have a higher calling than to listen to me? Deathliness is closer to godliness, I fear, more than cleanliness.
The doctor: I could make the bear more money on his fun fun, now that you mention it.
Mary Poppins conceals her reactions to this business opportunity behind her black umbrella. It is not savvy to look too eager. The dance of business. Joyless steps. It is a one way street. It takes two to tango and it takes one to screw over.
Mary Poppins: I make fun fun out of my beautiful spirit and endless bag lady bag of pilfered hospital toiletries and I have no use of middle men.
The doctor: I did not have enough to wipe today. I did not appreciate that.
Mary Poppins: It is important to wipe. Do you remember the proper wiping method that I had showed you when you were a tyke yourself?
The doctor's mask is less than a pristine white, now that Mary Poppins notices it. He should always need her. He would be a starving street artist if it were not for her, not to mention the laundry bills and streaked underpants.
Christopher Robin's spirit: I must get a message to my beloved menagerie. The foul governess has put them through the wash to rid them of "germs". My spirit grows weary of hovering between death, and between life in my smothered human body. The smell of Johnson & Johnson blurs the lines between that of the spirit, and that of the Earth. It is how she wishes it.
Mary Poppins: Visiting hours are over.
She attempts to block that door with that versatile umbrella.
Winnie the Pooh: I step on the words of "Visiting". My tushie stays planted on "Hours" and time will not end until I have had my say.
Mary Poppins: Very well, but have you washed your hands? Let me see them.
Winnie's paws are covered with honey. He sticks them behind his plushy bottom.
Piglet: You... you! You cannooot-- stop- us! We have name badges. Seee--see? Visitor: Piglet.
The doctor looks over their visitor's badges and nods his approval. He motions to Winnie the Pooh the international sign of big bucks to be made. Pooh blushes.
Winnie: Christopher Robin, what are we to do without you? I have been turning more and more to the pot.
Christopher Robin's spirit bends down to kiss his bear on the forehead.
Winnie: We must go with other boys and girls and provide companionship. We may carry dust mites and illegal narcotics but we ground boys and girls in their beds at night, safe in day dreams and off of high ceilings. We do not use them to turn a profit for Mary Poppins Tidy the Nursery Cleaning Company.
Piglet: Am I crying? My comforting face appears the same. I... I.... would take to my small and big enough heart the feelings my friends cannot Pooh Bear alone.
The doctor: I am crying. That may be the high, though. If I had not given up the accordion I would bend my body in sad and joyous music. To Christopher Robin! He was me, the better me.
Mary Poppins: Visiting hours are over, I see.
Mary Poppins opens her umbrella over her inexpressive yet mournful face, giving seven years bad luck to all, and levitates out the window of the children's ward, slowly enough to read billboard advertisements for a new position. A woman learns an important life lesson when she first enters the dating scene: It is possible, although not rewarding enough to outweigh the costs, to come between a boy and his mother. Man's best friend, on the other hand...
Winnie: I am lonely.
The doctor scoops the animals up into his arms and they stop by surgery for some emergency sewing on Pooh's bulging behind. He will always need them.
Cast of Characters:
Winnie Poh.
Mary Oh No Means Noh.
Yo Doc is Wack!
BFF 4-ever!
Win: Winnie the Pooh
Christopher Robin: May I color with my Winnie the Pooh and friends coloring book before I make up my bed with ideal hospital corners? My shins are scraped from having too much fun cleaning.
His boy lips turn to blue in his deathly pale white face. Her mask conforms to a perfect Noh shape. He reads the lips. No. Oh noh! Oh no! Christopher Robin is dying.
Mary Poppins: I am Governess to the good Christopher Robin. My credentials say it all because I do it all: I transform children into productive adults of society who will feel a fondness for me long after they have toppled their mothers and fathers from their pedestals. That is to say that my shit never stinks. But today he is too ill to tidy up the nursery. Another name he asks to see on his dying breath. A spoonful of fun fun coated in chocolate frosting has not made the medicine go down in the most delicious way. Mary! Not the virgin Mary. It is I, Mary Poppins. I suspect the bear has sewn the pills into his belly and is redistributing them on the black market, to the hospital orderlies and registered nurses, to the children's ward and all, for a tidy profit. I have laughed until I have cried to the ceiling and back. Now I ask you, O wise one, what should I do to reach this boy who would have a higher calling than to listen to me? Deathliness is closer to godliness, I fear, more than cleanliness.
The doctor: I could make the bear more money on his fun fun, now that you mention it.
Mary Poppins conceals her reactions to this business opportunity behind her black umbrella. It is not savvy to look too eager. The dance of business. Joyless steps. It is a one way street. It takes two to tango and it takes one to screw over.
Mary Poppins: I make fun fun out of my beautiful spirit and endless bag lady bag of pilfered hospital toiletries and I have no use of middle men.
The doctor: I did not have enough to wipe today. I did not appreciate that.
Mary Poppins: It is important to wipe. Do you remember the proper wiping method that I had showed you when you were a tyke yourself?
The doctor's mask is less than a pristine white, now that Mary Poppins notices it. He should always need her. He would be a starving street artist if it were not for her, not to mention the laundry bills and streaked underpants.
Christopher Robin's spirit: I must get a message to my beloved menagerie. The foul governess has put them through the wash to rid them of "germs". My spirit grows weary of hovering between death, and between life in my smothered human body. The smell of Johnson & Johnson blurs the lines between that of the spirit, and that of the Earth. It is how she wishes it.
Mary Poppins: Visiting hours are over.
She attempts to block that door with that versatile umbrella.
Winnie the Pooh: I step on the words of "Visiting". My tushie stays planted on "Hours" and time will not end until I have had my say.
Mary Poppins: Very well, but have you washed your hands? Let me see them.
Winnie's paws are covered with honey. He sticks them behind his plushy bottom.
Piglet: You... you! You cannooot-- stop- us! We have name badges. Seee--see? Visitor: Piglet.
The doctor looks over their visitor's badges and nods his approval. He motions to Winnie the Pooh the international sign of big bucks to be made. Pooh blushes.
Winnie: Christopher Robin, what are we to do without you? I have been turning more and more to the pot.
Christopher Robin's spirit bends down to kiss his bear on the forehead.
Winnie: We must go with other boys and girls and provide companionship. We may carry dust mites and illegal narcotics but we ground boys and girls in their beds at night, safe in day dreams and off of high ceilings. We do not use them to turn a profit for Mary Poppins Tidy the Nursery Cleaning Company.
