photo by cr9245 www.flickr.com
So, today’s my birthday, and I decided to remember a Timeless Thursday book that I had and loved as a child. I still remember my copy with a gold cover and how I wished Winnie, Piglet, and Eeyore would come alive out of my pages like they did on the Disney show. I had an old-fashioned Winnie-the-Pooh doll–maybe even a rip-off come to think of it because his colors were just not quite as bright as the ones in the photo here.
Why do we love Winnie-the-Pooh? Why has he stuck with us for years and years? Why do toddlers today know and love the face in the photo? I mean look at Winnie-the-Pooh–he’s a bear whose obsessed with honey, “a Bear of Very Little Brain” getting confused all the time, and a bear with some dysfunctional friends except for maybe Piglet and Kanga (heavy emphasis on MAYBE Piglet).
Could it be that Winnie-the-Pooh is also a bear who is a TRUE friend to all and has amazing adventures and is just plain cute as a button (inside and out)? Even though Eeyore is the most depressed animal I’ve ever seen (and who wouldn’t be with a tail held on with a nail), you have to love him–I mean, he’s sweet, right? And Tigger is that person in the morning who doesn’t even need coffee to be chipper, but don’t you always appreciate her when she’s there and smiling on even the dingiest winter days?
If you haven’t read Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne and have only seen cartoons or recent picture books, check out the original. Check it out with your children or your students. You’ll find information in this book to answer many of your questions about Christopher Robin and his friends with chapter titles such as: “In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Into a Tight Place,” or “In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting and Nearly Catch a Woozle,” or even “In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump.”
What can children learn from Winnie-the-Pooh? I think the biggest lesson to share or discussion you can have with children is friendship. The book is full of examples of what it means to be a true friend and how “real friends” interact with one another. Winnie-the-Pooh is an example of a community working together. Children won’t even realize these life lessons they’re learning because they’ll be having too much fun with Pooh. This is a great read-aloud book for primary grades.
Do you have fond memories of Pooh?
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