Children's Classics ::: A.A. Milne

The timing of this week's Children's Classics post is perfect for us ... you see, we are about one chapter away from finishing our first A.A. Milne book! We've been working our way through Winnie-the-Pooh during our lunchtime read-aloud.

I had never read the original Winnie-the-Pooh. We have read a few versions of the classic tale (and several Disney storybooks with the modern Pooh illustrations) but, having now read the original, they don't even compare. The original story is so clever and very, very funny. To me, it's like those old episodes of The Muppet Show. The humor is definitely geared towards a small child - a bear and small pig in a forest having adventures - however, the subtle humor will make it very enjoyable for an adult.

My favorite chapter in Winnie the Pooh is the one where Rabbit, Pooh and Piglet set about to kidnap Roo. Kanga and Roo have been introduced to the forest and the threesome are not sure about these new neighbors. They liked things the way they were, thankyouverymuch, and decide that if they kidnap Roo, then Kanga might leave. There was just one other thing: when Piglet was taking to Christopher Robin, he learned that a Kanga was "Generally Regarded as One of the Fiercer Animals." Piglet, in his timidity, went on to say that, of course,

"I am not frightened of Fierce Animals in the ordinary way, but it is well known that, if One of the Fiercer Animals is Deprived of Its Young, it becomes as fierce as Two of the Fiercer Animals. In which case 'Aha!' is perhaps a foolish thing to say."

For more reviews and thoughts on the writing of A.A. Milne head over to Five Minutes for Books. I definitely recommend this book - especially as a read-aloud - for your children. My girls are five, three and 21 months. The five year old follows along with the story quite well; the three year old has a little more trouble, but the fact that she is familiar with the characters from other books and a few videos has definitely helped.