Piglet: Am I crying? My comforting face appears the same. I... I.... would take to my small and big enough heart the feelings my friends cannot Pooh Bear alone.
The doctor: I am crying. That may be the high, though. If I had not given up the accordion I would bend my body in sad and joyous music. To Christopher Robin! He was me, the better me.
Mary Poppins: Visiting hours are over, I see.
Mary Poppins opens her umbrella over her inexpressive yet mournful face, giving seven years bad luck to all, and levitates out the window of the children's ward, slowly enough to read billboard advertisements for a new position. A woman learns an important life lesson when she first enters the dating scene: It is possible, although not rewarding enough to outweigh the costs, to come between a boy and his mother. Man's best friend, on the other hand...
Winnie: I am lonely.
The doctor scoops the animals up into his arms and they stop by surgery for some emergency sewing on Pooh's bulging behind. He will always need them.
Cast of Characters:
Winnie Poh.
Mary Oh No Means Noh.
Yo Doc is Wack!
BFF 4-ever!
Win: Winnie the Pooh
February 12, 2025
As a collection of stories and poems to share with and read to your child, this is the best. I read it to my 7-year-old son; we both loved it and were so sad when it was over. (He also left me a cute note about it; see below.) From bouncing Tigger, who believes he can do and eat anything, to misspelling Owl, to protective Kanga, to gloomy Eeyore, to plotting Rabbit, and fearful Piglet, the characters are unforgettable. Piglet eventually does something brave, Tigger learns what he cannot do and shouldn’t eat, and Eeyore becomes more proactively social, albeit at the cost of Piglet’s house. Rabbit learns not to try to scare others into behaving in desired ways. And then there is the wonderful relationship between Christopher Robin and Pooh, the friendly, helpful, poetic, honey-loving bear.
“Rise, Sir Pooh de Bear, most faithful of all my Knights.� (p. 173)
“Rise, Sir Pooh de Bear, most faithful of all my Knights.� (p. 173)
February 9, 2018
Another one of those “imbibed with mother's milk� books, like and , which I am incapable of commenting on with any sort of objectivity. I get a kick out of Pooh's “hums,� and the characters are old friends. My dad's nickname for my mom was “Pooh,� and she introduced him to the Pooh books when they were dating (he was a Jewish boy from Staten Island, and knew all about science and philosophy, but had missed out on most of the children's classics), and lines and characters from the books were part of our family culture. My copy is one I purchased on a long-ago and fondly remembered trip to England with my best childhood friend, so there's that much more sentiment involved. You get the picture � I turn to mush when it comes to Pooh. Anyway, this is my last “read this to my mom while she was dying of dementia/cancer� review, because, well, I don't get to read her any more books. But, we got to finish this one. On Tuesday morning, her last day, I read her chapter IX, which is the one where Eeyore finds Owl a new house, only it happens to be Piglet's house, and Piglet does the Noble thing, and then X, “An Enchanted Place.� That last chapter chokes me up in a “normal� reading � when reading to a child. Christopher Robin is leaving his “nursery days,� and he asks Pooh to always remember him. He, Christopher Robin, doesn't want to leave, but it's time and he has to, but a part of him will always remain in this enchanted place with Pooh. Mom was fading away, but she was still aware and registered the illustrations I showed her (I only bothered her with the best ones). She passed away Tuesday night, and I'll miss her terribly, but I think this was a fine book to end with.
January 31, 2016
I think everyone has heard the name Winnie-the-Pooh at some point. I even remember watching the TV show when I was younger (but not for long).
However, I'm one of those people who never got to read the book as a kid and I only rediscovered it now while catching up with all the classics I've missed out on.
So I found this all-in-one volume online and had to have it since it not only contains all the stories but also has the original illustrations by Ernest Howard Shepard.
I have to say, this book is especially delightful because it contains lots of information about the author and illustrator and I always love learning about the interconnectedness of the literary world.
In this case, we learn that the author A.A. Milne had a son called Christopher Robin who was his inspiration.
His son's first toys were a stuffed bear, pig, donkey and tiger - the animals that formed this story. The name for the bear, in part, comes from a she-bear that was kept at London Zoo that Christopher Robin loved to visit (there is a great movie about it called A Bear Named Winnie with Michael Fassbender - I love it although I always cry)! And the story was only ever published thanks to Mrs. Milne!
We also learn that E.H. Shepard's daughter Mary is the illustrator of the Mary Poppins books and that E.H. Shepard became so famous for his Winnie Pooh illustrations that he was commissioned to do the original ones for The Wind in the Willows as well!
In fact, A.A. Milne loved the illustrations so much that he wrote the following tribute to E.H. Shepard:
The book itself is divided into two parts:
1) Winnie-the-Pooh, containing the Introduction by the author and 10 stories
and
2) The House At Pooh Corner, consisting of A Contraditction and 10 more stories.
Before the Introduction, there is another dedication, this time to Mrs. Milne:
It's these little things that make this edition so special and precious because it allows us a glimpse at who the author was. To think that both A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard served in World War I (and Shepard losing his first-born, a son, in Word War II) and yet managed to still be kind and gentle and creative and inspiring ... to me they radiate a certain brightness I did not expect from survivors of a World War.
I don't think there is much I need to say about the stories themselves.
Pooh is the "silly old bear" who often gets into trouble or is just clumsy, while being surrounded by a marvellous cast of friends that are all distinct and lovely and funny.
The stories are heart-warming but also have a deeper meaning as one can only unlock while growing up. That is what makes these tales so important - to get the stories read to you by a parent when you are little, enjoying the sillyness and coziness of it all; then keep reading or re-reading them when you get older and discover another layer and some hidden messages.
To me, these are timeless and absolutely essential.
And here are my two absolute favourites (although I could quote almost the entire book here):
However, I'm one of those people who never got to read the book as a kid and I only rediscovered it now while catching up with all the classics I've missed out on.
So I found this all-in-one volume online and had to have it since it not only contains all the stories but also has the original illustrations by Ernest Howard Shepard.
I have to say, this book is especially delightful because it contains lots of information about the author and illustrator and I always love learning about the interconnectedness of the literary world.
In this case, we learn that the author A.A. Milne had a son called Christopher Robin who was his inspiration.
