The Pooh Story Book [Paperback]

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. The Pooh Story Book was one of her picks.

I started reviewing books from this perspective many months ago. I am both glad and sad to report that this is the last recommendation from our daughter. I hope you have found her picks to be rewarding for your family.

This book contains three stories from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh corner. Because the stories are from the original material and have the fine illustrations that all love, they are first class in every sense.

But because they come out of context from the books, you'll need to fill you child in a little about who Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and the others are. If that means that you have not yet read these two books, this will be a good excuse for you to do so. Many people have seen cartoons or excerpts from the books, but fewer and fewer read them. That's a shame, because they are among the best of all books for children in the 4-6 age group.

For these stories, it is important to remember that Winnie-the-Pooh has a small brain which can only do so much thinking. But he has a wonderful heart, and is always helping others. His small brain often turns up solutions that exceed the bigger brains of others.

The first story is "In Which a House Is Built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore." Pooh and Piglet realize that everyone has a house except Eeyore, who must sleep in the field. They decide to do something about it . . . with humorous complications that turn out all right in the end. The moral of the story is that favors depend on your perspective. You can follow up on this story by explaining how miscommunications happen, and how to avoid them.

The second story is "In Which Piglet Is Entirely Surrounded by Water." This is one of my favorite sections from Winnie-the-Pooh and involves a fictional equivalent of Noah's flood. Piglet is about to be flooded out of his tree-based house by rising water, and seeks to be rescued. He sends out a note in a bottle, which creates Pooh-based complications.

The third story is "In Which Pooh Invenets a New Game and Eeyore Joins In." This story captures the innocence and openness of children to create their own play. Pooh notices that the pine cone he accidentally drops into the river is pulled down by the current. He soon makes a game out of guessing which item he drops (usually sticks) will come down stream the fastest. Soon all of his friends start to play. Then, something unexpected shows up in the river! The rest of the story will keep you laughing and smiling for hours.

May your life be filled with Winnie's wonderful stories and songs, and your heart be lightened by them!

Be sure these stories become part of the loving heritage of your family by reading them to your children and grandchildren and passing them along to your great grandchildren.