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Winnie-the-Pooh #2
The House at Pooh Corner
Winnie-the-Pooh, the Best Bear in All the World, has long been adored by readers young and old. In this beautiful full-color gift edition of "The House at Pooh Corner, " Ernest H. Shepard's classic illustrations have been painstakingly hand-colored. An exquisite volume and the perfect gift for any occasion, this book is as vivid and charming as the beloved characters from the Hundred Acre Wood.
180 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1928
About the author
A.A. Milne
1,593 books3,299 followersAlan 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.
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February 21, 2024
Back in the fifties, one Christmas, I had a mammoth case of the flu. But somehow for a little kid the world is always a place of wonder, no matter HOW bad he feels...
I remember reading the story of the Flying Dutchman in bed on Christmas Eve - with an incipient fever blackening the edges of my reverie, like the ominous apparition of a major typhoon darkening the edges of the sea.
So that, reading this book of the Dutchman’s restless quest became my last clear memory of that Christmas, otherwise shrouded in delirium.
The story stayed with me all through my life as the story of an unlucky guy who has to sail the Seven Seas of life to find the girl of his dreams...
Because that, as it turned out, became the story of my OWN life, painfully shy kid that I was!
But a few days later I was starting to feel better again.
My Mom, ever the librarian - with a kind, edifying heart - gave me a book about kids in France supporting the Resistance during the War.
Well, there was just no way I would read an ADULT book!
As I pulled the covers over me to settle down and read, I was holding my tattered copy of The House at Pooh Corner.
Well, I guess the children's aspirin I had been given had psychotropic effects, because as I read once again of Christopher Robin and Pooh's walk into the forest I fell asleep.
In my dream the immortal pair were walking through an ENCHANTED forest - full of fairies, princesses and trolls!
I LOVED this book. And it was not till much later that I learned the REAL Winnie-the-Pooh was Canadian, like me.
I kid you not.
The real Winnie, whose name was Winnipeg (like the city), was purchased in North Bay, Ontario, by a kindly veterinarian who had signed up with the Canadian Army in WWI as a horse doctor.
Winnipeg became the official mascot of the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the vet was demobilised, he dropped Winnipeg off at the London Zoo before sailing back to Canada.
One day soon after, a young father named A.A. Milne took his son Christopher to the zoo, and showed him Winnipeg the Bear.
He read and spelled the bear's name to the young kid. But Christopher just squealed out, "Winnie the Pooh"!
And "therein", as Rabelais had it, "hangs a Tale"....
I remember reading the story of the Flying Dutchman in bed on Christmas Eve - with an incipient fever blackening the edges of my reverie, like the ominous apparition of a major typhoon darkening the edges of the sea.
So that, reading this book of the Dutchman’s restless quest became my last clear memory of that Christmas, otherwise shrouded in delirium.
The story stayed with me all through my life as the story of an unlucky guy who has to sail the Seven Seas of life to find the girl of his dreams...
Because that, as it turned out, became the story of my OWN life, painfully shy kid that I was!
But a few days later I was starting to feel better again.
My Mom, ever the librarian - with a kind, edifying heart - gave me a book about kids in France supporting the Resistance during the War.
Well, there was just no way I would read an ADULT book!
As I pulled the covers over me to settle down and read, I was holding my tattered copy of The House at Pooh Corner.
Well, I guess the children's aspirin I had been given had psychotropic effects, because as I read once again of Christopher Robin and Pooh's walk into the forest I fell asleep.
In my dream the immortal pair were walking through an ENCHANTED forest - full of fairies, princesses and trolls!
I LOVED this book. And it was not till much later that I learned the REAL Winnie-the-Pooh was Canadian, like me.
I kid you not.
The real Winnie, whose name was Winnipeg (like the city), was purchased in North Bay, Ontario, by a kindly veterinarian who had signed up with the Canadian Army in WWI as a horse doctor.
Winnipeg became the official mascot of the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the vet was demobilised, he dropped Winnipeg off at the London Zoo before sailing back to Canada.
One day soon after, a young father named A.A. Milne took his son Christopher to the zoo, and showed him Winnipeg the Bear.
He read and spelled the bear's name to the young kid. But Christopher just squealed out, "Winnie the Pooh"!
And "therein", as Rabelais had it, "hangs a Tale"....
December 18, 2017
“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
"Pooh!" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”
I will forever be in love with these books. The sweetness and melancholy get me every single time. I don't know where Milne takes all the beautiful words, the laughing-out-loud humor and the ideas from. I am in awe.
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"Pooh!" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”
I will forever be in love with these books. The sweetness and melancholy get me every single time. I don't know where Milne takes all the beautiful words, the laughing-out-loud humor and the ideas from. I am in awe.
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December 30, 2020
I set out to write a review of Winnie the Pooh and I will say that it’s so 2020 that good reads just deleted it. I will make this short and sweet. I loved the Magical World of Disney as a kid. Before Sunday night football, this was the best television Sunday night had to offer. Before streaming services and YouTube and dvds, there was video rentals and recording television shows on vcr. I recorded all of my favorite magical world of Disney movies and watched them over and over again. One of my favorites: the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Mary Poppins is my all time favorite Disney movie but I love Pooh bear and his friends. I watched the Disney version of the movies so many times I had them memorized, songs and scenes. To brighten up my 2020, I have gone back and read the classic books that are nearly one hundred years old to match the number of acres in the now iconic wood.
Christopher Robin was A.A. Milne’s son. They visited the London zoo many times and saw a bear named Winnie. The story goes that Winnie befriended some Canadian soldiers training for World War I and followed them on the boat to England. She needed a new home and ended up in the London zoo so many children and their parents could visit her. Hence, Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh might have been stuffed with fluff but he knew what he wanted. He was Christopher Robin’s best friend before he started school, and the two enjoyed long chats at both the house at Pooh Corners and all throughout the hundred acre wood. This is friendship at its most innocent before the mind is filled with what Pooh’s friends call knowledge. Before there were factors and history, Christopher Robin had Pooh; for him this childhood imagination was enough.
Pooh and best friend Piglet go on adventures, often accompanied by Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga, and little Roo. In this second book, they are introduced to Tigger. We all know the song: the wonderful thing about Tiggers is that Tiggers are wonderful things. The song might not be in this book, but Tigger’s nonstop joie de vivre is. He meets Pooh and Piglet when they are stuck in a huffalump trap. He bounces himself and Roo up a tree only to be afraid to get down. His excessive energy drives Rabbit crazy; Rabbit can’t stand the bouncing and fun as he is more serious. Rabbit’s modus operandi here and in the televised version is to rid the hundred acre wood of Tigger. In an act of peer pressure, he invites Pooh and Piglet to go in with him in his plan, only to have it backfire. It is the one instance where I, who has always clearly been in Tigger’s camp, actually felt sorry for Rabbit. Milne used this as an instance of showing empathy for others, most likely so that his son would understand other kids before he started school. I appreciated this; however, I still love Tigger and all his bouncing.
Pooh is still the star of the show. He needs his little something of honey at eleven each morning. He thinks up songs and rhymes to accompany each of his adventures, often honoring his friends. In this book, Pooh introduces Pooh sticks to the world, and everyone loves the game, even Roo. Eeyore actually wins more time than everyone else, an instance that is sure to bring a smile to one’s face. Pooh and Piglet build Eeyore a new house- that looks exactly like his old one. In another chapter that the movie depicted perfectly, Pooh and Piglet join Owl for tea on an extremely blustery day. While they are there, Owl displays his knowledge and Pooh and Piglet start to fall asleep, and then Owl’s house blows over. Piglet gets Christopher Robin to help, being that he is a small animal, and a search party goes to look for a new house for Owl. Eeyore finds the perfect one, that happens to be Piglet’s house. Piglet graciously gives up his house, only to have Pooh offer to have Piglet come live with him. Christopher Robin is so touched that he throws a party honoring Pooh and Piglet. The party is only in the movie, but I can see it in my mind as I read the end of this touching scene, that is true friendship at its finest.
While in 2020, we did not get to connect with our friends all that much, we did connect with our literary friends to ease the pain of being along. By reading through A.A. Milne’s classic volumes, I have been brought back to a flood of childhood memories: all the times I watched the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the subsequent Blustery Day movie. I returned to the one hundred acre wood and the world of Pooh bear and his friends. I felt sorry for Eeyore’s gloom and became giddy when Tigger entered the equation. I wonder if this is how a pre school aged Christopher Robin felt about his father’s writing as well. I have the last two books about Pooh bear to read in 2021. It will be time spent with good friends.