His son's first toys were a stuffed bear, pig, donkey and tiger - the animals that formed this story. The name for the bear, in part, comes from a she-bear that was kept at London Zoo that Christopher Robin loved to visit (there is a great movie about it called A Bear Named Winnie with Michael Fassbender - I love it although I always cry)! And the story was only ever published thanks to Mrs. Milne!
We also learn that E.H. Shepard's daughter Mary is the illustrator of the Mary Poppins books and that E.H. Shepard became so famous for his Winnie Pooh illustrations that he was commissioned to do the original ones for The Wind in the Willows as well!
In fact, A.A. Milne loved the illustrations so much that he wrote the following tribute to E.H. Shepard:
When I am gone
Let Shepard decorate my tomb,
And put (if there is room)
Two pictures on the stone;
Piglet from page a hundred and eleven
And Pooh and Piglet walking (157) ...
And Peter, thinking that they are my own,
Will welcome me to heaven.
The book itself is divided into two parts:
1) Winnie-the-Pooh, containing the Introduction by the author and 10 stories
and
2) The House At Pooh Corner, consisting of A Contraditction and 10 more stories.
Before the Introduction, there is another dedication, this time to Mrs. Milne:
To Her
Hand in hand we come
Christopher Robin and I
To lay this book in your lap.
Say you're surprised?
Say you like it?
Say it's just what you wanted?
Because it's yours -
Because we love you.
It's these little things that make this edition so special and precious because it allows us a glimpse at who the author was. To think that both A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard served in World War I (and Shepard losing his first-born, a son, in Word War II) and yet managed to still be kind and gentle and creative and inspiring ... to me they radiate a certain brightness I did not expect from survivors of a World War.
I don't think there is much I need to say about the stories themselves.
Pooh is the "silly old bear" who often gets into trouble or is just clumsy, while being surrounded by a marvellous cast of friends that are all distinct and lovely and funny.
The stories are heart-warming but also have a deeper meaning as one can only unlock while growing up. That is what makes these tales so important - to get the stories read to you by a parent when you are little, enjoying the sillyness and coziness of it all; then keep reading or re-reading them when you get older and discover another layer and some hidden messages.
To me, these are timeless and absolutely essential.
And here are my two absolute favourites (although I could quote almost the entire book here):
June 22, 2019
I may be the only person on the planet not automatically delighted with Pooh. Or rather, I know I'm not the only one, because of my daughter.
She complained about being bored no less than a dozen times and fell asleep sitting up 5 times.
Sigh.
Ah, well, not every book is a winner for every person. Alas.
For me, I personally liked much, much better. :) I guess I get kinda annoyed with Bears of Little Brain. :)
She complained about being bored no less than a dozen times and fell asleep sitting up 5 times.
Sigh.
Ah, well, not every book is a winner for every person. Alas.
For me, I personally liked much, much better. :) I guess I get kinda annoyed with Bears of Little Brain. :)
January 26, 2012
At the time of this writing, I am twenty-eight years old. People tell me I come off as intelligent, opinionated, cynical and sarcastic, with a dark and very adult sense of humor. I don't much like children and don't plan to have any of my own. My childhood, while not particularly awful, is nothing I look back on with nostalgia - mostly I'm pretty glad to have gotten to the point where I'm allowed my own life. Generally, my literary tastes run far closer to Patrick Suskind or Neil Gaiman than Milne.
I tell you all this because I want the next statement to have its full impact.
The ending of The House At Pooh Corner made me cry like a baby.
I know there's a lot of cultural pressure, especially among my demographic, to declare childhood classics like this 'saccharine' and 'condescending'; and, in all fairness, there are some supposedly-classic titles that are indeed worthy of such terms. But I personally didn't find Milne's stories at all saccharine. Rather, I thought them beautifully multilayered, full of observations on the nature of humanity and friendship, as well as being entertaining little tales in their own right.
Most importantly, I think they finally illustrated to me what people mean when they talk about 'lost innocence of childhood'. Not that children are pure or good or even particularly innocent (far from it), but more a particular way of looking at the world, where our imaginary friends can be just as important as our real ones, and where the long lazy days stretch out before us like an endless river of sun-dappled adventures; the days when we really don't know what each new day might bring, but that's all right, because it's certain to be new and fascinating.
Your mileage may, of course, vary. If these tales don't speak to you, that's fine. Perhaps you truly do find them saccharine and condescending. Perhaps you never had that sense of childhood wonder. Perhaps I'm just delusional.
Or perhaps you're simply not old enough for them yet.
I tell you all this because I want the next statement to have its full impact.
The ending of The House At Pooh Corner made me cry like a baby.
I know there's a lot of cultural pressure, especially among my demographic, to declare childhood classics like this 'saccharine' and 'condescending'; and, in all fairness, there are some supposedly-classic titles that are indeed worthy of such terms. But I personally didn't find Milne's stories at all saccharine. Rather, I thought them beautifully multilayered, full of observations on the nature of humanity and friendship, as well as being entertaining little tales in their own right.
Most importantly, I think they finally illustrated to me what people mean when they talk about 'lost innocence of childhood'. Not that children are pure or good or even particularly innocent (far from it), but more a particular way of looking at the world, where our imaginary friends can be just as important as our real ones, and where the long lazy days stretch out before us like an endless river of sun-dappled adventures; the days when we really don't know what each new day might bring, but that's all right, because it's certain to be new and fascinating.
Your mileage may, of course, vary. If these tales don't speak to you, that's fine. Perhaps you truly do find them saccharine and condescending. Perhaps you never had that sense of childhood wonder. Perhaps I'm just delusional.
Or perhaps you're simply not old enough for them yet.
February 8, 2019
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.�
So I made myself a large cup of tea with honey, got under blankets and read this favorite of mine (well, a favorite might a an understatement). I might have molded into the Pooh Bear himself, and I'm oh so okay with it.
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem.�
There are kids books, and then there are books for all ages. Books that are not only adorable, but profound that they make you laugh out loud whether you're 9, 19 or 29 (and beyond of course).
“Pooh," said Rabbit kindly, "you haven't any brain."
"I know," said Pooh humbly.�
*The edition I read wasn't this one. I found incredibly cute and antique one in a local charity book store, but ŷ didn't even have that edition in its archives (tut tut).
My
My
My
So I made myself a large cup of tea with honey, got under blankets and read this favorite of mine (well, a favorite might a an understatement). I might have molded into the Pooh Bear himself, and I'm oh so okay with it.
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem.�
There are kids books, and then there are books for all ages. Books that are not only adorable, but profound that they make you laugh out loud whether you're 9, 19 or 29 (and beyond of course).
