PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
A.A. Milne grew up in a school - his parents ran Henley House in Kilburn, for young boys - but never intended to be a children's writer. Pooh he saw as a pleasant sideline to his main career as a playwright and regular scribe for the satirical literary magazine, Punch. Writing was very much the dominant feature of A.A. (Alan Alexander)'s life. He joined the staff of Punch in 1906, and became Assistant Editor. In the course of two decades he fought in the First World War, wrote some 18 plays and three novels, and fathered a son, Christopher Robin Milne, in 1920 (although he described the baby as being more his wife's work than his own!). Observations of little Christopher led Milne to produce a book of children's poetry, When We Were Very Young, in 1924, and in 1926 the seminal Winnie-the-Pooh. More poems followed in Now We Are Six (1927) and Pooh returned in The House at Pooh Corner (1928). After that, in spite of enthusiastic demand, Milne declined to write any more children's stories as he felt that, with his son growing up, they would now only be copies based on a memory. In one way, Christopher Robin turned out to be more famous than his father, though he became uncomfortable with his fame as he got older, preferring to avoid the literary limelight and run a bookshop in Dartmouth. Nevertheless, he published three volumes of his reminiscences before his death in 1996.
'Winnie-the-Pooh has always been a very special (albeit funny old) bear, not least of all because his books are filled with wonderful words of wisdom.', Stylist magazine '... a masterpiece in children's literature ... reflects the power of a child's imagination like no other.', The Independent 'Winnie-the-Pooh is packed full of timeless wisdom and words that will resonate with you whatever your age.', The Independent Named as a classic 'every child should own and read', International Business Times UK Named #1 UK's favourite children's book, The Daily Mirror (YouGov market research) 'With a rich storytelling heritage, the adventures of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood represent friendship, simple joys and the curious and gentle nature of a child's imagination.', Vintage Explorer Winner of Best Classic Children's Book at the Junior Design Awards 2016 Winnie-the-Pooh named #1 character in children's literature #4 in Top 100 Children's Books, Junior #15 in 100 Best Children's Books, TimeOut Named as one of David McKee's best books, The Daily Express Named by Roopa Farooki as 'The children's book I wish I'd written', Books For Keeps Included in Kate Humble's 'Books That Changed My Life', Readers Digest Winnie-the-Pooh: The Complete Collection of Stories and Poems by A.A.Milne was named #1 in a list of the 20 Greatest Mental Health Books, Happiful magazine Steve Hogarty said about Winnie-the-Pooh: The Complete Collection of Stories and Poems: 'Lovingly illustrated by E.H.Shepard, the stories of Pooh and his pals are sure to delight little readers and even younger listeners, as they did me.', The Independent
