Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne

“Once upon a time, a very long time ago, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest…”The world of Pooh is a world of enchantment. It is a world forever fixed in the minds and hearts of countless children — a world where Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and the others share unforgettable adventures with Christopher Robin.

Winnie-the-Pooh is filled with delight: Pooh goes hunting with Piglet, celebrates Eeyore’s birthday, and accompanies Christopher Robin and the others on an “Expotition” to the North Pole. Through it all, Pooh remains the whimsical philosopher and staunch friend, captivating children as he has for generations.

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Published October 1, 1926
Format: Hardcover library checkout; 145 pages
Classics/Children’s Lit
Also By This Author: The Red House Mystery, The Sunny Side, Two People
Goodreads | Amazon
My Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Thoughts:

I am frantically trying to catch up with my Classic’s Club challenge! I don’t know if I’m going to finish reading and reviewing 50 classics by the end of next year (I’m currently at 28), but I know I’ve definitely read at least that many classics, even if they weren’t on my list.

So, in a desperate attempt to catch up on my TBR classics list, in January I read the short but beloved children’s classic, Winnie the Pooh. Of course I used to watch the movies and TV series when I was younger, but I had never read any of the books! This seems to be a recurring travesty for me, since I also never read The Secret Garden or Peter Pan until only a year or two ago. I’m also experiencing the Emily of New Moon series by L. M. Montgomery for the first time, as part of a read-along from February through April. I’m VERY HAPPY that I discovered Anne of Green Gables at such a young age, but why did no one tell me about her literary sister, Emily?

Anyway, Winnie the Pooh was lovely and magical, as expected. I adored the naive and child-like humor of Pooh and his forest friends, and I was in a constant state of cheerfulness as I read about their adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.

The only dark cloud appeared when I did some quick Google research on the author, A. A. Milne, and his son, who was the inspiration for Christopher Robin. I was sad to discover that the Winnie the Pooh series and subsequent franchise was detrimental to their relationship, and that even A. A. Milne’s wife harbored some resentment towards their son over the fallout. It’s unfortunate that a beautiful and heartwarming universe such as Winnie the Pooh could be the cause of family strife in the author’s life.

Winnie the Pooh will still be a comforting and enjoyable series to me, but I’ll always be reading it with a different lens from now on.

Read This Book If…

…you are still a child at heart.
…you’re looking for a book that will make you feel joy.
…you’re a fan of classics.

Final Musings

Have you ever had a changed opinion over a book you loved after learning more about the author’s background and history?

4 thoughts on “Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne”

Great post! I can’t recall if I’d heard that about Milne’s relationship with Christopher Robin or not – but how sad. I love the Pooh books, though! Have you read any of the Flavia de Luce mysteries? The latest one involves an author and his son that are based on A.A. Milne and Christopher. Of course Flavia has her own take!

Maggie @ macarons & paperbacks

March 13, 2017 at 1:44 pm

I haven’t heard of those books! I’ll have to look into them :)

Reply

I haven’t read this classic, but I feel like it would give me a great sense of nostalgia for childhood. I want to pick it up! I’m also curious about Emily of New Moon – I need to read that too. I picked up Anne of Green Gables so late in life, and absolutely loved it, I’m sure Emily will be a wonderful read too.

Oh no! It’s so sad that Winnie is a little bit ruined now. I remember always being so enchanted with Judy Garland and her singing voice and her movies, and feeling really sad when I found out about her tragic demise. :-(

On Mar 13, 2017 8:04 AM, “macarons & paperbacks” wrote:

> Maggie @ macarons & paperbacks posted: ” “Once upon a time, a very long > time ago, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest…”The world of Pooh is a world > of enchantment. It is a world forever fixed in the minds and hearts of > countless children — a world where Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Piglet, > E” >