Like most people who grew up in the 70′s and 80′s, my first real knowledge of Winnie-the-Pooh was from Disney. My only real experience with Pooh, and all his wonderful friends, was either seeing them in cartoon form or meeting them at Walt Disney World. But i always had a desire to meet them in their natural habitat…in the pages of A. A. Milne’s classic book named after his iconic character, Winnie, called Pooh.
Original Winnie the Pooh stuffed toys. Clockwise from bottom left: Tigger, Kanga, Edward Bear (aka Winnie-the-Pooh), Eeyore, and Piglet.
Winnie is a bear that belongs to Christopher Robin, named after Milne’s son, Christopher Robin Milne. You also meet Poohs friends Piglet, Owl, Eeeyore, Kanga, and Roo. You probably know these characters, but unless you’ve read the books, you have no idea of who they really are.
You read all of Pooh’s exploits and adventures throughout the 1000 Acre wood through the stories told to a son by his father. The stories are simple, lovely, and enduring. The animal friends tend to be a little mischievous and sometimes very simple in thought, but they are all good animals who only wish to enjoy being together.
And like most great literature, there are lessons to be learned on many levels. I will read these stories over again, and when I have children, I will introduce them to that simple Old Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. Won’t you pick up a copy of the book and join me an adventure? Make sure you bring some honey!
