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Return to the Hundred Acre Wood
It was eighty years ago, on the publication of The House at Pooh Corner, when Christopher Robin said good-bye to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Now they are all back in new adventures, for the first time approved by the Trustees of the Pooh Properties. This is a companion volume that truly captures the style of A. A. Milne-a worthy sequel to The ...more
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published
October 5th 2009
by Dutton Juvenile
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Right from the title, this book got off on the wrong foot. If you want to follow Milne, then you should probably realize that Owl lives in the Hundred Acre Wood (or rather, did, before he lost his house and moved into Piglets, which is mentioned several times in this book as an attempt to reconnect readers with the original stories), and that everyone else lives in the Forest. The only person who could really return to the Hundred Acre Wood would be Owl, then, and he never does in this book.
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Понеже предпочитам да виждам Мечо Пух през очите на Ърнест Шепърд, вместо на компанията Дисни, нямаше как да бъда по-скептична към шума около Новата Книга за Мечо Пух, издадена точно 80 години след оригинала. Но така или иначе, намираше ми се вкъщи, затова днес я преполових набързо с голяма доза скептицизъм. Не я разбрах много тази работа с "О, Прасчо, чу ли, че Кристофър Робин се е върнал в Гората след 80 години. Колко ли много време са 80 години, а Прасчо?", при което момчето идва на...more
As many other reviewers have pointed out, this sequel by other hands both does and doesn't quite capture the essence and core of Milne's work. Milne's Pooh stories have always been very close to my heart, and the thought of a sequel attempting his style filled me with almost as much dread as the awful Disneyfied versions do - yet Benedictus does to a very admirable job, not only at capturing Milne's voice, and that of the characters, but also in not feeling afraid to branch out a bit, develop th...more
Mr. Benedictus and Mr. Burgess, you are to be congratulated! I expected this to be a stinker, and I was SO WRONG! The magic is NOT gone, but is most definitely right where we all left it, so long ago--right there waiting for all of us, in the Hundred-Acre Wood! The dialogue is so very Milne-ish, and the illustrations--I have to think E.S. would be pleased. I loved it all, even the chapter on cricket, which is a game I do not get at all. I am saddened at the few changes--but these are changes tha...more
Wasn't sure about this, there are some things that are sacrosanct and Pooh seemed to me to be one of them.
But it actually was better than expected. It is set during the summer holiday when CR has come home from school and has the air of those lazy days of summer childhod. Initially I thought it was trying too hard to be cute, but that sensation went away fairly quickly. The introduction of a new character allows him to be different from the original and cover new ground.
I wont spoil the ending...more
But it actually was better than expected. It is set during the summer holiday when CR has come home from school and has the air of those lazy days of summer childhod. Initially I thought it was trying too hard to be cute, but that sensation went away fairly quickly. The introduction of a new character allows him to be different from the original and cover new ground.
I wont spoil the ending...more
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This was a sweet book. Philosophical at times, and then laugh-out-loud funny. It wasn't horrible, it wasn't exceptional. It was a light read and Mr. Dale made the characters personalities captivating. I especially liked Lottie the Otter.
Of Jim Dale's performances, this wasn't my favorite, but then I've never been a big Winnie the Pooh fan. Christopher Robin is an extraordinary friend, one who makes all the animals feel good about themselves and what they can do no matter their l...more
Of Jim Dale's performances, this wasn't my favorite, but then I've never been a big Winnie the Pooh fan. Christopher Robin is an extraordinary friend, one who makes all the animals feel good about themselves and what they can do no matter their l...more
Even though it wasn't THE Winnie-the-Pooh this was a pleasant homage to the Milne/Shepard books. Christopher Robin has come home from school for the summer. He and his friends play a cricket test match, attempt to hold a spelling bee, learn that tigers come from Asia not Africa, and meet a new friend, Lottie the otter. My favorite story was "Rabbit Organizes Almost Everything" in which Rabbit tries to conduct a Census of the animals of the Hundred Acre Wood.
"A Census is ...more
"A Census is ...more
So this was a Christmas gift and I read it Christmas night and cried myself to sleep because I miss my cat. Thanks Mom.
