Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne

Disney's Pooh

Mild, gentle, genuine, funny. The Winnie-the-Pooh stories are wonderful. Somehow I feel that not much is going on and then find that much has. Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends roam through the hundred-acre woods exploring their world and their friendships. If there's a child inside you, give A.A. Milne's classics another read. If there's a child beside you, these stories are essential.

I read a compilation of the Pooh stories called A World of Winnie-the-Pooh, which contained all of the stories on my Eager Reader's list--and added in some poetry. It also included the original illustrations by E.H. Shepard, which are much more evocative and whimsical than the heavily delineated Disney versions with which we are over-familiar. (E. H. Shepard was an illustrator for Punch, which Milne wrote for.) However, this volume was over-sized and ran to more than 200 pages. It was heavy to hold and the line lengths were too long for the type size. I never felt comfortable while reading it. Loved the content. Hated the packaging.

E.H. Shepard's Pooh

It is impressive that these little characters--stuffed animals come to life--maintain their dignity and personhood through a range of adventures and problems. Their character flaws are accepted in a friendly way, mocked a little bit, but not seen as any barrier to affection. For example, Rabbit likes to organize. The friends go to him when they need organization. And then politely ignore him.

Pooh is presented as "the bear of very little brain," and is thought stupid by himself and the others (except for human boy Christopher Robin). Pooh's smart solutions to the jams he and his pals get in are considered cause for wonder. And they are all amazed that with such a small brain (or not brain at all), Pooh comes up with relevant poetry for every occasion. I can see how children, who are so often dismissed by older siblings and adults, would relate wonderfully to Pooh, who makes big mistakes with absolutely no malice aforethought. He maintains his integrity. Maybe little kids can also.

The stories are saturated with the loving kindness that Milne must have felt for his son (Christopher Robin Milne). He enters into the world of childhood with a light touch and an understanding of the seriousness of slight things and the slightness of serious things. The dialogue is plain old funny--through it each character is fully revealed. Eeyore: "It's snowing still... And freezing. However," he said brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."

I don't remember reading the Pooh books as a child. Somehow, though, they wafted into my consciousness. I knew about them long before I read them. I believe that I saw cartoons of them (probably the Disney movies) before I read the books. I remember very little of what I did read as a child. I don't have memories of being tucked into bed with a story. We did go to the library a lot and I knew that my oldest sister and my mom always brought home books and read them. I knew that Dad and Grandma read the newspaper every day.

Cabin in ice storm

The first real book I remember was a chapter book that I liked so much I checked it out over and over again--but I can't remember the title. It was a juvenile mystery about a group of middle-school-aged children (and adult chaperones) who got trapped in a cabin during an ice storm. And, of course, a criminal was on the loose. The ice storm gave a surreal survivalist feel to the book and the criminal put the children in just enough jeopardy for the reader to be thrilled without being terrified. If anyone knows the title of this book, let me know. I checked it out over and over again from the children's department at the Middletown Public Library in the mid to late 1960s.

I'm struggling to make this post longer, but there isn't that much to say about Winnie-the-Pooh. It is so straightforward and unaffected...no need to dig deeper than what it presents. Get it. Read it. Laugh with it, cry with it. Practice the forgiveness and acceptance it portrays. Enjoy.