🐻 5 stars🍯 🐷 🦉 🐰 🦘 🐯
Christopher Robin was A.A. Milne’s son. They visited the London zoo many times and saw a bear named Winnie. The story goes that Winnie befriended some Canadian soldiers training for World War I and followed them on the boat to England. She needed a new home and ended up in the London zoo so many children and their parents could visit her. Hence, Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh might have been stuffed with fluff but he knew what he wanted. He was Christopher Robin’s best friend before he started school, and the two enjoyed long chats at both the house at Pooh Corners and all throughout the hundred acre wood. This is friendship at its most innocent before the mind is filled with what Pooh’s friends call knowledge. Before there were factors and history, Christopher Robin had Pooh; for him this childhood imagination was enough.
Pooh and best friend Piglet go on adventures, often accompanied by Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga, and little Roo. In this second book, they are introduced to Tigger. We all know the song: the wonderful thing about Tiggers is that Tiggers are wonderful things. The song might not be in this book, but Tigger’s nonstop joie de vivre is. He meets Pooh and Piglet when they are stuck in a huffalump trap. He bounces himself and Roo up a tree only to be afraid to get down. His excessive energy drives Rabbit crazy; Rabbit can’t stand the bouncing and fun as he is more serious. Rabbit’s modus operandi here and in the televised version is to rid the hundred acre wood of Tigger. In an act of peer pressure, he invites Pooh and Piglet to go in with him in his plan, only to have it backfire. It is the one instance where I, who has always clearly been in Tigger’s camp, actually felt sorry for Rabbit. Milne used this as an instance of showing empathy for others, most likely so that his son would understand other kids before he started school. I appreciated this; however, I still love Tigger and all his bouncing.
Pooh is still the star of the show. He needs his little something of honey at eleven each morning. He thinks up songs and rhymes to accompany each of his adventures, often honoring his friends. In this book, Pooh introduces Pooh sticks to the world, and everyone loves the game, even Roo. Eeyore actually wins more time than everyone else, an instance that is sure to bring a smile to one’s face. Pooh and Piglet build Eeyore a new house- that looks exactly like his old one. In another chapter that the movie depicted perfectly, Pooh and Piglet join Owl for tea on an extremely blustery day. While they are there, Owl displays his knowledge and Pooh and Piglet start to fall asleep, and then Owl’s house blows over. Piglet gets Christopher Robin to help, being that he is a small animal, and a search party goes to look for a new house for Owl. Eeyore finds the perfect one, that happens to be Piglet’s house. Piglet graciously gives up his house, only to have Pooh offer to have Piglet come live with him. Christopher Robin is so touched that he throws a party honoring Pooh and Piglet. The party is only in the movie, but I can see it in my mind as I read the end of this touching scene, that is true friendship at its finest.
While in 2020, we did not get to connect with our friends all that much, we did connect with our literary friends to ease the pain of being along. By reading through A.A. Milne’s classic volumes, I have been brought back to a flood of childhood memories: all the times I watched the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the subsequent Blustery Day movie. I returned to the one hundred acre wood and the world of Pooh bear and his friends. I felt sorry for Eeyore’s gloom and became giddy when Tigger entered the equation. I wonder if this is how a pre school aged Christopher Robin felt about his father’s writing as well. I have the last two books about Pooh bear to read in 2021. It will be time spent with good friends.
🐻 5 stars🍯 🐷 🦉 🐰 🦘 🐯
June 18, 2008
Lovely.
I was shocked by how melancholy the book allowed itself to become at the end. And how much that melancholy affected me, but as far as I'm concerned "A little boy and his bear will always be playing." Might be the most hopeful line to end a book in the English language.
I was shocked by how melancholy the book allowed itself to become at the end. And how much that melancholy affected me, but as far as I'm concerned "A little boy and his bear will always be playing." Might be the most hopeful line to end a book in the English language.
September 25, 2017
So beautifully and so simply written (deceptively so) by A.A. Milne and exquisitely illustrated by E.H. Shepard (initially black/white line drawings and later colour washed by Shepard himself).
These are the stories of a boy and his bear, his world and all the wonderful characters that inhabit that world – 100 Acre Wood, his childhood and ultimately the passing of that childhood.
What could have been (especially considering the era in which they were written) a particularly twee, sickly sweet and very dated collection of stories of childhood, is as about as far from that as it could possibly be. Both collections have certainly stood the test of time extremely well.
At the heart of A.A. Milne’s wonderful collections: ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ – is of course Pooh, who is such a wonderfully created character – a ‘bear of very little brain’, but a bear who is undeniably wise, funny, loyal, paradoxically clever, who does many brave and wonderful things; a bear who makes mistakes and gets things wrong, but is always forgiven; a bear who is both selfish and greedy (see Honey) and yet kind and thoughtful; a bear who above all else (and clichéd though it may be) lovable.
Let us not forget though the lovely cast of supporting characters, including the timid and excitable Piglet, wise (although not) Owl, morose and self-pitying Eeyore, Kango, Roo, Rabbit (and friends and relations) and many others. In these characters, we see ourselves, we all know and Eeyore, the same as we all know a Rabbit – we are all in there somewhere, in some shape or form.
A.A. Milnes Winnie-the-Pooh stories are just so simply and so well written, both collections are timeless classics – from the opening lines to the closing ones from the profoundly moving last chapter:
“…So, they went off together. 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”
There is so much more I could write about these books, but it doesn’t feel that I am really conveying quite how wonderful these stories are, I am not doing them justice – what A.A. Milne along with E.H. Shepard have given us is something very special. Both of these collections are classics in every sense of the word.
Not to mention the funny, moving and sometime life affirming quotes from ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’
“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
In summation – just read them.
These are the stories of a boy and his bear, his world and all the wonderful characters that inhabit that world – 100 Acre Wood, his childhood and ultimately the passing of that childhood.
What could have been (especially considering the era in which they were written) a particularly twee, sickly sweet and very dated collection of stories of childhood, is as about as far from that as it could possibly be. Both collections have certainly stood the test of time extremely well.
At the heart of A.A. Milne’s wonderful collections: ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ – is of course Pooh, who is such a wonderfully created character – a ‘bear of very little brain’, but a bear who is undeniably wise, funny, loyal, paradoxically clever, who does many brave and wonderful things; a bear who makes mistakes and gets things wrong, but is always forgiven; a bear who is both selfish and greedy (see Honey) and yet kind and thoughtful; a bear who above all else (and clichéd though it may be) lovable.
Let us not forget though the lovely cast of supporting characters, including the timid and excitable Piglet, wise (although not) Owl, morose and self-pitying Eeyore, Kango, Roo, Rabbit (and friends and relations) and many others. In these characters, we see ourselves, we all know and Eeyore, the same as we all know a Rabbit – we are all in there somewhere, in some shape or form.
A.A. Milnes Winnie-the-Pooh stories are just so simply and so well written, both collections are timeless classics – from the opening lines to the closing ones from the profoundly moving last chapter:
“…So, they went off together. 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”
There is so much more I could write about these books, but it doesn’t feel that I am really conveying quite how wonderful these stories are, I am not doing them justice – what A.A. Milne along with E.H. Shepard have given us is something very special. Both of these collections are classics in every sense of the word.
Not to mention the funny, moving and sometime life affirming quotes from ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’
“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
In summation – just read them.
July 5, 2018
As a small child, Winnie the Pooh stories were read to me. As an adult, I read them to my kids and took them to see where Christopher Robin and his childhood friends had lived—the Milnes’ country home at Cotchford Farm, Hartfield in East Sussex, England. We walked in the “Hundred Acre Wood” where he had walked. In real life it is part of Ashdown Forest. We saw the bridge and tumbling creek where sticks had been thrown in on one side and eagerly awaited on the other. I wanted to share with my children the magical place that had incited A.A. Milne to write the Pooh stories. When we made this trip, years ago, there was not a tourist sign to be found! For more detailed information see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred...
My journey with Christopher Robin and Pooh and his pals continued. I picked up The Enchanted Places, The Path through the Trees and Hollow On The Hill written by Milne’s son, Christopher Milne, the very same Christopher Robin of the stories. They are very good. My journey continued; earlier this year I listened to Winnie-the-Pooh as an audiobook read by Peter Dennis. This is the only audiobook version authorized by A.A. Milne's son. I fell in love with Pooh, Christopher Robin and his gang all over again. Do not choose a different narrator! That audiobook led to The House at Pooh Corner and When We Were Very Young, also read by Peter Dennis.