Four stars because giving five to a Pooh sequel not written by the Milne himself is sort of sacrilegious, but this book gets far more right than it does wrong. The tone is there without being forced -- occasionally the dialogue is perhaps a little more on-point than Milne ever was, but I'm really nitpicking there. A new character is introduced with sort of a dumb nam...more
Four stars because giving five to a Pooh sequel not written by the Milne himself is sort of sacrilegious, but this book gets far more right than it does wrong. The tone is there without being forced -- occasionally the dialogue is perhaps a little more on-point than Milne ever was, but I'm really nitpicking there. A new character is introduced with sort of a dumb nam...more
Grace
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who loves Pooh and the gang!
Shelves:
unfinished
There were a heap of speling mistakes, but other than that it was good :)
The illustrations and characters are spot-on, quite an accomplishment for a writer and illustrator 80 years removed from the original. The only place the new work fell slightly short for me was in the humor. Most of it is right in line with Milne's style, but the original Pooh books have a poetic sort of humorous wordplay which the newest doesn't quite capture for me. That's a subtle nuance, though, and not a major flaw.
The new character, Lottie, was a pleasant surprise. As with ...more
The new character, Lottie, was a pleasant surprise. As with ...more
One day, some time ago, I heard the news
Benedictus is plotting some kind of a ruse!
New Winnie the Pooh? It simply can't be--
certainly no A.A. Milne was he!
As the day came round a bright blue book was bound,
with fanciful new tales covering old ground.
Mimicking a style Quite Unlike Any,
I braced for what could be a disappointment (or many).
But OH! the whimsy was there and abundant,
with characters shiny and new (not redundant).
H...more
Benedictus is plotting some kind of a ruse!
New Winnie the Pooh? It simply can't be--
certainly no A.A. Milne was he!
As the day came round a bright blue book was bound,
with fanciful new tales covering old ground.
Mimicking a style Quite Unlike Any,
I braced for what could be a disappointment (or many).
But OH! the whimsy was there and abundant,
with characters shiny and new (not redundant).
H...more
I think this was a brave effort. I was a bit suspicious of the idea of producing a sequel...how could the original books be improved and I was right: this isn't better but it is a good attempt. There are occasional glimpses of Milne's whimsy but at times the text is a bit too knowing for its own good. The illustrations are superb and there are moments that capture the original perfectly. The otter was an unnecessary edition but all in all a pleasant read that could well send me back to the...more
After eighty years, the gang (Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, and Eeyore) have some new adventures. They have a spelling bee, learn to play cricket, make a new friend, and generally have a wonderful time in the Hundred Acre Wood.
What I thought: This book was enchanting and delightful. I'm only sorry to say that it took eighty years to have a new Pooh book. Benedictus did such a good job with the stories. I wouldn't mind seeing another Pooh book by him. The illustration...more
What I thought: This book was enchanting and delightful. I'm only sorry to say that it took eighty years to have a new Pooh book. Benedictus did such a good job with the stories. I wouldn't mind seeing another Pooh book by him. The illustration...more
Growing up, I loved the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and all his Friends and Relatives in the Hundred Acre Wood. Eeyore was always my favorite, even though I can't recall any of the actual stories. I hesitated to pick this one up given that it's written by an author other than A.A. Milne, but though it would be fun to see some of those little critters on a new adventure. And it definitely was. I have read some criticism of the book - perhaps some of the characters are not as likeable as in the ...more
I read these new Pooh stories while I was home on Thanksgiving break. I laughed out loud more than once. My favorite story was the one with the spelling bee--I think I sympathize with Wol in some ways. It's been a long time since I've been exposed to the other Pooh stories, but my sense was that these are a worthy follow-up. Reading this also made me realize that I've never read the original Pooh books, only had them read to me. And that it is very fun to read Pooh books out loud.
Acting on a hot tip-off I spirited myself down to the library and persuaded a librarian to help me safely venture into the Children's section to retrieve this book.
I should have been younger to get the best out of it but it remains a very good book, one that captures the spirit of the originals rather than all that later Disney stuff.
I will probably be writing simple poems for sometime now and trying to remember to think of the simplest tasks as an adventure.
I should have been younger to get the best out of it but it remains a very good book, one that captures the spirit of the originals rather than all that later Disney stuff.
I will probably be writing simple poems for sometime now and trying to remember to think of the simplest tasks as an adventure.
Well done, but DB did more borrowing from Milne's ideas than adding many of his own. I enjoyed the book a lot, but I enjoyed it more for sentimental reasons of appreciating Pooh and Piglet than actually the book itself. Mostly, this tale made me want to go back and reread Milne's originals again, which is probably the main purpose of the story.