“Pooh," said Rabbit kindly, "you haven't any brain."
"I know," said Pooh humbly.�
*The edition I read wasn't this one. I found incredibly cute and antique one in a local charity book store, but ŷ didn't even have that edition in its archives (tut tut).
My
My
My
February 21, 2024
Skaitėm su sūnumi, ir abiem vienodai patiko. Juokėmės, beje, tose pačiose vietose.
April 5, 2025
The January challenge for the British Book Club on Facebook was a Children’s or Young Adult book. I first reread The Wind in the Willows, (which I first read as an adult) then Adam of the Road which was a childhood favorite, and probably the first historical novel I ever read (or perhaps the first was The Witch of Blackbird Pond). While I was replacing them in the grandkids� reading nook, my eye fell on The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, and I decided to read it, too.
The Pooh stories are one of the classics in children’s literature and for good reason. But they are surprisingly readable for adults as well, from a different perspective. You sort of see the story from the author’s viewpoint, and from this vantage point, the final chapter is particularly poignant. All the animals become aware that Christopher Robin is going away � the implication is that he has reached the age where he is going away to school, and that he is leaving childhood, and his childhood play, behind.
Christopher Robin tells Pooh, “I’m not going to do Nothing any more. . . They don’t let you.� And he makes Pooh promise to never forget him, “not even when I’m a hundred.� And then the Closing Sentence, which, being a mom to two boys and having watched them grow up and leave childhood behind, I confess brought a tear to my eyes:
If I could give it 10 stars, I would.
The Pooh stories are one of the classics in children’s literature and for good reason. But they are surprisingly readable for adults as well, from a different perspective. You sort of see the story from the author’s viewpoint, and from this vantage point, the final chapter is particularly poignant. All the animals become aware that Christopher Robin is going away � the implication is that he has reached the age where he is going away to school, and that he is leaving childhood, and his childhood play, behind.
Christopher Robin tells Pooh, “I’m not going to do Nothing any more. . . They don’t let you.� And he makes Pooh promise to never forget him, “not even when I’m a hundred.� And then the Closing Sentence, which, being a mom to two boys and having watched them grow up and leave childhood behind, I confess brought a tear to my eyes:
But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.
If I could give it 10 stars, I would.
January 8, 2018
Wow, I didn't realize I had owned this book for so long. Still one of my all time favourites.
Recommended for children of all ages.
Recommended for children of all ages.
May 25, 2021
Includes Winnie-the-Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner (both of which have 10 chapters). For some background on Milne (who had H. G. Wells as a grammar school teacher and who played cricket with J. M. Barrie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and P. G. Wodehouse), see .
A lot funnier than I expected. Started reading this a few days before (Jan. 18—the birthday of A. A. Milne, b. 1882).
A little confusing for young children because of the point-of-view: The narrator (A. A. Milne) is telling a story about his telling a story to his son, Christopher Robin (see pp. 1�2, 87). The "About A. A. Milne" section at the beginning says that Christopher Robin Milne was Alan Alexander and Daphne Milne's only child. He received stuffed animals (bear, tiger, pig, donkey) from Harrods. Apparently, Daphne is the one who first had the idea of have Alan write stories about the animals. Ernest H. Shepard illustrated the books based on his visit to the family farm, which has pine trees, a stream, and a bridge. Shepherd also illustrated Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Milne died the year my dad was born (1956).
A common theme is the anxiety characters have about not knowing answers and appearing ignorant or foolish. Pooh and Piglet will often pretend to understand when they actually do not. Pooh is often described as a Bear of Little Brain.
Winnie-the-Pooh
2: Winnie is typically a nickname for girls named Winifred (although Winston Churchill was known to friends as ); the justification of the female nickname for a male toy bear is both technical and playful: the name of the bear is "Winnie-the-Pooh," not just Winnie; the ther in "Winnie-ther-Pooh" comes from
18: Pooh got his name (possibly) from blowing off a fly on his nose.
29: "[W]ould you read a Sustaining Book, such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness?" (See .)
72: "Bon-hommy" (bonhomie)
77�78: Pooh has a Rom. 7 moment (he wants to do the right thing, but he gives in to his appetites)
131: Piglet remembers a story from the past that helps him take action in the present
135: Kara, Kate, and I lol'ed at the "Honey!" part
143�44: Kate laughed at Owl's boring story that almost kills Piglet (probably a play on "imprisonment")
The House at Pooh Corner
197: "It is the best way to write poetry, letting things come" (Pooh).
211�12: Piglet's fascinating daydream in which he becomes the hero of his own story
217�18: Piglet's embarrassment makes him want to run away, but one encouraging word changes everything
Ch. 5 was pretty funny (Kate [age 8] and I laughed a lot) and sweet: Rabbit's self-importance, Owl's unwillingness to admit his ignorance, Pooh's obliviousness, Piglet's thoughtfulness, Eeyore's grumpiness (and disappointment that Rabbit already knew what he thought only he knew), Christopher Robin's improvement in his education (spelling better)
256: very creative way of describing the stream
259: Poohsticks
: "Pooh began to feel a little more comfortable [after Piglet's compliment], because when you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it." [#writing]
277, 290�91: Rabbit wants to unbounce Tigger and make him a "Small and Sorry Tigger, and Oh-Rabbit-I-am-glad-to-see-you Tigger"; by the end, Rabbit (who had gotten lost, and was found by Tigger) is a "Small and Sorry Rabbit" who says, "Oh, Tigger, I am glad to see you"
310: Owl spells his name "wol," so a wolery is an owlery (abode for owls).
311: Pooh: "Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you." (Cf. .)
324: Piglet (perhaps spurred on by Pooh's song about how gallant Piglet was) does a very noble thing, and it's very touching.
330: Eeyore has a "please clap" moment
334�44: The final ten pages with Christopher Robin and Pooh in the enchanted place are sweet. [The real life Christopher Milne wrote an autobiography titled The Enchanted Places]
A lot funnier than I expected. Started reading this a few days before (Jan. 18—the birthday of A. A. Milne, b. 1882).
A little confusing for young children because of the point-of-view: The narrator (A. A. Milne) is telling a story about his telling a story to his son, Christopher Robin (see pp. 1�2, 87). The "About A. A. Milne" section at the beginning says that Christopher Robin Milne was Alan Alexander and Daphne Milne's only child. He received stuffed animals (bear, tiger, pig, donkey) from Harrods. Apparently, Daphne is the one who first had the idea of have Alan write stories about the animals. Ernest H. Shepard illustrated the books based on his visit to the family farm, which has pine trees, a stream, and a bridge. Shepherd also illustrated Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Milne died the year my dad was born (1956).