Milne’s first two books, Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner belong together. In the first, we are introduced to a magical place and the friends living there. In the second, a few more adventures are added and then goodbyes are said. Why? Because, quite simply, life goes on. Christopher Robin will soon be off to school. Nothing lasts forever, yet who we are now is a product of what has gone before. So, the two books are different—the first is about saying hello, and the second is about saying goodbye. Goodbye to a place. Goodbye to friends. Goodbye to the early years of childhood.
The books are different in another way too. By the end of the second book, we have come to know each figure so well that who they are comes to the fore. Each can, in a subtle way, be seen as people of different personality types. I love that although all have become dear to me, each I love in a different way. All are special, but each in their own different way. Tiger is bouncy, sweet-tempered. Piglet is instinctively smart and clever but always unobtrusively. Eeyore is gloomy and sad, the very opposite of Mr. Cheerful. Owl is learned but has clear limitations in his abilities—he can spell Tuesday so you know at least it isn’t Wednesday. Rabbit is the self-important, officious organizer. And Pooh is just sweet, lovable, humble, meditative Pooh--who has very-little-brains and does like this honey. These friends epitomize people YOU know.
The first book is fantastic, the second follows at a close run. It does not however reach up to the excellence of the first. The third, When We Were Very Young, you can just skip! The first is as good for a young child as for an adult. A parent and child reading it together will both have a wonderful time. The second will be more difficult for a child to fully understand. Here, the humor and wisdom of the lines are directed more to the adult; a deeper meaning is evoked about life-stages and personality types that go beyond the comprehension of a young child.
A.A. Milne seldom speaks plainly. He hints. He infers. He uses innuendos. Words are left unsaid. One example is in how we are told “Pooh”, in the name “Winnie-the-Pooh” came to be. A.A. Milne and Christopher Robin often walked down to a pond. On that pond there swam a swan. That swan they called Pooh. Somehow, there are no details, the name of the swan got shifted to Christopher Robin’s teddy bear. That the teddy bear was from Harrods and was originally named Edward is not said, nor that “Edward” got changed to “Winnie” after Christopher Robin had visited London Zoo and seen a real, live black bear from Canada called Winnipeg. There is an interesting story about this bear at Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipe...
In my view, if you wish as an adult to reread Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, the audiobook read by Peter Dennis is the format to choose. The production is exemplary. Each character has his own voice. That voice is in perfect synchrony with the character’s personality. This further enhances one’s appreciation of the second book. A delightful, melodic, piano trill is repeated between the chapters. The music and the lines are sure to bring tears to your eyes. One minute you will laugh. The next you will cry.
Milne’s stories are to be shared; they are not to be put into the hands of a child and told to go and read. They will not be properly understood. Their magic lies in the shared, side-by-side reading experience of an adult and a child together. Rereading, as an adult, they evoke childhood memories, and one marvels at the word play, the humor and life wisdom woven into the lines.
The House at Pooh Corner is about dear friends, friends who are different and each loved for who they are. It is about how it feels when such a friend leaves. It is a book about growing up.
Books by A.A. Milne:
*Winnie-the-Pooh 5 stars
*The House at Pooh Corner 4 stars
*When We Were Very Young 1 star
Each is reviewed under their respective title, even if talk about one must overlap the others.
Books by Christopher Milne:
*The Enchanted Places 4 stars
*The Path through the Trees 4 stars
*Hollow On The Hill 4 stars
My journey with Christopher Robin and Pooh and his pals continued. I picked up The Enchanted Places, The Path through the Trees and Hollow On The Hill written by Milne’s son, Christopher Milne, the very same Christopher Robin of the stories. They are very good. My journey continued; earlier this year I listened to Winnie-the-Pooh as an audiobook read by Peter Dennis. This is the only audiobook version authorized by A.A. Milne's son. I fell in love with Pooh, Christopher Robin and his gang all over again. Do not choose a different narrator! That audiobook led to The House at Pooh Corner and When We Were Very Young, also read by Peter Dennis.
Milne’s first two books, Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner belong together. In the first, we are introduced to a magical place and the friends living there. In the second, a few more adventures are added and then goodbyes are said. Why? Because, quite simply, life goes on. Christopher Robin will soon be off to school. Nothing lasts forever, yet who we are now is a product of what has gone before. So, the two books are different—the first is about saying hello, and the second is about saying goodbye. Goodbye to a place. Goodbye to friends. Goodbye to the early years of childhood.
The books are different in another way too. By the end of the second book, we have come to know each figure so well that who they are comes to the fore. Each can, in a subtle way, be seen as people of different personality types. I love that although all have become dear to me, each I love in a different way. All are special, but each in their own different way. Tiger is bouncy, sweet-tempered. Piglet is instinctively smart and clever but always unobtrusively. Eeyore is gloomy and sad, the very opposite of Mr. Cheerful. Owl is learned but has clear limitations in his abilities—he can spell Tuesday so you know at least it isn’t Wednesday. Rabbit is the self-important, officious organizer. And Pooh is just sweet, lovable, humble, meditative Pooh--who has very-little-brains and does like this honey. These friends epitomize people YOU know.
The first book is fantastic, the second follows at a close run. It does not however reach up to the excellence of the first. The third, When We Were Very Young, you can just skip! The first is as good for a young child as for an adult. A parent and child reading it together will both have a wonderful time. The second will be more difficult for a child to fully understand. Here, the humor and wisdom of the lines are directed more to the adult; a deeper meaning is evoked about life-stages and personality types that go beyond the comprehension of a young child.
A.A. Milne seldom speaks plainly. He hints. He infers. He uses innuendos. Words are left unsaid. One example is in how we are told “Pooh”, in the name “Winnie-the-Pooh” came to be. A.A. Milne and Christopher Robin often walked down to a pond. On that pond there swam a swan. That swan they called Pooh. Somehow, there are no details, the name of the swan got shifted to Christopher Robin’s teddy bear. That the teddy bear was from Harrods and was originally named Edward is not said, nor that “Edward” got changed to “Winnie” after Christopher Robin had visited London Zoo and seen a real, live black bear from Canada called Winnipeg. There is an interesting story about this bear at Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipe...
In my view, if you wish as an adult to reread Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, the audiobook read by Peter Dennis is the format to choose. The production is exemplary. Each character has his own voice. That voice is in perfect synchrony with the character’s personality. This further enhances one’s appreciation of the second book. A delightful, melodic, piano trill is repeated between the chapters. The music and the lines are sure to bring tears to your eyes. One minute you will laugh. The next you will cry.
Milne’s stories are to be shared; they are not to be put into the hands of a child and told to go and read. They will not be properly understood. Their magic lies in the shared, side-by-side reading experience of an adult and a child together. Rereading, as an adult, they evoke childhood memories, and one marvels at the word play, the humor and life wisdom woven into the lines.
The House at Pooh Corner is about dear friends, friends who are different and each loved for who they are. It is about how it feels when such a friend leaves. It is a book about growing up.
Books by A.A. Milne:
*Winnie-the-Pooh 5 stars
*The House at Pooh Corner 4 stars
*When We Were Very Young 1 star
Each is reviewed under their respective title, even if talk about one must overlap the others.
Books by Christopher Milne:
*The Enchanted Places 4 stars
*The Path through the Trees 4 stars
*Hollow On The Hill 4 stars
December 4, 2013
Winnie the Pooh and the Cocktail Party
"Hi. I'm Vikki. Sorry, what did you say your name was? So noisy in here you can't hear a thing. Ed. Got it. Nice to meet you, Ed! What? Oh, I'm a model. Glamor. Thanks! Well, if you've walked past the men's magazine section this week, then you will have. Front cover of Loaded. Really? Hey, that's sweet. No, I mean it. You're really nice. Oh, alright then. Would you believe it, stockings and a honey-pot. That was it. Yes, I do actually. Love it. Have it for breakfast every morning. Guess that's why the shot came out so well. Me and a honey-pot... I didn't even notice the camera. I know, it sounds silly. Yes, the runny kind, that's my favorite too. Get out! Really? OK, OK, let's hear your honey story. Sorry? You actually climbed up the tree to get it? That's awesome. OMG. What, how high were you? Jesus Christ. You didn't break anything? You know, you're a lot tougher than you look. I love the way you said that. Can't stand these macho types. Oh, go on, tell me another one. OK... OK... a what trap? A Hefner lump? Sorry, just too noisy. Never mind, what happened next? Hey, I do that too! I know, once you've started you just can't stop. You're the first person I've ever met who understands. You what?? You actually got your head stuck in it?! Ha! Oh, you are totally cracking me up, I love this story! Ha! Ha! I'm sorry about your friend though, I hope he recovered. It's funny, I just feel so relaxed with you. It's like I've known you for ages. Since I was a little girl in fact. Oh, I see everyone's starting to leave. Look, I know this sounds crazy, like we've only just met and I'll probably regret it in the morning, but come home with me. Um, well, yes and no. I just... I just want to hold you. All night. You do? You really do understand? Ed, I can't believe this. It feels like fate. I'm so happy I met you. OK, let me get my coat. We're outta here."
