Review: Winnie-the-Pooh

Title: Winnie-the-Pooh
Author: A. A. Milne
# of Pages: 161
Published: January 3, 2006 (first publication 1926)
Publisher: Penguin Young Reader Group
Rating: 5/5

A/N: I know what you're thinking: Why in the world would I be reading a children's novel at the age of 18. Well, next semester I have an English class called "Children's Literature," and one of the required readings is Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne. The latter is the final piece in the quartet of the Winnie-the-Pooh series; so, I decided it would be a good idea to read Winnie-the-Pooh first and get a feel for Milne's style and what his characters were like before embarking on the collection of poems in Now We Are Six.

***

Winnie-the-Pooh is a short collection of "stories" the author is telling his son, Christopher Robin, after the latter's request for stories about Pooh Bear, under the pretense of them being for Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin's stuffed bear's benefit. Thus the work is somewhat a story within a story as we hear a father creating tales for his son as well as the actual narrative and adventures of Pooh Bear.

There are 10 stories in all, most of which are fairly short and appropriate for the target audience. Each is fairly comical and completely endearing for children and adults alike. As the chapters go on, we are introduced to more friends in the 100 Acre Wood, and surprisingly have some defined character traits. It's also of my opinion that Milne exaggerates stereotypes of real people and crafts characters out of said stereotypes. For example, it is common knowledge that Eeyore is unhappy, gloomy, and pessimistic. I was quite surprised to find how exaggerated these character attributes were within Winnie-the-Pooh. Other examples include Owl, who believes himself to be all-knowing and wise when in fact he speaks quite a lot of nonsense, as well as Piglet who is overly frightened by everything. Children of course would doubtfully pick up on the mocking of people Milne creates, but it makes it a little more entertaining for older audiences.

The style of Milne's writing is of course appropriate for children to read or even listen to as a bedtime story or the like. He includes little rhymes and songs within each chapter/story which aid to keep young ones interested. They are also equally comical for older audiences, as I found myself smiling and even giggling out loud to Pooh Bear's songs of victory. Also by no means did I find this work "dumbed-down" or simplistic, therefore I would still consider it appropriate for all ages.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Winnie-the-Pooh. It is light and funny, entertaining and silly, but also has some depth older audiences may observe and appreciate. I award a 5/5 to Milne's classic tale for being quite a delightful read and timeless.