Winnie - The – Pooh Favourite Stories

Winnie - The – Pooh Favourite Stories by A. A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (Egmont)

HC RRP $9.99

ISBN 9780603562099

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Favourite Stories is a collection of eight delightful, frequently read stories from Winnie-the-Pooh’s life.  In each we visit a scene where every day is an opportunity for adventure and exploration. The endearing characters and their antics always bring laughter and thought into the life of the reader.  At the end there is a collection of all Pooh’s poems – nonsensical or otherwise - used in the book.

In A House is Built on Pooh Corner, Piglet and Pooh find a pile of wood in the forest and decide to build a house for Eeyore to shelter him through the chilly winter months, not realising that the pile of wood is his house, which brings hilarious outcomes from good intentions.

 Tigger Comes to the Forest, sees the bouncy one’s arrival at the forest.  He meets all the other characters and goes on a voyage of discovery to ascertain which foods he likes and dislikes with a lot of adventures in between.

 Pooh Invents a New Game shows Pooh on the banks of a river, throwing pine cones into the water and choosing which one the tide will bring first towards him. He sees something decidedly like Eeyore floating with his legs in the air. It’s a challenge to get him out of the river but more so, to understand how he got there in the first place.

Tiger is Unbounced brings focus on the stripy one for his constant bouncing is creating problems. The friends have decided on a way to humble the springy one and unbounce him. But their plan backfires in a strange and entertaining way.

These are only a brief overview of a few of the entertaining stories. It is the lessons learned that make them so endearing to young and older readers. The characters are always optimistic. They are able to solve most problems either alone or together, and their lack of education and general  knowledge doesn’t seem to hinder them at all through their problem-solving. They have a strong sense of loyalty towards one another and although they continue to get into difficult situations, they see each experience as an adventure and an opportunity for fun. Each friend has a close relationship to the natural world and they spend as much time as possible outdoors enjoying all kinds of weather.

The book is illustrated in the original coloured illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard with the jacket an identical copy of the book cover, both of which are a soft lime green. This is a compact and well-priced hardcover that will be treasured by any owner.