Winnie the Pooh [Paperback]

For various reasons I never had a chance to read Winnie-the-Pooh before, and when I finally got around it I discovered a truly charming and fun story. To say that this book is a classic of children's literature would be an understatement. In many respects this is one of the books in that genre that all others are inevitably compared to.

One thing that first impressed me with this book was the quality of writing. I had been familiar with illustrations of Winnie-the-Pooh and other characters form before, and always found them very charming. However, a big part of the enduring value of these characters comes from the text and the personality that they express in various situations throughout the book. Besides the title character, this is the book where we first come across Piglet, Eeyore, the Owl and all the other well known members of the Pooh lore.

One thing that I particularly liked about the writing was that even though it was clearly intended for the younger audience, the author was never condescending in what he had to say. Furthermore, the stories in this book deal with such enduring and simple themes that this book does not feel like it has aged at all since it had been written.

Unfortunately, despite a few hints to the contrary, we don't get any closer to finding out where did Winnie-the-Pooh get that peculiar name. I guess it will just be another one of those things that we have to take without questioning it further.

This is a fabulous, funny collection of stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. Every child needs this book, such a classic!

Many of the best stories written for children do not require children for a great read. The now undeniably classic 1926 "Winnie-the-Pooh" stands as an almost insurmountable paragon of its genre. And adults can enjoy it as much as kids. Even without kids. The short, and usually laugh out loud hilarious, stories feature a boy, Christopher Robin, and his gang of animated stuffed animals anthropomorphized in the classic childhood fashion. Most of the time no one really knows what's going on, but their improvisations and sometimes strange conclusions almost always turn out for the best. This should sound very familiar, especially to adults. We're basically making it all up as we go along, too, much like Pooh.

The first story differs greatly from the others in that most of it gets related through the author via first person to Christopher Robin directly. Other first person episodes pop up here and there, most notably at the very end (which shows that even children's books can use literary devices such as parallelism), but most of the stories contain the classic third person omniscent author. Pooh comes to life, much as Hobbes would decades later in the justly famous "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip, and then ultimately returns to stuffed form only to get dragged up the stairs, head bumping all the way.

After Pooh has a run in with some bees, which resulted from some interesting apiological diversionary tactics - none of which succeed - thought up by Christopher Robin and Pooh himself, Pooh then becomes stuck in Rabbit's hole. Rabbit thinks practically and uses his hind legs to hold towels. Next, Wozzle hunting becomes a lesson in circular logic. Piglet's excuse to leave the frightening hunt remains one of the funniest moments in the book. We've all done it, admit it. The perennial curmudgeon Eeyore then loses his tail, but Pooh locates it in a strange, but rather practical, place. Terrifying Heffalumps evade the Heffalump trap cleverly, or not so cleverly, placed by Pooh and Piglet. Moral: when trapping others we often trap ourselves. Eeyore's misery gets somewhat ameliorated by an exploded balloon and an empty honey bucket. Owl helps with the writing, sort of. And then strangers arrive, Kanga and Roo, to the dismay of Rabbit who plots to kidnap Roo and send them both packing. Piglet gets the worst of it after Kanga turns the tables on the gang and the newcomers get to stay. Next everyone goes on an "Expotition" to find the North Pole. Pooh happens to pick one up when rescuing Roo from a stream. Next, rain falls in torrents and Piglet finds himself trapped. Only a message in a bottle and an improvised umbrella save him (from the rain and Owl's stories). The collection closes with a party in Pooh's honor, though Eeyore thinks its for him but finds out its not after he delivers an abortive acceptance speech.

There's a reason this book has staying power and that it later inspired books on Taoism ("The Tao of Pooh" and "The Te of Piglet"): "Winnie-the-Pooh," seemingly only for children, is loaded with philosophical reflections on existence, logic, language and the human condition. Of course the stories can be enjoyed without noticing any of these hidden nuggets, but the overall attitude towards life they embrace adds an entire dimension to these innocent tales. And it makes them readable and enjoyable not only to children, but to adults (who probably need to read more these days anyway). For these reasons, and also for the awesome original drawings, this book will likely remain accessible to adults, with or without children, for a long time to come. How long? About as long as needed...