___________________________________________
If you want to examine the magazine cover which inspired the review, note that, as the review suggests, it's in dubious taste, and features a mostly naked woman. If that kind of thing offends you, don't look at it! Otherwise, it's at http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/ar...
"Hi. I'm Vikki. Sorry, what did you say your name was? So noisy in here you can't hear a thing. Ed. Got it. Nice to meet you, Ed! What? Oh, I'm a model. Glamor. Thanks! Well, if you've walked past the men's magazine section this week, then you will have. Front cover of Loaded. Really? Hey, that's sweet. No, I mean it. You're really nice. Oh, alright then. Would you believe it, stockings and a honey-pot. That was it. Yes, I do actually. Love it. Have it for breakfast every morning. Guess that's why the shot came out so well. Me and a honey-pot... I didn't even notice the camera. I know, it sounds silly. Yes, the runny kind, that's my favorite too. Get out! Really? OK, OK, let's hear your honey story. Sorry? You actually climbed up the tree to get it? That's awesome. OMG. What, how high were you? Jesus Christ. You didn't break anything? You know, you're a lot tougher than you look. I love the way you said that. Can't stand these macho types. Oh, go on, tell me another one. OK... OK... a what trap? A Hefner lump? Sorry, just too noisy. Never mind, what happened next? Hey, I do that too! I know, once you've started you just can't stop. You're the first person I've ever met who understands. You what?? You actually got your head stuck in it?! Ha! Oh, you are totally cracking me up, I love this story! Ha! Ha! I'm sorry about your friend though, I hope he recovered. It's funny, I just feel so relaxed with you. It's like I've known you for ages. Since I was a little girl in fact. Oh, I see everyone's starting to leave. Look, I know this sounds crazy, like we've only just met and I'll probably regret it in the morning, but come home with me. Um, well, yes and no. I just... I just want to hold you. All night. You do? You really do understand? Ed, I can't believe this. It feels like fate. I'm so happy I met you. OK, let me get my coat. We're outta here."
___________________________________________
If you want to examine the magazine cover which inspired the review, note that, as the review suggests, it's in dubious taste, and features a mostly naked woman. If that kind of thing offends you, don't look at it! Otherwise, it's at http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/ar...
July 9, 2023
Years ago when I babysat for my niece ( 6 years old and my nephew who was 4 years old,) I took them to the library and let them choose DVD'S and books to read. My nephew loved Winnie the Pooh and always chose Winnie the Pooh DVD'S to watch. That was fine by me because I loved him too!! Only, he would want to watch them over and over! So, yes, I know all the words to the Winnie the Pooh song, along with the song House At Pooh Corner by Kenny Logins!! 🤣🎵🎶 That's fine because they are definitely sweet songs.
I listened to the audiobook and read this book at the same time. It's too adorable for words!! We all have our favorite Winnie the Pooh characters, mine are Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore. Now I know who's house is at Pooh Corner!
I've been reading some heavy books lately and needed a bit of a break to relax my brain.. this provided the break I really needed. It's a wonderful, cute and adorable book that transports you back to the Hundred Acre Wood. Wish I could stay there.
Finally it comes time for Christopher Robin and Pooh to say good-bye. " But of course it isn't really Good - bye because the Forest will always be there... and anybody who is Friendly with bears can find it." 🍯🍯💞
Very highly recommend to everyone!
Enjoy and Happy Reading
I listened to the audiobook and read this book at the same time. It's too adorable for words!! We all have our favorite Winnie the Pooh characters, mine are Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore. Now I know who's house is at Pooh Corner!
I've been reading some heavy books lately and needed a bit of a break to relax my brain.. this provided the break I really needed. It's a wonderful, cute and adorable book that transports you back to the Hundred Acre Wood. Wish I could stay there.
Finally it comes time for Christopher Robin and Pooh to say good-bye. " But of course it isn't really Good - bye because the Forest will always be there... and anybody who is Friendly with bears can find it." 🍯🍯💞
Very highly recommend to everyone!
Enjoy and Happy Reading
July 30, 2022
4.5 stars rounded down
A 'trip' to my childhood that was definitely worth it, again.
After reading the first volume of Pooh Bear and his adventures, I decided to pick up The House at Pooh Corner in order to keep enjoying these apparently simple but beautifully written stories, where our lovable characters are back to face new obstacles and live new experiences together.
Now I just remember when I finished the first book, I was wondering where one of my favorite characters would be. Exactly, I'm talking about Tigger, who is not present in these stories until this second book. For one moment I thought he would be a Disney character only; fortunately it turned out that Tigger was introduced here, in one of the best tales I read in this second volume.
The author is keeping the same style of writing—that one that is very easy to read (it's meant to be for children, so it makes sense), yet it is really profound and descriptive—and the same tone in every story: funny, relaxing and lighthearted. Something I didn't mention in my previous review is that every character has an own personality very well depicted and developed. For instance, one character seems to be anxious or nervous a lot of time, another one usually seems to be depressed, and a third one is constantly so naïve, just to mention some examples.
Again, this is probably one of those readings that, if you read it when you are an adult, you have to stop thinking of the content a lot, and just enjoy the reading experience, and perhaps—why not?—embrace your childhood memories. Actually, I do believe it's one of the most beautiful experiences anyone can have.
I must confess this book as a whole won't be a 5-star reading for me as the first one was, because at some point—on chapter 6 or so—I felt a little tired of following the same pattern once and again and again. This is by no means a mistake, and I do believe it was my fault since I tried to read this second volume as fast as I read the first one, but unfortunately the enthusiasm and excitement were not the same as the first time. Perhaps the 'magic' while I read it was a little bit different. The first time was literally like embracing my happy memories way back when I was a little kid, whereas the second time was me trying to live the experience as an adult, although I never left that kid completely in the past, so to speak.
Having said that, this book, along with the first one, are a unique experience that every reader must live at least once in their life. Please go, pick them up, and live them; and, for instance, if you are getting through something difficult, also known as adult stuff, do yourself a favor and pick them up, I promise you they will be like a balm to the heart.
I almost forget to say the last chapter (or last tale) of this volume is definitely my favorite one among all of them (considering both books). In my view, it has one of the most inspiring, emotional endings I have read in a children's book. I completely enjoyed it and, obviously, it made me shed tears (as usual, I guess I'm just that predictable sometimes).
But, of course, it isn't really Good-bye, because the Forest will always be there … and anybody who is Friendly with Bears can find it.
A 'trip' to my childhood that was definitely worth it, again.
After reading the first volume of Pooh Bear and his adventures, I decided to pick up The House at Pooh Corner in order to keep enjoying these apparently simple but beautifully written stories, where our lovable characters are back to face new obstacles and live new experiences together.
Now I just remember when I finished the first book, I was wondering where one of my favorite characters would be. Exactly, I'm talking about Tigger, who is not present in these stories until this second book. For one moment I thought he would be a Disney character only; fortunately it turned out that Tigger was introduced here, in one of the best tales I read in this second volume.
The author is keeping the same style of writing—that one that is very easy to read (it's meant to be for children, so it makes sense), yet it is really profound and descriptive—and the same tone in every story: funny, relaxing and lighthearted. Something I didn't mention in my previous review is that every character has an own personality very well depicted and developed. For instance, one character seems to be anxious or nervous a lot of time, another one usually seems to be depressed, and a third one is constantly so naïve, just to mention some examples.
Again, this is probably one of those readings that, if you read it when you are an adult, you have to stop thinking of the content a lot, and just enjoy the reading experience, and perhaps—why not?—embrace your childhood memories. Actually, I do believe it's one of the most beautiful experiences anyone can have.
