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Last week, I reviewed Should Have Told You Sooner by Jane Ward, a book with one of my favorite plots — an American visits England.

Book: Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
Genre: Children’s fiction
Publisher: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc
Publication date: 1961, originally 1926

Source: My personal library

Summary: Winnie-the-Pooh is a collection of related short stories about the adventures of Christopher Robin, his bear named Winnie-the-Pooh, and their friends in the 100 Aker Woods. They track woozles, discover the North Pole, and hold a birthday party for Eeyore.

This book was originally published on October 14, 1926. So, we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary next week!

The New York Public Library’s Rare Book Division owns the original stuffed animals that Christopher Robin played with during his childhood. NYPL has gone all in on celebrations this year.

A highlight of events at NYPL was a visit from Queen Camilla. She came bearing a very special gift — a replica of Roo, who had been lost from the original collection sometime in the 1930s.

Thoughts: I pulled out the copy of Winnie-the-Pooh that was in my family’s collection of books when I was a child.

I remembered the first story, about Winnie-the-Pooh attempting to procure some honey by pretending to be a cloud, and the story about hunting Heffalumps. I think those were my dad’s two favorite stories. Dad was the adult in our house who most frequently read books to children.

I was surprised by how much of this book contains humor for the adult reading the stories aloud to children. If you don’t remember how funny this book is (I didn’t!), I recommend re-reading it, now.

I’ve been reading these stories to a four-year-old. The humor sails over their head. The characters are amusing to a young child but the plots are obscure. Winnie-the-Pooh proved to be the perfect pre-nap book because it’s just interesting enough to grab attention and just calming enough to welcome naptime.

Appeal: Read Winnie-the-Pooh to revisit your childhood memories or create them for the children in your life.