A common theme is the anxiety characters have about not knowing answers and appearing ignorant or foolish. Pooh and Piglet will often pretend to understand when they actually do not. Pooh is often described as a Bear of Little Brain.
Winnie-the-Pooh
2: Winnie is typically a nickname for girls named Winifred (although Winston Churchill was known to friends as ); the justification of the female nickname for a male toy bear is both technical and playful: the name of the bear is "Winnie-the-Pooh," not just Winnie; the ther in "Winnie-ther-Pooh" comes from
18: Pooh got his name (possibly) from blowing off a fly on his nose.
29: "[W]ould you read a Sustaining Book, such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness?" (See .)
72: "Bon-hommy" (bonhomie)
77�78: Pooh has a Rom. 7 moment (he wants to do the right thing, but he gives in to his appetites)
131: Piglet remembers a story from the past that helps him take action in the present
135: Kara, Kate, and I lol'ed at the "Honey!" part
143�44: Kate laughed at Owl's boring story that almost kills Piglet (probably a play on "imprisonment")
The House at Pooh Corner
197: "It is the best way to write poetry, letting things come" (Pooh).
211�12: Piglet's fascinating daydream in which he becomes the hero of his own story
217�18: Piglet's embarrassment makes him want to run away, but one encouraging word changes everything
Ch. 5 was pretty funny (Kate [age 8] and I laughed a lot) and sweet: Rabbit's self-importance, Owl's unwillingness to admit his ignorance, Pooh's obliviousness, Piglet's thoughtfulness, Eeyore's grumpiness (and disappointment that Rabbit already knew what he thought only he knew), Christopher Robin's improvement in his education (spelling better)
256: very creative way of describing the stream
259: Poohsticks
: "Pooh began to feel a little more comfortable [after Piglet's compliment], because when you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it." [#writing]
277, 290�91: Rabbit wants to unbounce Tigger and make him a "Small and Sorry Tigger, and Oh-Rabbit-I-am-glad-to-see-you Tigger"; by the end, Rabbit (who had gotten lost, and was found by Tigger) is a "Small and Sorry Rabbit" who says, "Oh, Tigger, I am glad to see you"
310: Owl spells his name "wol," so a wolery is an owlery (abode for owls).
311: Pooh: "Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you." (Cf. .)
324: Piglet (perhaps spurred on by Pooh's song about how gallant Piglet was) does a very noble thing, and it's very touching.
330: Eeyore has a "please clap" moment
334�44: The final ten pages with Christopher Robin and Pooh in the enchanted place are sweet. [The real life Christopher Milne wrote an autobiography titled The Enchanted Places]
Read
November 6, 2011 This review is for the Celebrity Death Match Tournament - Winnie-the-Pooh versus Hamlet.
One day when the weather was especially fine, Pooh and his friends were playing Pooh sticks. Pooh was thinking how nice it would be to have a playing-Pooh-sticks-with-your-friends-on-an-especially-nice-day sort of hum when...
"Hey nonny nonny..."
"Was that me?" Pooh asked Christopher Robin. "You see, I was just thinking..."
"Silly old bear," said Christopher Robin fondly. "That wasn't you. It was her."
Everyone looked over the side of the bridge where Christopher Robin was pointing and saw a young woman floating in the river, clutching a ragged bouquet of wildflowers and stringing together nonsense words in a sort of song.
"Hey nonny nonny tiddly pom..."
"I shall have to remember that one," thought Pooh.
As she floated out of sight, Christopher Robin said, "Let's go on an expedition to find out where she came from."
So they did.
Following the river, they reached the edge of the Hundred Acre Wood at about half-past teatime and were surprised to find out they were in Denmark.
"Oh d-d-dear," worried Piglet, "Are there any horrible creatures in D-d-d-enmark?"
"Let's go ask at that castle," said Christopher Robin.
So they did.
The path to the castle took them through a graveyard. Clods of earth were being flung furiously out of a new hole being dug. Suddenly, they all heard a whistling sort of voice ask,
"Sssay, hasss anybody ssseen a ssskull around here?"
Up popped a gopher from the grave. He pawed in the pile of dirt a bit, found the skull he was looking for, and held it up.
"Sssee thisss ssskull?" he asked. "It'sss..."
"Oh hush," said Christopher Robin. "You aren't in the books at all. You were just an attempt to pander to American audiences and we shan't bother with you."
So they didn't.
Arriving at the castle, the first person they met was practicing with a sword, which was very exciting, and muttering, "If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come," which wasn't.
This muttering swordsman noticed them and extended his hand.
"The name's Hamlet, title character in the greatest work in all of literature. Oh, and a prince."
Christopher Robin shook his hand and asked politely, "Excuse me, but why is it the greatest work of literature?"
"Because the play embodies Shakespeare's profound knowledge of human nature in all its complexity. I myself am a striking portrait of melancholia. Why I was just wondering the other day, 'To be or not to be...' "
"Better not," said Eeyore melancholically. "It never works out."
"And Polonius," Hamlet continued, "whom I, umm, killed a little while ago...he was all 'You should do this and don't do that, time and place for everything...' "
"Sounds like an excellent sort of chap," said Rabbit, "Nothing like plans and rules and explanations to know what's what, I always say!"
Hamlet frowned, his brow furrowed in thought. "But I am also a skillful portrait of mania. I'm especially proud of my antic disposition."
"Antic disposition?" Tigger said bouncily, "That's what tiggers do best!"
Realizing that his human nature argument was, perhaps, not quite as strong as he thought, Hamlet brought out his final devastating argument, one he saved for last because of its embarrassing nature.
"Ummm, Mummy issues?" he offered, blushing a little.
Just then, Kanga's pouch roiled alarmingly and a fully grown Roo popped his head out.
"What did he say, Mama?"
"Nothing dear, no need to interupt your nap."
Dejectedly, Hamlet stalked out of the room with sword in hand, muttering about taking action.
"Heard that one before," one of the guards by the throne room door chuckled.
"Let's go watch the swordfight," said Christopher Robin.
So they did.
When it was all over, Christopher Robin was cowering in a corner shaking, the room was littered with highborn corpses, and Hamlet lay dying in Horatio's arms.
"The rest is silence..."