I might have given it 4 if there was more Tigger, but his only spotlight was when he got sick from eating too many blackberries.
I might have given it 4 if there was more Tigger, but his only spotlight was when he got sick from eating too many blackberries.
As professional fanfiction goes, this is beyond five stars. The author and the illustrator know their canon, but also know that if you don't take the characters somewhere new, what's the point of writing the story? As a Pooh story, I'd only give it three stars. The new character is accepted far too easily by the reclusive gang in the woods, and some of them seemed to have aged emotionally while Christopher was away. How would that be possible?
GraceAnne
added it
I cannot really rate this. It makes a really heartfelt attempt to capture the spirit of Pooh, but it is a little too twee, a little too didactic, a little too, well, not to be too zen about it, a little too Not-Pooh. The illustrations likewise reflect the originals bravely.
I do have to say that I loathe the new character, Lottie the Otter, who sounds too much like a maiden aunt when she isn't sounding like Lucy Van Pelt of Peanuts. Oh, Bother.
I do have to say that I loathe the new character, Lottie the Otter, who sounds too much like a maiden aunt when she isn't sounding like Lucy Van Pelt of Peanuts. Oh, Bother.
The inimitable Jim Dale brings the adventures of the friends in the Hundred Acre Wood to life in such a charming and enthralling way that I almost forgot that this wasn't an original Milne book. I don't know if I would have been as entranced if I had read the book instead of listening to this wonderful recording, but I think the adventures and characters are worthy successors to Pooh's original stories.
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood is a charming new set of stories about Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh and all their friends. I loved the originals as a child, my children loved the Disney versions, and I think Benedictus and illustrator Mark Burgess have done a great job adding to the magic. I’m not hoping for a whole series of sequels, but it is nice to renew the friendships every generation or so. Hip Hip Hooray.
All three stars go to the introduction and the story in which it never stops raining, which will go down as one of my favorite stories of all time for the last page alone. The rest of it felt sort of mumbled with a few glittery, bonafied Milne moments mixed in. The old stories are some of my favorites. Neither the artwork nor the words quite did them justice.
From my memories as a child with Winnie-the-Pooh, "The Return" picked up very well where we left off. It was like meeting an old friend again . . . more to learn, but plenty to reminisce about. I must say this is a truly delightful read. My hat is off to the author and illustrator taking on such an arduous task -- commendable. Mama Janet
Well, Rabbit wasn't_______, and then Piglet didn't ___________, and then Eeyore couldn't _________, and then Pooh was somehow not _______, and Christopher Robin seemed ____________. I can't quite put it into words, but neither could Benedictus. What was missing? I think I know. And I've written a book about it. (Looking for a publisher...)
benedictus is no milne, but who could be? after getting over the fact that it wasn't milne and sheppard, but rather in the tradition of them, i settled right into these charming stories, which pick up where the originals left off. i wasn't wild about the introduction of a new character, but all and all benedictus and burgess do pooh pretty proud.
A lot better than I expected. It's like the storytelling has grown up a bit but still in the style of the original. Some of the short stories are inspired like Cricket, and the Academy. It also covers the changes that happen when a child goes to school. A good read, totally respecting the original.
David Benedictus and Mark Burgess (and the Pooh Trustees and Dutton) did a wonderful job of recapturing the magic of A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the stories and Lottie is great addition to the cast of characters. And, the book itself is beautifully made. Very special indeed.
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This was a wonderful book. I do not think it was as good as the Original Milne books, but it did do a wonderful job at staying true to his writings. We would love to explore a little more of the 100 Acre Wood, and by excepting a new respectful author, we might just find ourselves there.
I read this book with my 5 y.o. and he enjoyed it, I am not a fan of Winnie the Pooh. The stories were cute, but sometimes I found myself saying, "REALLY???". I would have given it 2 stars, my son would have given it 4 so we met in the middle at 3.
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David Benedictus is an English-Jewish writer and theatre director, best known for his novels. His most recent work is the Winnie-the-Pooh novel Return to the Hundred Acre Wood (2009). It was the first such book in 81 years.
He was educated at Eton College, Oxford and the University of Iowa. His second novel, You're a Big Boy Now, was made into a 1966 feature film directed by Francis Ford Copp...more
More about David Benedictus...
He was educated at Eton College, Oxford and the University of Iowa. His second novel, You're a Big Boy Now, was made into a 1966 feature film directed by Francis Ford Copp...more
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