I have had the two 'official' Pooh books, 'Winnie the Pooh' and 'The House a Pooh Corner' longer than I can remember, and I was therefore cautious about buying a modern sequel, and read it before giving it to my granddaughter, who is also a Pooh fan. The pictures were excellent, and so like those by E. H. Shepard that some of them were almost indistinguishable. The text however gave me pause. It was very like the original in many places but at the same time not quite there, and I have been trying to think exactly why. I think that it is danger of falling into the trap that has so completely engulfed the Disney offerings: namely it believes Pooh's own propaganda that he is a 'silly old bear' with only fluff for a brain, whereas in fact in his own inimitable way he is the wisest one in the whole compass of the books, Christopher Robin only sometimes excepted.
Also the text seems to view the characters of Piglet, Rabbit, Wol etc, and even Pooh himself from the outside and at a distance, rather than entering into their minds. I realize, of course, that time has moved on since we left Pooh and Piglet playing on top of the forest, and a slightly more adult view is required, both from the point of view of Christopher Robin and from the point of view of the reader. However, knowing how I view the original books and also how I view my own stuffed toys (which I still have although I am now aged 65), I still think that David Benedictus has not shot his arrow quite true. He has missed the bullseye by a fraction, but only a fraction, and not by enough to prevent me from wrapping up his offering lovingly and sending it to my granddaughter (aged 5). I shall be interested to hear her opinion.
Malcolm Dunstall
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