Horatio, who until that moment no one had noticed was a llama, said,
"That's what forgiveness sounds like, screaming and then silence."* Then he bent down and began eating Hamlet's hands.**
Christopher Robin whimpered and covered his eyes.
Just then, one of the room's tapestries billowed and out stepped Edna St. Vincent Millay. She crossed the room, pausing at the bloody tableau to intone,
"Your candle burned at both ends,
It gave a lovely light,
But for a lack of lithium,
You've gone and lost the fight."***
She knelt gently beside Christopher Robin, handed him his stuffed bear, and said, "Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies..."
A couple of survivors chipped in,
"What about Old Yeller?"
"And Charlotte the spider? Cried myself silly over that one!"
Edna St. Vincent Millay quelled them with a look. "As I was saying, childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies. Look around you Christopher Robin. What do you see?"
"I see dead people."****
"Precisely. And here are all your friends around you safe and sound."
Pooh gave Christopher Robin an especially reassuring squeeze with his paw. Standing up a little shakily, Christopher Robin said, "I don't like it here! Let's go back to the Hundred Acre Wood."
So they did.
Shortly after entering the wood, just as dusk was stretching shadows into hephalumpine and woozly shapes, they came to a fork in the path which they had never noticed before. It was marked by a signpost. One arrow pointed down one path, reading HELL. Another arrow pointed down the other path, reading ROOM 101.
Robert Frost popped up from behind the sign.
"Two roads divgered in a yellow wood..."
"Get lost, Robert," growled Edna St. Vincent Millay. "I'm the only poet ex machina in this review!"
They continued up one of the paths, Pooh humming happily,
"The more I win, tiddly pom...
Winner: Winnie-the-Pooh (Seriously, have you seen Hamlet? He's dead! And are you going to tell Christopher Robin his teddy bear isn't really alive? Well, are you?)
*Check out Llamas with Hats, especially 1 and 2, on Youtube.
**Seriously, Llamas with Hats.
***Hamlet is obviously bipolar. Lithium could have helped immensely. Of course one of the common side effects of lithium is tremors, so he probably still wouldn't have won the fight.
****An oldie but a goodie. I couldn't resist.
One day when the weather was especially fine, Pooh and his friends were playing Pooh sticks. Pooh was thinking how nice it would be to have a playing-Pooh-sticks-with-your-friends-on-an-especially-nice-day sort of hum when...
"Hey nonny nonny..."
"Was that me?" Pooh asked Christopher Robin. "You see, I was just thinking..."
"Silly old bear," said Christopher Robin fondly. "That wasn't you. It was her."
Everyone looked over the side of the bridge where Christopher Robin was pointing and saw a young woman floating in the river, clutching a ragged bouquet of wildflowers and stringing together nonsense words in a sort of song.
"Hey nonny nonny tiddly pom..."
"I shall have to remember that one," thought Pooh.
As she floated out of sight, Christopher Robin said, "Let's go on an expedition to find out where she came from."
So they did.
Following the river, they reached the edge of the Hundred Acre Wood at about half-past teatime and were surprised to find out they were in Denmark.
"Oh d-d-dear," worried Piglet, "Are there any horrible creatures in D-d-d-enmark?"
"Let's go ask at that castle," said Christopher Robin.
So they did.
The path to the castle took them through a graveyard. Clods of earth were being flung furiously out of a new hole being dug. Suddenly, they all heard a whistling sort of voice ask,
"Sssay, hasss anybody ssseen a ssskull around here?"
Up popped a gopher from the grave. He pawed in the pile of dirt a bit, found the skull he was looking for, and held it up.
"Sssee thisss ssskull?" he asked. "It'sss..."
"Oh hush," said Christopher Robin. "You aren't in the books at all. You were just an attempt to pander to American audiences and we shan't bother with you."
So they didn't.
Arriving at the castle, the first person they met was practicing with a sword, which was very exciting, and muttering, "If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come," which wasn't.
This muttering swordsman noticed them and extended his hand.
"The name's Hamlet, title character in the greatest work in all of literature. Oh, and a prince."
Christopher Robin shook his hand and asked politely, "Excuse me, but why is it the greatest work of literature?"
"Because the play embodies Shakespeare's profound knowledge of human nature in all its complexity. I myself am a striking portrait of melancholia. Why I was just wondering the other day, 'To be or not to be...' "
"Better not," said Eeyore melancholically. "It never works out."
"And Polonius," Hamlet continued, "whom I, umm, killed a little while ago...he was all 'You should do this and don't do that, time and place for everything...' "
"Sounds like an excellent sort of chap," said Rabbit, "Nothing like plans and rules and explanations to know what's what, I always say!"
Hamlet frowned, his brow furrowed in thought. "But I am also a skillful portrait of mania. I'm especially proud of my antic disposition."
"Antic disposition?" Tigger said bouncily, "That's what tiggers do best!"
Realizing that his human nature argument was, perhaps, not quite as strong as he thought, Hamlet brought out his final devastating argument, one he saved for last because of its embarrassing nature.
"Ummm, Mummy issues?" he offered, blushing a little.
Just then, Kanga's pouch roiled alarmingly and a fully grown Roo popped his head out.
"What did he say, Mama?"
"Nothing dear, no need to interupt your nap."
Dejectedly, Hamlet stalked out of the room with sword in hand, muttering about taking action.
"Heard that one before," one of the guards by the throne room door chuckled.
"Let's go watch the swordfight," said Christopher Robin.
So they did.
When it was all over, Christopher Robin was cowering in a corner shaking, the room was littered with highborn corpses, and Hamlet lay dying in Horatio's arms.
"The rest is silence..."
Horatio, who until that moment no one had noticed was a llama, said,
"That's what forgiveness sounds like, screaming and then silence."* Then he bent down and began eating Hamlet's hands.**
Christopher Robin whimpered and covered his eyes.
Just then, one of the room's tapestries billowed and out stepped Edna St. Vincent Millay. She crossed the room, pausing at the bloody tableau to intone,
"Your candle burned at both ends,
It gave a lovely light,
But for a lack of lithium,
You've gone and lost the fight."***
She knelt gently beside Christopher Robin, handed him his stuffed bear, and said, "Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies..."
A couple of survivors chipped in,
"What about Old Yeller?"
"And Charlotte the spider? Cried myself silly over that one!"
Edna St. Vincent Millay quelled them with a look. "As I was saying, childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies. Look around you Christopher Robin. What do you see?"