I must confess this book as a whole won't be a 5-star reading for me as the first one was, because at some point—on chapter 6 or so—I felt a little tired of following the same pattern once and again and again. This is by no means a mistake, and I do believe it was my fault since I tried to read this second volume as fast as I read the first one, but unfortunately the enthusiasm and excitement were not the same as the first time. Perhaps the 'magic' while I read it was a little bit different. The first time was literally like embracing my happy memories way back when I was a little kid, whereas the second time was me trying to live the experience as an adult, although I never left that kid completely in the past, so to speak.
Having said that, this book, along with the first one, are a unique experience that every reader must live at least once in their life. Please go, pick them up, and live them; and, for instance, if you are getting through something difficult, also known as adult stuff, do yourself a favor and pick them up, I promise you they will be like a balm to the heart.
I almost forget to say the last chapter (or last tale) of this volume is definitely my favorite one among all of them (considering both books). In my view, it has one of the most inspiring, emotional endings I have read in a children's book. I completely enjoyed it and, obviously, it made me shed tears (as usual, I guess I'm just that predictable sometimes).
But, of course, it isn't really Good-bye, because the Forest will always be there … and anybody who is Friendly with Bears can find it.
December 4, 2013
Celebrity Death Match Review
Semi-Final Match: Winnie-the Pooh vs. Hamlet
BSI Rep: So, the Hundred Acre Wood Corporation has applied for ISO 9000 certification. Would you like to present your company, in terms of its aims and target market?
100 Acre Wood CEO: Yes, indeed. Thank you for this opportunity. For nearly a century now we have provided children and their parents with one of the most essential tools towards abstract thinking, emotional hygiene, social empathy and creativity. Let me bring those wide angle goals into a narrower focus.
First, abstract thinking. A central idea in education is to enable us to abstract ourselves from the immediate and literal, to form mental models of the world in which we are able to run 'what-if' scenarios. Our thoughts can be guided by something other than what we experience immediately, for instance by words. The imagination is needed to be able to conceive alternatives, and hence to evaluate. Children need pretend play, in which a banana held to the ear is also a telephone, they need and enjoy this ability to understand that something can be both one thing and something else. This is the basic entry into abstraction, into skills of imagining futures and outcomes, skills of planning. Fiction allows them to enter in imagination many more situations than a lifetime could contain, and in doing so allows them to make mental enactments. This is an essential factor in our development.
Second, emotional hygiene. Bears are of course part of the real world and can be seen in some Northern American towns at dusk, picking through the dustbins; however a toy bear will afford an experience of what is called by psychologists attachment, the experience of cuddling and feeling close to a loved one. It is a transitional object that stands in for the for the attachment relationship to a mother or other caregiver. Transitional in the sense that it is transitional between the world of nature - the real attachment to the caregiver - and the world of culture, which includes objects, games, relationships, fiction. A teddy bear models not a real bear with teeth and claws but the relationship of attachment, something intimate and abstract.
Fiction is both real and not-real in the same way. It is a game that the child can enter, a miniature version of interactions and emotions. These emotions can be enjoyed safely, and a model of how to manage and resolve such emotions can be constructed. Fear of monsters such as Heffalumps, fear of loss of friendship, fear of being parted from loved ones, all these can become manageable, even enjoyable, in this fictional 'game' context where fear can be explored and resolved.
Social empathy: As social animals, an ability to read others' motivations and intentions is crucial to our ability to function in the world. In developmental psychology this is discussed as theory-of-mind or perspective-taking, and mentalizing. Before the age of around four, most children are unable to think that what another person knows is any different from what they know. Tell children this story: Maxi had some chocolate. He put the chocolate into a blue cupboard and then went out to play. While he was out, his mother used some of it to make a cake. Then she put the rest in a different place, in a green cupboard. Then ask the children "When Maxi comes back from the playground he would like some of his chocolate. Where will he look for it?" Children under about four will usually answer "In the green cupboard". They know that is where the chocolate is, and they assume that Maxi will look there. But children of four and over are able to hold in their mind Maxi's perspective, and see that he will look in the blue cupboard, where he left it.
There is a strong correlation between narrative skills and theory-of-mind ability. Stories are ideal tools to develop the ability to represent perspective, to accommodate differing perspectives. With increasing maturity we develop the skill not only of making mental models of what we and others know, both now and over longer periods, but also the ability to make models of other people's models, an embedded structure of what people think, feel and believe. Take for example the story of the deception that was carried out on Kanga where Piglet is substituted for Roo. This involves first strategic planning that consists mainly of mentalizing Kanga's reaction to Roo's disappearance, and then in a truly magnificent double bluff, in which Kanga pretends not to notice the difference between the two small animals. The child understands that Kanga knows more than Piglet thinks she knows. There are differing layers of mental models that can and must be accommodated and realised.
Lastly creativity. By this I mean more than just the common idea of the ability to come up with a new idea or artefact. I mean more a form of agency in the world, the opposite of compliance to external imposition, rather the sense of being engaged entirely with what we are doing, where the self and the activity become one, where we feel fully alive and absorbed in what we are doing. This has also been called 'flow' - creative living, total involvement in what you are doing. This is what happens when we engage with a work of fiction. In order to do so we need to engage emotionally with the characters, and this is where the Hundred Acre Wood Corporation really shines. Our employees all have distinct issues; for example Pooh is not particularly quick-witted, Piglet struggles with a lack of pluck, Tigger needs more aplomb, Wol could do with a little humility and of course poor Eeyore, well..., anyway all the characters are struggling in such a way that a child can swiftly feel sympathy for them. They become friends.
A further requirement for this kind of creative engagement with fiction is that it should not force you to comply with just one view of the world, but should leave gaps and a certain openness, or unexpectedness, space that the imagination has to fill. "In which a house is built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore" can give us a taste of what I mean here: the reader soon realises that Pooh and Piglet have not, in fact, built a new house for Eeyore, but only moved his to the other side of the wood (dramatic irony, the reader knows more than the characters involved). Inevitably, knowing Eeyore's gloomy world view, we feel that disaster and recriminations must ensue. But no, an explanation is found that everyone can live with.
BSI inspector: Yes, I can see that you have achieved your targets admirably. But what about your management practices? Can you give me a report on human resource management?
100 AW CEO: Well, I admit that we have had issues in the past with in-groups and out-groups, and that these have not been entirely resolved. Efforts were made to integrate Tigger and Kanga and Roo into the in-group around CR, but it must be admitted that there are still some privileges afforded Pooh and Piglet only. However I must say that we are proud of our record on certain aspects of team-building, such as the expotition to find the North Pole, or the management of Owl's house being blown over.
BSI inspector: Are you an Equal Opportunity Employer?
100 AW CEO: We certainly have a multi-ethnic employee base, with animals from nigh on every continent.
BSI inspector: But what about women?
100 AW CEO: You must see that the original staff have been with us since a time when it was, let us say, unusual to employ women. Naturally we have considered this question closely. But it is beyond our capacity to engage further staff, so that the only alternative would be to perform a sex-change on a proportion of the characters, something that I think would contravene their rights. And after a thorough survey of our clientele, we found that little girls have no qualms about identifying with male characters, whereas the opposite case, of boys identifying with female characters, is almost unheard-of. Thus we feel that this issue is less important than might be imagined.
BSI inspector: Right, well thank you very much. You'll be hearing from us. I still have to visit Hamlet Inc. on this tour.
The inspector calls on Hamlet and asks him about terms and definitions of his enterprise:
H: Well, yeah, it's a revenge play innit?
BSI inspector: What?
H: Yeah, y'know, revenge? Hamlet's dad was poisoned by Claudius so now Hamlet has to avenge the old man's death. Lots of blood and gore, a ghost, a bit of pretend madness, the audience just lapped it up. They loved all that stuff.
BSI inspector: Yes, but what about your present-day customers?
H: It still has a lot to say to kids on the street today. Get out there. Don't stand for no shit. You gotta earn that respect man. No-one's gonna do it for you. They shoot your best boy, you shoot theirs.
BSI inspector (turning pale around the nose) Aha. But isn't the language a little, um, difficult for the modern audience? Do you think that something like "Up, sword; and know thou a more horrid hent:" is going to get through to a modern viewer?
H: Shit, that's their shit isn't it? I can't go explaining every little thing to them, can I? That's the job of the secondary industry around ours, but you have to inspect them separately, that's not got nuffink to do with me.
BSI inspector: What about your employment practices? Do you offer equal opportunities to women, or to ethnic or other minorities?
H: Don't make me laugh. All white men, that's what we want. No wops. As for women, well 'Get thee to a nunnery' was the best line ever. Women are no use to anyone. 'Cept for one thing, but I don't get none of that in this piece, which is a shame.
