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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
Viciously philosophical on the one hand -- not in some easy, allegorical way; but as a crazy, fully-loaded assault on every strain of ethics in the world. Yet on the other hand it's kind, tender, irrepressible, exactly the thing to narrate quietly in someone's ear as they fall asleep. That split is amazing, and it's matched by all the gusto, charm, and oddity of a great, classical-seeming British children's book. Each chapter is wondrously self-contained yet at the same time wholly indebted to the whims and peculiarities of A.A. Milne's real-life son/the peculiarities of each stuffed animal… It's a hilarious and magical ambiguity.
This book was so adorable and hilarious! The children and I all LOVED this read-aloud!
I think everyone has heard the name Winnie-the-Pooh at some point. I even remember watching the TV show when I was younger (but not for long).
However, I'm one of those people who never got to read the book as a kid and I only rediscovered it now while catching up with all the classics I've missed out on.
So I found this all-in-one volume online and had to have it since it not only contains all the stories but also has the original illustrations by Ernest Howard Shepard.
I have to say, this book is especially delightful because it contains lots of information about the author and illustrator and I always love learning about the interconnectedness of the literary world.
In this case, we learn that the author A.A. Milne had a son called Christopher Robin who was his inspiration.
His son's first toys were a stuffed bear, pig, donkey and tiger - the animals that formed this story. The name for the bear, in part, comes from a she-bear that was kept at London Zoo that Christopher Robin loved to visit (there is a great movie about it called A Bear Named Winnie with Michael Fassbender - I love it although I always cry)! And the story was only ever published thanks to Mrs. Milne!
We also learn that E.H. Shepard's daughter Mary is the illustrator of the Mary Poppins books and that E.H. Shepard became so famous for his Winnie Pooh illustrations that he was commissioned to do the original ones for The Wind in the Willows as well!
In fact, A.A. Milne loved the illustrations so much that he wrote the following tribute to E.H. Shepard:
The book itself is divided into two parts:
1) Winnie-the-Pooh, containing the Introduction by the author and 10 stories
and
2) The House At Pooh Corner, consisting of A Contraditction and 10 more stories.
Before the Introduction, there is another dedication, this time to Mrs. Milne:
It's these little things that make this edition so special and precious because it allows us a glimpse at who the author was. To think that both A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard served in World War I (and Shepard losing his first-born, a son, in Word War II) and yet managed to still be kind and gentle and creative and inspiring ... to me they radiate a certain brightness I did not expect from survivors of a World War.
I don't think there is much I need to say about the stories themselves.
Pooh is the "silly old bear" who often gets into trouble or is just clumsy, while being surrounded by a marvellous cast of friends that are all distinct and lovely and funny.
The stories are heart-warming but also have a deeper meaning as one can only unlock while growing up. That is what makes these tales so important - to get the stories read to you by a parent when you are little, enjoying the sillyness and coziness of it all; then keep reading or re-reading them when you get older and discover another layer and some hidden messages.
To me, these are timeless and absolutely essential.
And here are my two absolute favourites (although I could quote almost the entire book here):
However, I'm one of those people who never got to read the book as a kid and I only rediscovered it now while catching up with all the classics I've missed out on.
So I found this all-in-one volume online and had to have it since it not only contains all the stories but also has the original illustrations by Ernest Howard Shepard.
I have to say, this book is especially delightful because it contains lots of information about the author and illustrator and I always love learning about the interconnectedness of the literary world.
In this case, we learn that the author A.A. Milne had a son called Christopher Robin who was his inspiration.
His son's first toys were a stuffed bear, pig, donkey and tiger - the animals that formed this story. The name for the bear, in part, comes from a she-bear that was kept at London Zoo that Christopher Robin loved to visit (there is a great movie about it called A Bear Named Winnie with Michael Fassbender - I love it although I always cry)! And the story was only ever published thanks to Mrs. Milne!
We also learn that E.H. Shepard's daughter Mary is the illustrator of the Mary Poppins books and that E.H. Shepard became so famous for his Winnie Pooh illustrations that he was commissioned to do the original ones for The Wind in the Willows as well!