"I see dead people."****
"Precisely. And here are all your friends around you safe and sound."
Pooh gave Christopher Robin an especially reassuring squeeze with his paw. Standing up a little shakily, Christopher Robin said, "I don't like it here! Let's go back to the Hundred Acre Wood."
So they did.
Shortly after entering the wood, just as dusk was stretching shadows into hephalumpine and woozly shapes, they came to a fork in the path which they had never noticed before. It was marked by a signpost. One arrow pointed down one path, reading HELL. Another arrow pointed down the other path, reading ROOM 101.
Robert Frost popped up from behind the sign.
"Two roads divgered in a yellow wood..."
"Get lost, Robert," growled Edna St. Vincent Millay. "I'm the only poet ex machina in this review!"
They continued up one of the paths, Pooh humming happily,
"The more I win, tiddly pom...
Winner: Winnie-the-Pooh (Seriously, have you seen Hamlet? He's dead! And are you going to tell Christopher Robin his teddy bear isn't really alive? Well, are you?)
*Check out Llamas with Hats, especially 1 and 2, on Youtube.
**Seriously, Llamas with Hats.
***Hamlet is obviously bipolar. Lithium could have helped immensely. Of course one of the common side effects of lithium is tremors, so he probably still wouldn't have won the fight.
****An oldie but a goodie. I couldn't resist.
June 4, 2020
Még mindig remek. Tessék olvasni Karinthy Micimackóját, aki csak a Disney-t ismeri! Egészen más. Nagyon jók a karakterek, a problémáik, a megoldásaik, a viszonyaik, választékos a szöveg, és a kölkök is imádták. Egy percre sem unták meg, a Nagy (tízhez közelít) időnként előreolvasott (Harry Potter a mérce, és falta ezt is). Én meg lehettem kicsit megint gyerek.
June 4, 2020
� Įsivaizduok, kad medis nuvirsta, kai mudu šalia stovim.
� Įsivaizduok, kad nenuvirsta.
Kuo vyresnis skaitai, tuo juokingiau ir genialiau viskas atrodo. Kartu su Troliais mumiais mylimiausios vaikiškos knygos per amžius.
April 12, 2019
Wonderful collection of children's tales featuring Pooh and the gang. You can see why the characters are still popular today.
May 20, 2015
My first memories of being read aloud to are with this book. My father would read to my sisters and I while my mother completed preparations for supper. We each identified with one of the characters. I was Christopher Robin (being the eldest), my next sister was Pooh (it seemed to me she was always the most interesting character proto-type in all the books I read), my next sister was Rabbit, my next sister was Piglet, and the baby sister was Roo. Our mother was Kanga (of course) and our father was relegated to the role of Eeyore. To this day I remember a passage where Piglet was asleep in the story, at which point we all looked at sister number four and she was fast asleep!
All children should have such memories.
More recently my teenage daughter and I read aloud several pages from a chapter to a group of pre-school age children attending a library story time. I selected the passage where Pooh attempts to disguise himself as a black cloud by floating to the top of a honey tree by means of hanging on to a balloon. We had the advantage of two readers so one took the voice of Winnie-the-Pooh and the other was the narrator and the voice of Christopher Robin. We acted out Pooh’s think-think-thinking and climbing a tree and falling down the branches and picking stickers from our nose. This was a perfect time to mention to parents some benefits of reading aloud:
"Reading to children increases their knowledge of the world, their vocabulary, their familiarity with written language ('book language'), and their interest in reading."
All children should have such memories.
More recently my teenage daughter and I read aloud several pages from a chapter to a group of pre-school age children attending a library story time. I selected the passage where Pooh attempts to disguise himself as a black cloud by floating to the top of a honey tree by means of hanging on to a balloon. We had the advantage of two readers so one took the voice of Winnie-the-Pooh and the other was the narrator and the voice of Christopher Robin. We acted out Pooh’s think-think-thinking and climbing a tree and falling down the branches and picking stickers from our nose. This was a perfect time to mention to parents some benefits of reading aloud:
"Reading to children increases their knowledge of the world, their vocabulary, their familiarity with written language ('book language'), and their interest in reading."
May 21, 2020
This book put a smile on my face!
November 26, 2020
can't think of a better way to achieve my 2020 reading challenge-- by doing Nothing.
"it means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."
"it means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."
August 3, 2023
4.5
"I poszli trzymając się za ręce. I dokądkolwiek pójdą i cokolwiek im się zdarzy po drodze, mały chłopczyk i jego Miś będą zawszę bawić się wesoło ze sobą w tym Zaczarowanym Miejscu na skraju lasu"
Moje wewnętrzne dziecko jest smutne ale ukochane. Miałam dosłownie flashbacki z dzieciństwa. That so sweet. (chcę znowu być kidem)
"I poszli trzymając się za ręce. I dokądkolwiek pójdą i cokolwiek im się zdarzy po drodze, mały chłopczyk i jego Miś będą zawszę bawić się wesoło ze sobą w tym Zaczarowanym Miejscu na skraju lasu"
Moje wewnętrzne dziecko jest smutne ale ukochane. Miałam dosłownie flashbacki z dzieciństwa. That so sweet. (chcę znowu być kidem)
October 26, 2021
Von einem Interview mit Harry Rowohlt in Ö1 angeregt habe ich mir Pu der Bär gekauft und jetzt mit der Lektüre begonnen. Nach dem Buch "über das Alter" brauche ich eindeutig eine schnelle Verjüngungskur. Und die ist gelungen. Pu der Bär hat sich irgendwie an meinem Buchradar vorbeigeschwindelt, und zu meinem Glück ist er doch noch aufgetaucht. Sehr eigenwilliger Stil und sehr eigenwillige Geschehnisse heben dieses "Kinderbuch" von mir bekannten Büchern deutlich ab. Also ich habe mit großem Vergnügen und Weisheitszugewinn gelesen. Fragen wie zum Beispiel "Wie tut man gar nichts?" sorgen dafür. Das eine oder andere Abenteuer von Ferkelchen, Tieger, I-AH werde ich bestimmt mit großem Wiedererkennvergnügen neuerlich lesen.
September 17, 2024
A delightful romp through beloved childhood memories for so many of us. I remember seeing Winnie the Pooh on television; this may have been my first time actually reading any of the stories. It was so very nice, taking me back decades and leaving a smile on my face.