(The inspector retreats swiftly)
ISO 9000 certificate awarded to Winnie-the-Pooh and friends.
(No animals were harmed in the making of this review)
Semi-Final Match: Winnie-the Pooh vs. Hamlet
BSI Rep: So, the Hundred Acre Wood Corporation has applied for ISO 9000 certification. Would you like to present your company, in terms of its aims and target market?
100 Acre Wood CEO: Yes, indeed. Thank you for this opportunity. For nearly a century now we have provided children and their parents with one of the most essential tools towards abstract thinking, emotional hygiene, social empathy and creativity. Let me bring those wide angle goals into a narrower focus.
First, abstract thinking. A central idea in education is to enable us to abstract ourselves from the immediate and literal, to form mental models of the world in which we are able to run 'what-if' scenarios. Our thoughts can be guided by something other than what we experience immediately, for instance by words. The imagination is needed to be able to conceive alternatives, and hence to evaluate. Children need pretend play, in which a banana held to the ear is also a telephone, they need and enjoy this ability to understand that something can be both one thing and something else. This is the basic entry into abstraction, into skills of imagining futures and outcomes, skills of planning. Fiction allows them to enter in imagination many more situations than a lifetime could contain, and in doing so allows them to make mental enactments. This is an essential factor in our development.
Second, emotional hygiene. Bears are of course part of the real world and can be seen in some Northern American towns at dusk, picking through the dustbins; however a toy bear will afford an experience of what is called by psychologists attachment, the experience of cuddling and feeling close to a loved one. It is a transitional object that stands in for the for the attachment relationship to a mother or other caregiver. Transitional in the sense that it is transitional between the world of nature - the real attachment to the caregiver - and the world of culture, which includes objects, games, relationships, fiction. A teddy bear models not a real bear with teeth and claws but the relationship of attachment, something intimate and abstract.
Fiction is both real and not-real in the same way. It is a game that the child can enter, a miniature version of interactions and emotions. These emotions can be enjoyed safely, and a model of how to manage and resolve such emotions can be constructed. Fear of monsters such as Heffalumps, fear of loss of friendship, fear of being parted from loved ones, all these can become manageable, even enjoyable, in this fictional 'game' context where fear can be explored and resolved.
Social empathy: As social animals, an ability to read others' motivations and intentions is crucial to our ability to function in the world. In developmental psychology this is discussed as theory-of-mind or perspective-taking, and mentalizing. Before the age of around four, most children are unable to think that what another person knows is any different from what they know. Tell children this story: Maxi had some chocolate. He put the chocolate into a blue cupboard and then went out to play. While he was out, his mother used some of it to make a cake. Then she put the rest in a different place, in a green cupboard. Then ask the children "When Maxi comes back from the playground he would like some of his chocolate. Where will he look for it?" Children under about four will usually answer "In the green cupboard". They know that is where the chocolate is, and they assume that Maxi will look there. But children of four and over are able to hold in their mind Maxi's perspective, and see that he will look in the blue cupboard, where he left it.
There is a strong correlation between narrative skills and theory-of-mind ability. Stories are ideal tools to develop the ability to represent perspective, to accommodate differing perspectives. With increasing maturity we develop the skill not only of making mental models of what we and others know, both now and over longer periods, but also the ability to make models of other people's models, an embedded structure of what people think, feel and believe. Take for example the story of the deception that was carried out on Kanga where Piglet is substituted for Roo. This involves first strategic planning that consists mainly of mentalizing Kanga's reaction to Roo's disappearance, and then in a truly magnificent double bluff, in which Kanga pretends not to notice the difference between the two small animals. The child understands that Kanga knows more than Piglet thinks she knows. There are differing layers of mental models that can and must be accommodated and realised.
Lastly creativity. By this I mean more than just the common idea of the ability to come up with a new idea or artefact. I mean more a form of agency in the world, the opposite of compliance to external imposition, rather the sense of being engaged entirely with what we are doing, where the self and the activity become one, where we feel fully alive and absorbed in what we are doing. This has also been called 'flow' - creative living, total involvement in what you are doing. This is what happens when we engage with a work of fiction. In order to do so we need to engage emotionally with the characters, and this is where the Hundred Acre Wood Corporation really shines. Our employees all have distinct issues; for example Pooh is not particularly quick-witted, Piglet struggles with a lack of pluck, Tigger needs more aplomb, Wol could do with a little humility and of course poor Eeyore, well..., anyway all the characters are struggling in such a way that a child can swiftly feel sympathy for them. They become friends.
A further requirement for this kind of creative engagement with fiction is that it should not force you to comply with just one view of the world, but should leave gaps and a certain openness, or unexpectedness, space that the imagination has to fill. "In which a house is built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore" can give us a taste of what I mean here: the reader soon realises that Pooh and Piglet have not, in fact, built a new house for Eeyore, but only moved his to the other side of the wood (dramatic irony, the reader knows more than the characters involved). Inevitably, knowing Eeyore's gloomy world view, we feel that disaster and recriminations must ensue. But no, an explanation is found that everyone can live with.
BSI inspector: Yes, I can see that you have achieved your targets admirably. But what about your management practices? Can you give me a report on human resource management?
100 AW CEO: Well, I admit that we have had issues in the past with in-groups and out-groups, and that these have not been entirely resolved. Efforts were made to integrate Tigger and Kanga and Roo into the in-group around CR, but it must be admitted that there are still some privileges afforded Pooh and Piglet only. However I must say that we are proud of our record on certain aspects of team-building, such as the expotition to find the North Pole, or the management of Owl's house being blown over.
BSI inspector: Are you an Equal Opportunity Employer?
100 AW CEO: We certainly have a multi-ethnic employee base, with animals from nigh on every continent.
BSI inspector: But what about women?
100 AW CEO: You must see that the original staff have been with us since a time when it was, let us say, unusual to employ women. Naturally we have considered this question closely. But it is beyond our capacity to engage further staff, so that the only alternative would be to perform a sex-change on a proportion of the characters, something that I think would contravene their rights. And after a thorough survey of our clientele, we found that little girls have no qualms about identifying with male characters, whereas the opposite case, of boys identifying with female characters, is almost unheard-of. Thus we feel that this issue is less important than might be imagined.
BSI inspector: Right, well thank you very much. You'll be hearing from us. I still have to visit Hamlet Inc. on this tour.
The inspector calls on Hamlet and asks him about terms and definitions of his enterprise:
H: Well, yeah, it's a revenge play innit?
BSI inspector: What?
H: Yeah, y'know, revenge? Hamlet's dad was poisoned by Claudius so now Hamlet has to avenge the old man's death. Lots of blood and gore, a ghost, a bit of pretend madness, the audience just lapped it up. They loved all that stuff.
BSI inspector: Yes, but what about your present-day customers?
H: It still has a lot to say to kids on the street today. Get out there. Don't stand for no shit. You gotta earn that respect man. No-one's gonna do it for you. They shoot your best boy, you shoot theirs.
BSI inspector (turning pale around the nose) Aha. But isn't the language a little, um, difficult for the modern audience? Do you think that something like "Up, sword; and know thou a more horrid hent:" is going to get through to a modern viewer?
H: Shit, that's their shit isn't it? I can't go explaining every little thing to them, can I? That's the job of the secondary industry around ours, but you have to inspect them separately, that's not got nuffink to do with me.
BSI inspector: What about your employment practices? Do you offer equal opportunities to women, or to ethnic or other minorities?
H: Don't make me laugh. All white men, that's what we want. No wops. As for women, well 'Get thee to a nunnery' was the best line ever. Women are no use to anyone. 'Cept for one thing, but I don't get none of that in this piece, which is a shame.
(The inspector retreats swiftly)
ISO 9000 certificate awarded to Winnie-the-Pooh and friends.
(No animals were harmed in the making of this review)
July 2, 2023
Second book complete: 🍯🍯
It was just lovely returning to the Hundred Acre Wood to see the silly old bear. It’s sweet as honey and full of just the right amount of nostalgic sadness. Setup much like the first book, it’s broken up into little adventures the group goes through. And this book finally introduces the infamous Tigger! Enjoyed this on audio. Peter Dennis does an amazing job!
LESSONS LEARNED:
“They’re funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you’re having them.” (SO VERY TRUE!)
Even pleasant children’s books can make you cry. That ending….ouch!
“So they went off together. 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.”
