This was a very cozy present that I received for Christmas. There’s good reason for why these tales and poems are still being enjoyed almost a hundred years after their publication. Author A. A. Milne and artist E. H. Shepard, both born in London, worked together to produce a fine piece of children’s literature. An idea thought up by his wife, Milne based his Winnie the Pooh books on his son and the collection of stuffed animals that he owned. Like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, he was a WW1 veteran who had previously signed up to serve his country in time of war. While Shepard himself did not fight in the war, his son would die in WW2 and his daughter would later make a name for herself as the artist for the Mary Poppins series.
The book is divided into two parts. The first consists of the stories of Winnie the Pooh. These make up the first 344 pages. The latter, which reaches up to pg 577, is composed of Milne’s poems and their accompanying artwork. Only a few of these have anything to do with Winnie the Pooh, but they are still charming nonetheless. Anybody with a heart for childlike fun and innocence will enjoy this read. The artwork is beautiful.
One of the most touching parts of this edition is found in the short biographies of Milne and Shepard. Milne wrote:
When I am gone
Let Shepard decorate my tomb,
And put (if there is room)
Two pictures on the stone;
Piglet from page a hundred and eleven
And Pooh and Piglet walking (157)…
And Peter, thinking that they are my own,
Will welcome me to heaven.
The last photo that I have added to this post (Piglet blowing on a dandelion) is the first one that Milne wanted on his tomb. The second picture he wanted depicts Pooh and Piglet walking side-by-side towards a warm orange and red sunset.
Good man that he was, Milne also made sure to thank his wife for her part in the creation of the Winnie the Pooh universe. In the beginning of House at Pooh corner, is written:
You gave me Christopher Robin, and then
You breathed new life in Pooh.
Whatever of each has left my pen
Goes homing back to you.
My book is ready, and comes to greet
The mother it longs to see –
It would be my present to you my, my sweet,
If it weren’t your gift to me.
I am currently enjoying my President’s Week holiday in my comfy backyard. I hear songbirds at a distance and my Husky/Malamute is lying at my side. Meanwhile, the apple and peach trees are just beginning to bloom. Pink and white flowers are decorating the landscape. From this cozy corner of the world, I wish you all a happy Thursday! Happy reading everyone!
by Effective_Reach_9289