June 26, 2022
Not me crying at the end of this book
The last few pages just hit ya with some big truths
The last few pages just hit ya with some big truths
October 14, 2022
I had a sort of sudden realisation the other day (driven, might I add, by the discovery of an excellent boxed set in the charity bookshop) that I had never really sat and read the Winnie-the-Pooh stories all the way through from the start. I knew them of course because everybody knows Winnie-the-Pooh, right? It's one of those franchises that is kind of so embedded into the world culturally that it's hard to escape. You know this bear. He's had films made about him, stories told, cartoons made. You know this world.
But I didn't know the writing, I didn't know the way these stories felt.
I didn't know how the wry and lovely little twists in Milne's language dance off the page and I definitely didn't know how he uses this stylistic to (so smartly! so well!) develop a completely unique way to tell a story. It looks simple. It isn't. There's something very clever and perfect going on here, and even though people will try and emulate Milne's style for years after this, nobody will ever be able to do it quite like this.
Sometimes I get a little bit lost when it comes to the classics because I spend so much with the books that never got that label. It can be very easy for me to doubt the books that did and do get that status because, quite often, there's so much in their favour to allow that to happen. They were written at the right time. They were written by the right man. They were lauded by the right critics. The circumstances were good to them.
Sometimes it's productive for me to remember that a classic can be all of that and more, but it can also be good. Humans contain multitudes, our literature should be no different. And so it is with Winnie-the-Pooh which is good and it is funny and it is incredibly (incredibly!) poignant and it is graceful and it is gentle and it is full of a rather beautiful, endless sunshine. I loved it. I needed it.
(I've talked before about how the right book finds you at the right time).
But I didn't know the writing, I didn't know the way these stories felt.
I didn't know how the wry and lovely little twists in Milne's language dance off the page and I definitely didn't know how he uses this stylistic to (so smartly! so well!) develop a completely unique way to tell a story. It looks simple. It isn't. There's something very clever and perfect going on here, and even though people will try and emulate Milne's style for years after this, nobody will ever be able to do it quite like this.
Sometimes I get a little bit lost when it comes to the classics because I spend so much with the books that never got that label. It can be very easy for me to doubt the books that did and do get that status because, quite often, there's so much in their favour to allow that to happen. They were written at the right time. They were written by the right man. They were lauded by the right critics. The circumstances were good to them.
Sometimes it's productive for me to remember that a classic can be all of that and more, but it can also be good. Humans contain multitudes, our literature should be no different. And so it is with Winnie-the-Pooh which is good and it is funny and it is incredibly (incredibly!) poignant and it is graceful and it is gentle and it is full of a rather beautiful, endless sunshine. I loved it. I needed it.
(I've talked before about how the right book finds you at the right time).
September 12, 2020
created such an amazing world for the kids and we have all been there as kids in our own fantasy with talking animals and being friends with them. There is something so charming and sweet about these books.
Both these books are great reads. These explore friendships, dealing with everyday problems and overcoming them. I love these.
5 stars
Both these books are great reads. These explore friendships, dealing with everyday problems and overcoming them. I love these.
5 stars
August 15, 2024
Un mondo perduto, il nostro
Alan Alexandre Milne aveva un solo figlio, Christopher Robin Milne che poi divenne anche lui scrittore. E il buon Christopher Robin aveva, come tutti i bimbi, i suoi amati giocattoli di pezza. Un orso, un porcellino, un asino, un coniglio, un gufo, una tigre, un canguro e forse tanti altri. E il buon Alan, come tutti i padri gentili, amava raccontare al figliolo delle belle storie prima di dormire, come fosse un Tolkien qualunque. Un mondo immaginario, un mondo gentile e semplice, un mondo in cui Christopher sarebbe stato protagonista ed eroe saggio, così come i suoi compagni di giochi, i giocattoli di pezza. Che divennero Winnie-the-Pooh e Piglet e tutti gli altri eroi di una bella infanzia.
Avevo preso questa bella edizione di Winnie-the-Pooh quando vivevo negli Stati Uniti, come un bel souvenir, ma non mi era mai capitato di leggerla. Era lì, splendida con le sue illustrazioni originali di Ernest Howard Shepard (1 stella in più solo per lui), in attesa. E finalmente l'ho divorata. Un libro per bimbi, naturalmente, ma che ha lasciato dopo ogni storia il mio bimbo interiore col sorriso. Un mondo dove un orso poeta ma senza cervello vive serenamente tra amicizia ed amore, dove un asino scontroso viene da tutti benvoluto, dove un coniglio saputello continua a far parte di una bella comunità, e le anime semplici come Piglet e Roo possono continuare ad esserlo senza che gliene venga del male.
Il mondo bello della nostra infanzia. Che alla fine muore, si sa, ma solo dopo averci illuminato in segreto per sempre.
Alan Alexandre Milne aveva un solo figlio, Christopher Robin Milne che poi divenne anche lui scrittore. E il buon Christopher Robin aveva, come tutti i bimbi, i suoi amati giocattoli di pezza. Un orso, un porcellino, un asino, un coniglio, un gufo, una tigre, un canguro e forse tanti altri. E il buon Alan, come tutti i padri gentili, amava raccontare al figliolo delle belle storie prima di dormire, come fosse un Tolkien qualunque. Un mondo immaginario, un mondo gentile e semplice, un mondo in cui Christopher sarebbe stato protagonista ed eroe saggio, così come i suoi compagni di giochi, i giocattoli di pezza. Che divennero Winnie-the-Pooh e Piglet e tutti gli altri eroi di una bella infanzia.
Avevo preso questa bella edizione di Winnie-the-Pooh quando vivevo negli Stati Uniti, come un bel souvenir, ma non mi era mai capitato di leggerla. Era lì, splendida con le sue illustrazioni originali di Ernest Howard Shepard (1 stella in più solo per lui), in attesa. E finalmente l'ho divorata. Un libro per bimbi, naturalmente, ma che ha lasciato dopo ogni storia il mio bimbo interiore col sorriso. Un mondo dove un orso poeta ma senza cervello vive serenamente tra amicizia ed amore, dove un asino scontroso viene da tutti benvoluto, dove un coniglio saputello continua a far parte di una bella comunità, e le anime semplici come Piglet e Roo possono continuare ad esserlo senza che gliene venga del male.
Il mondo bello della nostra infanzia. Che alla fine muore, si sa, ma solo dopo averci illuminato in segreto per sempre.
December 27, 2024
Sweet and funny stories with beautiful illustrations. I would recommend everybody to read at least a few chapters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,213 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.