I usually have a plan for my Wednesdays @ West posts, but often times something intervenes that convinces me that it’s important to change that plan.  For example, last month one of my days to post coincided with Pearl Harbor Day.  Free For All couldn’t ignore such a historic day, so I scrapped my original post idea and wrote about that.  Today, I planned to continue the series on hygge and write about some cozy winter crafts.  But when Facebook informed me this morning that it is National Winnie-the-Pooh Day, I knew another change was in order.

January 18th is the annual day set aside to honor our favorite wise bear and his creator,  A.A. Milne.  Today is Milne’s birthday and so a fitting day to celebrate the bear with a small brain that he bequeathed the world.  If you, like me, consider this an occasion worth marking, I offer you the following books to help you honor Pooh.

The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne.  If you’d like to start your celebration with the author’s original works, I would recommend this volume.  It has lovely illustrated versions of Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner and two of Milne’s collections of poetry, When We Were Very Young and Now We are Six.  There are, of course, many retellings, adaptations and spin-offs available that feature Pooh and his friends, but I’m a bit of a purist, so I’d urge you to stick to the originals.

Finding Winnie: the true story of the world’s most famous bear by Lindsay Mattick.  I don’t know about you, but I love to discover the stories that inspired my favorite works of literature, particularly children’s literature.  And Winnie-the-Pooh has a back story that is as charming as Milne’s tales.  This picture book was written by the granddaughter of the owner of the real Winnie.  To hear the author discuss this book and share a few facts about the story, watch this video:

 

Benjamin Hoff is the author of my two favorite books about Winnie-the-Pooh.  The first is The Tao of Pooh. If you are under the (very mistaken) impression that Pooh is only a story for children, this book will set you straight.  Hoff takes the Chinese philosophy of Taoism and shows how Winnie-the-Pooh is no ordinary children’s book character, but is, in fact, a living example of wisdom laid out by Lao-tzu in his classic work, The Tao Te Ching.  But never fear, this is no dry work of philosophy.  Hoff’s writing style, like Milne’s, never takes itself too seriously and yet it offers wonderful insight into Taoism, Pooh and a Way of living that advocates a return to balance.

Every true Winnie-the-Pooh fan has a favorite character.  For me, it’s Piglet.  Benjamin Hoff has also seen something special in Pooh’s best friend, for he wrote a follow-up to The Tao of Pooh entirely devoted to this creature, who may be small in statue, but not in heart. Actually, as Hoff contends in The Te of Piglet, while Pooh may be the epitome of the overall Way, it is Piglet who best illustrates a foundational Taoist principle, the Way of the Small.  In a world where we glamorize the Big and Important, it never hurts to be reminded of the power  and honor of the Small.

One of the lovely things about the original Winnie-the-Pooh tales is how the Hundred Acre Woods truly comes to life.  It is so real a place that it didn’t surprise me at all to learn that Milne was inspired by a real place: Ashdown Forest.  If you are more a naturalist than a philosopher, The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh by Kathryn Aalto will be the perfect read for you.  Aalto not only traces how Milne was inspired by Ashdown Forest, but she also provides an in-depth guide to the flora and fauna of this lovely English destination.

Pooh is not the only character of Milne’s who was inspired by real life.  I would be remiss if I did not mention the wonderful Christopher Robin, who Milne based on his own son, Christopher.   I’ve always imagined that being the child of a famous children’s author would ensure a truly magical child (imagine the bedtime stories!), but, of course, the truth is more complicated.  Christopher Milne candidly shared his memories of life with his famous father in his autobiography The Enchanted Places.  This child who is forever immortalized in Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner lived such an intriguing life, he even inspired author Douglas Lain to further fictionalize his childhood in the novel, Billy Moon.

While I may find it hard to believe, there may be a few of you out there who do not understand the inherent appeal of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Tigger and Kanga.  For those of you, I offer this thought.  I believe that much of our attachment to book characters from our childhood stems from the fact that while this time in our life can and should be magical and memorable, it can also be lonely at times.  But for a young reader, we have certain companions who travel along with us on our journey.  For many of us, one of those faithful and dear companions was and is Winnie-the-Pooh.

Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,

There’s always Pooh and Me.

Whatever I do, he wants to do,

“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:

“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.

Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.

“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.

-“Us Two” by A.A. Milne