Three Cheers for Pooh

In 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh, a collection of stories about a rather stout, somewhat confused bear, was published in England and America. The enchanting tales of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin, and the others were an immediate success, and firmly established A. A. Milne, already an acclaimed dramatist, as a major author of children's books.

Ernest H. Shepard's brilliant illustrations were based on real toys owned by Milne's son Christopher Robin. The artist visited Cotchford Farm, the Milne country home in Sussex, where he sketched the child, the stuffed animals, and the surrounding countryside.

The world of Winnie-the-Pooh is as popular today as when it was first created. The book has appeared in twenty-one languages, among them Hebrew, Afrikaans, Esperanto, and Latin.

Here are the beloved stories of Pooh stuck in Rabbit's doorway, of gloomy Eeyore and his nearly forgotten birthday, of playing Poohsticks on the bridge and so many more. Elegant yet simple, whimsical yet wise, these classic stories shall forever be treasured.

Title: Winnie the Pooh
Author: A. A. Milne
Illustrator: E. H. Shepard
Published: 1926
Publisher: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Pages: 192
Genre: Children-Classics

A. A. Milne’s stories about a chubby little stuffed bear named Winnie the Pooh have been favorites of children and adults alike ever since they were first published over 80 years ago as stories in a newspaper. After so many people expressed such interest in Milne’s characters he wrote more and then adapted his already published stories into one book.

Pooh’s stories continued in The House at Pooh Corner and they have been adapted as Disney movies such as well. The Disney Company has produced tons of movies and cartoons that feature Pooh and his friends like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and just about every other has some basis on the original material.

For some reason I had never read any of A. A. Milne’s books but I was still familiar with all of the Pooh stories because of the Disney adaptations. I really liked the author’s writing styles but I guess I’m so spoiled on the versions of his characters that I kept finding their personalities odd. They aren’t all sweet, cuddly characters, sometimes they’re almost like little children themselves. Especially Pooh and Piglet!

A man named E. H. Shepard had done some illustration work before for Mr. Milne so he got the job of doing the artwork for Winnie the Pooh, making him one of the most famous children’s illustrators ever. As with every hugely successful artist though, he never was able to get away from his creation and it overshadowed all of his other work. We actually have him to thank for the Disney version of Pooh and his friends we all know and love today.

Wikipedia has great articles on the book, author, and the character of Pooh himself. I found a fan page that has many links to various Pooh subjects like a virtual tour of the real Poohsticks Bridge, games, wallpapers, and biographies of the author and illustrator. This is the complete book and I wrote a post on the Disney movie The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh over on my other site.