😢 😭
It was just lovely returning to the Hundred Acre Wood to see the silly old bear. It’s sweet as honey and full of just the right amount of nostalgic sadness. Setup much like the first book, it’s broken up into little adventures the group goes through. And this book finally introduces the infamous Tigger! Enjoyed this on audio. Peter Dennis does an amazing job!
LESSONS LEARNED:
“They’re funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you’re having them.” (SO VERY TRUE!)
Even pleasant children’s books can make you cry. That ending….ouch!
“So they went off together. 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.”
😢 😭
September 24, 2019
This is the second adorable instalment that details the antics of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Much like in the first book, this was sectioned into a handful of shorter stories, each a self-contained adventure. Also, like the first book, this retained a humours tone throughout and involved Christopher Robin as eventual hero to the stories, saving his animal friends from the fearsome creatures who roam the woods and returning them home when their venturing goes awry. This book opened up the cast of characters and I especially appreciated the appearance of Tiger, whose energy livens the tone and mood of the whole book.
December 9, 2018
I love the purity of this story. It has this child-like wonder about the world. We see through the eyes of Pooh who has little attachments in this world besides honey. He is usually the one to come up with solutions to problems and he doesn't overthink things. He lives by his gut.
Each character has such a strong and distinct voice. It's a classic for a reason. You can just hear A. A. Milne telling Christopher Robin these bedtime stories and the boy being delighted. We are just lucky that A. A. decided to write down the wonderful stories and share them with the world.
It makes me want to write a children's book. I just love the tone and the voice used here and how things happen, and characters do have minor issues with themselves, but there is overwhelming kindness and compassion in the story and for the community. I read this as an audio book and it was a whole lot of fun to let this story wash over me. It's a quick and easy story to read. There are many many great lines in this book.
I need to read the other 3 books of this one. It is simply so special. I'm glad I own this boxset I got on sale and I hope that my niece is going to decide to read this. I never read them as a kid and what a shame. Still, it's a story that I really enjoyed as an adult. Listening, I really felt like the story was similar to a golden light that filters through the leaves of a forest on a happy day and all the world seems to sparkle. There is so much wonder in this book.
Pooh Sticks came out of this book. We like to play Pooh sticks on our walks in this area. It's such a Zen kind of game and fun. What a feat this work is and how lucky the world is to have these stories.
Each character has such a strong and distinct voice. It's a classic for a reason. You can just hear A. A. Milne telling Christopher Robin these bedtime stories and the boy being delighted. We are just lucky that A. A. decided to write down the wonderful stories and share them with the world.
It makes me want to write a children's book. I just love the tone and the voice used here and how things happen, and characters do have minor issues with themselves, but there is overwhelming kindness and compassion in the story and for the community. I read this as an audio book and it was a whole lot of fun to let this story wash over me. It's a quick and easy story to read. There are many many great lines in this book.
I need to read the other 3 books of this one. It is simply so special. I'm glad I own this boxset I got on sale and I hope that my niece is going to decide to read this. I never read them as a kid and what a shame. Still, it's a story that I really enjoyed as an adult. Listening, I really felt like the story was similar to a golden light that filters through the leaves of a forest on a happy day and all the world seems to sparkle. There is so much wonder in this book.
Pooh Sticks came out of this book. We like to play Pooh sticks on our walks in this area. It's such a Zen kind of game and fun. What a feat this work is and how lucky the world is to have these stories.
September 18, 2018
Even more delightful than the first, I think. And also quite bittersweet, as Christopher Robin essentially has to grow up, and his Hundred Acre Wood friends struggle to understand what is happening. Reading this aloud, I have to fight not to break down in the final chapter.
2018: My kids had just seen both the original animated movie, the newer Winnie-the-Pooh animated movie, and the new live action Christopher Robin. They loved seeing how the stories in this book had been used, directly, for the animated films, and we thought it was cool what a natural follow up Christopher Robin really was.
2018: My kids had just seen both the original animated movie, the newer Winnie-the-Pooh animated movie, and the new live action Christopher Robin. They loved seeing how the stories in this book had been used, directly, for the animated films, and we thought it was cool what a natural follow up Christopher Robin really was.
April 24, 2017
There are some days when I've had enough of the world and need to escape to the Hundred Acre Wood with my friends Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. These are the original stories and illustrations. If you're a fan of Winnie the Pooh but haven't read this yet, I highly recommend it! Children and adults alike will love these grand adventures.
My Rating: 5+ stars
My Rating: 5+ stars
August 31, 2016
It was with much apprehension that I started this- after all, my initial impression (Winnie the Pooh as it is in Disney) is vastly different from this book. In fact, I don't think I would have even picked up the book, had a friend not recommended it to me. And I'm very glad she did.
I'm surprised by how sad but realistic the end of this book was; with Christopher Robin growing up and everyone realizing he's leaving the Forest, that wonderful place where only one with enough imagination can go. It made me cry and revisit my stuffed animal collection that I have abandoned for so long.
After rereading both books, I finally figured out why I love them so much. It's because they mirror our lives, in a more simpler way, with people pretending they know everything but really knowing nothing, with others being disillusioned into thinking that certain people do know it all, with others jealous of others' accomplishments, and of course, the beautiful friendships.
My favourite part is definitely the one where Rabbit, Pooh, and Piglet trying to make Tigger more humble but ending up with rabbit becoming more humble... that chapter is just the funniest thing I've ever read. Anyways, this collection of stories is just gorgeously told, and ever so funny, yet being a lens of viewing our own world when you strip away the distractions. Definitely five stars.
I'm surprised by how sad but realistic the end of this book was; with Christopher Robin growing up and everyone realizing he's leaving the Forest, that wonderful place where only one with enough imagination can go. It made me cry and revisit my stuffed animal collection that I have abandoned for so long.
After rereading both books, I finally figured out why I love them so much. It's because they mirror our lives, in a more simpler way, with people pretending they know everything but really knowing nothing, with others being disillusioned into thinking that certain people do know it all, with others jealous of others' accomplishments, and of course, the beautiful friendships.
My favourite part is definitely the one where Rabbit, Pooh, and Piglet trying to make Tigger more humble but ending up with rabbit becoming more humble... that chapter is just the funniest thing I've ever read. Anyways, this collection of stories is just gorgeously told, and ever so funny, yet being a lens of viewing our own world when you strip away the distractions. Definitely five stars.
March 22, 2023
Sometimes, the innocence of a children's book is all you need to cheer you up and make you forget your real-life world problems. Clearly, another classic by A. A. Milne. This book introduces the beloved Tigger into Pooh's world. It's funny how I didn't pick up on his absence in the first book even after multiple reads. I think that speaks volumes about how well crafted each character is. They take your full attention and leave nothing to be desired.
May 21, 2019
These stories just do not get old. Love visiting the Hundred Acre Woods with Peter Dennis.
Read
March 28, 2021This is the cutest book ever! I also loved the illustrations.
April 13, 2020
Just as cute and heartwarming as the first book! I loved listening to it!
(This has GOT to be the cutest thing on the Internet!!)
And it seems I have nothing coherent to say about it except throw gifs around!
I'll just have to let the gifs speak for themselves.
After all, if an image is worth a thousand words, a gif is worth...a million?
(I need to exit now LOL)
(This has GOT to be the cutest thing on the Internet!!)
And it seems I have nothing coherent to say about it except throw gifs around!
I'll just have to let the gifs speak for themselves.
After all, if an image is worth a thousand words, a gif is worth...a million?
(I need to exit now LOL)
December 22, 2021
I loved the first book and I love this second book as well. The House at Pooh Corner brings the characters from the first book back and also introduces us to Tigger. I adore all these characters but my favorites from the first book were Piglet, Eeyore and Rabbit and they still remain favorite characters.
A very charming read indeed.
5 stars
A very charming read indeed.
5 stars
November 23, 2018
The second volume of short stories fearing Winnie-the-Pooh, this collection is most noticeable for the introduction of Tigger.
I really enjoy this collection and this books illustrations are just wonderful.
I really enjoy this collection and this books illustrations are just wonderful.
November 14, 2011
For the final of Celebrity Death Match.
Some basic facts about Winnie the Pooh and the Divine Comedy.
(1) Have you ever tried looking up Winnie on project Gutenberg? You find that Dante gets a few thousand hits and Winnie gets none. NONE!!! And you know why? Because Disney bullied Congress years ago into being allowed to keep the copyright longer than was their legal right. And you know why they did that? Of course it is because everybody loves Winnie. Try this, if you don't believe me. Offer the copyright to The Divine Comedy to Disney for ten bucks.
