Book Review: The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that there is nothing to be concerned
about here, and much to celebrate. This gentle vision of
growing up with love and imagination has moved generations and
is a touchstone in many adult lives. Parents should also know
that this is very different from the garish, noisy, and
commercialized Disney versions of late, and that the reading
and language levels are much higher than the Disney cartoons
might indicate.
Families can talk about making up stories about their own toys. What adventures do you and your toys have? Kids and parents may want to write them down together and draw pictures to go with them. If kids have seen the TV show and movies, how are they different from this book?
Common Sense Media Review
A long time ago there was a time when small children,
instead being shuttled between state test preparation, video
games, and adult-organized sports, lived in a world of
imaginative play, mostly free of adult interference. And adults
not only allowed this, they encouraged it. And great artists
were inspired by it. Carroll had
Wonderland,
Barrie had
Neverland
-- and A. A. Milne had Christopher Robin and the 100 Acre
Wood.
For generations, the four Pooh books, two of prose stories, and two of poetry, were the delight of children and adults; a treasure of English literature. In fact, many consider the last chapter to be the most gorgeous, perfectly bittersweet depiction of the end of early childhood ever put on paper. The kindly wisdom depicted in the peaceful adventures of Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, and others, all overseen by the wise and thoughtful Christopher Robin, tickled the fancies and warmed the hearts of millions.
But then Disney's animated treatment convinced far too many that Pooh was really only for very little children, and for many families the original books dropped off their radar. But the originals, as thick as novels and filled with clever language and sophisticated humor, are a delight at any age, wonderful as read-alouds, and a challenge for young readers.
The gentle stories hark back to a gentler time, when children had time to do nothing, which "means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering." The poems, about "Bad King John" and "The King of Peru" and "The Knight Whose Armor Didn't Squeak," are some of the cleverest and wittiest poetry ever written for children. And all of it, poetry and prose, is perfectly matched in tone by Shepard's delicate line drawings.
This edition combines all four books into one large volume, which may be fine for reading aloud, but is too heavy and bulky for small hands to handle on their own for long without tiring. For them it might be better to seek out the original four-volume set at used bookstores and libraries.
But whatever you do, don't let your children miss out on one of the great works of children's literature. And, if at all possible, expose them to the original books before the movies, TV shows, toys, and movie tie-in books have a chance to spoil it for them.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