In fact, A.A. Milne loved the illustrations so much that he wrote the following tribute to E.H. Shepard:
When I am gone
Let Shepard decorate my tomb,
And put (if there is room)
Two pictures on the stone;
Piglet from page a hundred and eleven
And Pooh and Piglet walking (157) ...
And Peter, thinking that they are my own,
Will welcome me to heaven.
The book itself is divided into two parts:
1) Winnie-the-Pooh, containing the Introduction by the author and 10 stories
and
2) The House At Pooh Corner, consisting of A Contraditction and 10 more stories.
Before the Introduction, there is another dedication, this time to Mrs. Milne:
To Her
Hand in hand we come
Christopher Robin and I
To lay this book in your lap.
Say you're surprised?
Say you like it?
Say it's just what you wanted?
Because it's yours -
Because we love you.
It's these little things that make this edition so special and precious because it allows us a glimpse at who the author was. To think that both A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard served in World War I (and Shepard losing his first-born, a son, in Word War II) and yet managed to still be kind and gentle and creative and inspiring ... to me they radiate a certain brightness I did not expect from survivors of a World War.
I don't think there is much I need to say about the stories themselves.
Pooh is the "silly old bear" who often gets into trouble or is just clumsy, while being surrounded by a marvellous cast of friends that are all distinct and lovely and funny.
The stories are heart-warming but also have a deeper meaning as one can only unlock while growing up. That is what makes these tales so important - to get the stories read to you by a parent when you are little, enjoying the sillyness and coziness of it all; then keep reading or re-reading them when you get older and discover another layer and some hidden messages.
To me, these are timeless and absolutely essential.
And here are my two absolute favourites (although I could quote almost the entire book here):
Se l'autore non avesse coltivato un animo introspettivo ed introverso, se non gli fosse nato il figlio Christopher Robin e se lui e la propria moglie non gli avessero dato in regalo degli amici di pezza, chissà quando sarebbe stata scritta quest'opera tuttora celebre... Forse, non sarebbe mai nata!
Fin dalle primissime pagine, si presentano le intenzioni dello scrittore, si dà visione dei luoghi dei racconti, si delineano le dinamiche e le curiosità di questi amici di pezza (e non).
La traduzione è pressoché fedele al testo originale e si discosta dalle scelte della traduzione italiana della Disney: Pimpi è Porcelletto (Piglet), Tappo è Coniglio (Rabbit), Ih-Oh è Isaia (Eeyore), Uffa è Gufo (Owl). La psicologia e la personalità dei personaggi emergono principalmente nella ricchezza dei dialoghi, tra l'altro, realistici. Le illustrazioni sono intimiste, semplici ed essenziali nel tratto. Geniale il fatto che ci siano diversi livelli di narrazione e che si sovrappongano il mondo reale e quello immaginario, richiamandosi l'uno con l'altro!
Libro che suscita molta tenerezza, con tocchi di ironia e di sarcasmo qua e là.
Fin dalle primissime pagine, si presentano le intenzioni dello scrittore, si dà visione dei luoghi dei racconti, si delineano le dinamiche e le curiosità di questi amici di pezza (e non).
La traduzione è pressoché fedele al testo originale e si discosta dalle scelte della traduzione italiana della Disney: Pimpi è Porcelletto (Piglet), Tappo è Coniglio (Rabbit), Ih-Oh è Isaia (Eeyore), Uffa è Gufo (Owl). La psicologia e la personalità dei personaggi emergono principalmente nella ricchezza dei dialoghi, tra l'altro, realistici. Le illustrazioni sono intimiste, semplici ed essenziali nel tratto. Geniale il fatto che ci siano diversi livelli di narrazione e che si sovrappongano il mondo reale e quello immaginario, richiamandosi l'uno con l'altro!
Libro che suscita molta tenerezza, con tocchi di ironia e di sarcasmo qua e là.
I read and reviewed the two volumes in this separately, so this is really just for my own records. The 4 star rating is an average, rounded up: the original Winnie the Pooh is hilarious and I gave it 4 stars, while The House at Pooh Corner is less impressive. Don't get me wrong, it's still enjoyable, but it's not as funny and it trips a little closer to the cutesy line than its predecessor. I gave it 3 stars, so 3.5 to the both of them together.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