(2) Have you ever tried shopping for Dante sheets? Cursor? Wallpaper - both hard and soft? Mice? Toilet paper? Colouring-in books? Dante stuffed animals? Interactive game sites?
(3) google The Divine Comedy and you get 3M hits. google Winnie the Pooh and you get 58M (numbers rounded down, to Dante's advantage).
Democracy, ladies and gentlemen. The world has voted. Celebrity death match can scarcely go against figures like these.
(4) When I was in Grade three, about seven years old, we were set as English comprehension:
"Compare and contrast the following passages"
The start of the Divine Comedy:
His glory, by whose might all things are mov'd,
Pierces the universe, and in one part
Sheds more resplendence, elsewhere less. In heav'n,
That largeliest of his light partakes, was I,
Witness of things, which to relate again
Surpasseth power of him who comes from thence;
For that, so near approaching its desire
Our intellect is to such depth absorb'd,
That memory cannot follow. Nathless all,
That in my thoughts I of that sacred realm
Could store, shall now be matter of my song.
and a poem by Pooh:
THOUGHTS
I lay on my chest
And I thought it best
To pretend I was having a evening rest;
I lay on my tum
And I tried to hum
But nothing particular seemed to come
My face was flat
On the floor, and that
Is all very well for an acrobat;
But it doesn't seem fair
To a Friendly Bear
To stiffen him out with a backet-chair.
And sort of squoze
Which grows and grows
Is not too nice for his poor old nose,
And sort of squch
Is much to much
For his neck and his mouth and his
ears and such.
I discussed all the obvious points, the sheer boredom of reading Dante, his inability to call a rhyme. Naturally I compared Pooh favourably with Shakespeare, making the point like others before me, I expect, that they were both inventors of words, that they revelled in the joyous playfullness of language.
The coup of my essay, however, was revealing the sociological experiment carried out by my mother. Whilst I was sweetly put to sleep with Pooh each night, my poor brother was served up Dante. He has never recovered from the trauma of it. To him going to bed at night is to be avoided at all costs. Anything but that. And in a truly despicable example of what happens when one is raised on Dante, my mother once found that my brother had hanged his teddy bear.
I rest my case.
Some basic facts about Winnie the Pooh and the Divine Comedy.
(1) Have you ever tried looking up Winnie on project Gutenberg? You find that Dante gets a few thousand hits and Winnie gets none. NONE!!! And you know why? Because Disney bullied Congress years ago into being allowed to keep the copyright longer than was their legal right. And you know why they did that? Of course it is because everybody loves Winnie. Try this, if you don't believe me. Offer the copyright to The Divine Comedy to Disney for ten bucks.
(2) Have you ever tried shopping for Dante sheets? Cursor? Wallpaper - both hard and soft? Mice? Toilet paper? Colouring-in books? Dante stuffed animals? Interactive game sites?
(3) google The Divine Comedy and you get 3M hits. google Winnie the Pooh and you get 58M (numbers rounded down, to Dante's advantage).
Democracy, ladies and gentlemen. The world has voted. Celebrity death match can scarcely go against figures like these.
(4) When I was in Grade three, about seven years old, we were set as English comprehension:
"Compare and contrast the following passages"
The start of the Divine Comedy:
His glory, by whose might all things are mov'd,
Pierces the universe, and in one part
Sheds more resplendence, elsewhere less. In heav'n,
That largeliest of his light partakes, was I,
Witness of things, which to relate again
Surpasseth power of him who comes from thence;
For that, so near approaching its desire
Our intellect is to such depth absorb'd,
That memory cannot follow. Nathless all,
That in my thoughts I of that sacred realm
Could store, shall now be matter of my song.
and a poem by Pooh:
THOUGHTS
I lay on my chest
And I thought it best
To pretend I was having a evening rest;
I lay on my tum
And I tried to hum
But nothing particular seemed to come
My face was flat
On the floor, and that
Is all very well for an acrobat;
But it doesn't seem fair
To a Friendly Bear
To stiffen him out with a backet-chair.
And sort of squoze
Which grows and grows
Is not too nice for his poor old nose,
And sort of squch
Is much to much
For his neck and his mouth and his
ears and such.
I discussed all the obvious points, the sheer boredom of reading Dante, his inability to call a rhyme. Naturally I compared Pooh favourably with Shakespeare, making the point like others before me, I expect, that they were both inventors of words, that they revelled in the joyous playfullness of language.
The coup of my essay, however, was revealing the sociological experiment carried out by my mother. Whilst I was sweetly put to sleep with Pooh each night, my poor brother was served up Dante. He has never recovered from the trauma of it. To him going to bed at night is to be avoided at all costs. Anything but that. And in a truly despicable example of what happens when one is raised on Dante, my mother once found that my brother had hanged his teddy bear.
I rest my case.
September 17, 2021
The adventures of Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Tigger, Kanga, Roo and of course Christopher Robin belong to the all-time classics of literature in the English language, whether for children, adults or both together. They are in a word delightful.
March 30, 2023
5+ stars & 8/10 hearts. I love this book even better than the first one. It is a bit older in style—Christopher Robin is now a schoolboy. It is even wittier and cleverer and has several little lessons in it... such as the truth about conversation. I love the last chapter so much... <33
A Favourite Quote: “‘Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?’
“‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh[.]”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger, but moved more slowly. For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, ‘There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.’”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘You said “Hallo,” and Flashed Past. I saw your tail in the distance as I was meditating my reply. I *had* thought of saying, “What?”—but, of course, it was then too late[.] No give and take[.] No Exchange of Thought: “Hallo”—“What”—I mean, it gets you nowhere, particularly if the other person’s tail is only just in sight for the second half of the conversation.’”
A Favourite Quote: “‘Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?’
“‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh[.]”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger, but moved more slowly. For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, ‘There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.’”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘You said “Hallo,” and Flashed Past. I saw your tail in the distance as I was meditating my reply. I *had* thought of saying, “What?”—but, of course, it was then too late[.] No give and take[.] No Exchange of Thought: “Hallo”—“What”—I mean, it gets you nowhere, particularly if the other person’s tail is only just in sight for the second half of the conversation.’”
October 25, 2017
i have always loved Winnie-the-Pooh.
after all who couldn't?
a bunch of animals each with a different and captivating personality.
their outlook of the world, their adventures and beliefs
are all bound to make me laugh, cry and wonder and the same time.
when i picked this up from the library, i only thought of getting reacquainted with my childhood heroes.
i never thought it was possible to fall more in love with book.
i am in tears . this book is everything !!!!
after all who couldn't?
a bunch of animals each with a different and captivating personality.
their outlook of the world, their adventures and beliefs
are all bound to make me laugh, cry and wonder and the same time.
when i picked this up from the library, i only thought of getting reacquainted with my childhood heroes.
i never thought it was possible to fall more in love with book.
i am in tears . this book is everything !!!!
November 4, 2022
So, they went off together. 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.
Am I the only one with tears in the eyes? I so much love all these animals that I feel I burst.
[Peter Dennis is a marvelous narrator.]
June 8, 2023
Just as charming and endearing as the first book. Episodic chapters again. Tigger is introduced in this one. More delightful characterization.
There's several references to stories from the first book, so I'd advise reading them in order.
It's hard to separate my impression of the books from my childhood experiences with the Disney animations. But the illustrations are all their own. Surprising how much they resemble Milne's stuffed animals.
The illustrations and typesetting make the book. I read the 1961 Dutton edition which includes the original art by E. H. Shepard.
Quotes:
"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"And he has a Brain."
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."
There's several references to stories from the first book, so I'd advise reading them in order.
It's hard to separate my impression of the books from my childhood experiences with the Disney animations. But the illustrations are all their own. Surprising how much they resemble Milne's stuffed animals.
The illustrations and typesetting make the book. I read the 1961 Dutton edition which includes the original art by E. H. Shepard.
Quotes:
"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"And he has a Brain."
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."
January 23, 2019
Tigger time. Can't touch this!!
.
The bouncing tiger enters the world of Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit etc. and their world changes for ever. This volume sees the origin of Pooh Sticks, some fantastic Pooh 'hums' and a wondrous parting of ways in the final chapter. Every child should have this read to them. 9 out of 12.
.
The bouncing tiger enters the world of Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit etc. and their world changes for ever. This volume sees the origin of Pooh Sticks, some fantastic Pooh 'hums' and a wondrous parting of ways in the final chapter. Every child should have this read to them. 9 out of 12.
December 29, 2018
Adorable book. Love the cute illustrations, which fit perfectly with the way the stories are told.
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