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184th out of 2,744 books
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4,935 voters
When We Were Very Young (The Winnie-the-Pooh Series #3)
Verses full of bubbling nonsense and rhythm, written for the author's son, Christopher Robin. It is for "very small children (and for their elders who get a surreptitious joy from what is meant for their little ones)."" -- Sunday Review, 1924
Hardcover, 100 pages
Published
October 31st 1988
by Dutton Juvenile
(first published 1924)
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When We Were Young by A. A. Milne is composed of endearing 44 poems for children. Some of these poems I thought I heard when I was a young boy in the Pacific island. But at that time, I neither had knowledge of who A. A. Milne was nor I did have any interest on English poems. What I and my friends were singing were local poems like the very funny ”Tong-tong-tong paketong-ketong/ Alimango sa dagat…” or the funnier ”Lumakad sya sa tubig, ang paa ay nabasa… Nguni’t ang kanyang *beep-beep* ay hindi...more
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Utterly charming and lovely--delightful rhythm, fun rhymes, and illustrations that fit it perfectly! This was my first introduction to A.A. Milne.
5 likes · like · see review
What a delightful little poetry book! I came across this by chance in the school’s old library a few days ago. I grew up with Winnie The Pooh, though I don’t see Disney rerunning any of the old episodes except only the occasional full length movie, it’s sad really.
Until lately I was unaware that the tales were originally written for Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, who had inspired them. Now if a father who had devoted writing little books of bouncing tigers and bossy rabbits and the likes for hi...more
Until lately I was unaware that the tales were originally written for Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, who had inspired them. Now if a father who had devoted writing little books of bouncing tigers and bossy rabbits and the likes for hi...more
This is a book of poetry written by the notable A.A Milne who is also the author of the well known children's stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin. I didn't know before this book that Christopher Robin is his son and that Pooh is Christopher's pet swan but her later changed it to a bear in the story. The poems are all fun and have great rhymes and rhythm to them. The rhythm in the poems really help children to get a better feeling for what poetry is and he uses all kinds of rhyming p...more
This book is great for children because it also has illustrations. I think it would be easy for the children to connect with poems from this book because it features Winnie the Pooh, who is a favorite of many children. Many of the poems tell stories of adventures which would hold the children's interest, however some of the poems are written in an older style, which would be a different type of language than the children are used to hearing and speaking. Another good aspect of the poems in this...more
There are some poems in here that I enjoyed. Admittedly one of them, "Disobedience," is mainly because of its association with Pamela Dean's Secret Country trilogy. But "Politeness" and "Daffydowndillies" are excellent. "Vespers" I have a soft spot for, but mainly because of its association with The Last Hot Time. (Having identified something as the probable source of a reference in something else always gives me a pleased-with-myself feeling.) "The Wrong House" is not without its charms. "The F...more
Jun 24, 2007
Susan Howson
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorite-childrens
Also know this one by heart. My poor future kids are going to have A. A. Milne rammed down their throats. "Can I please have some dinner?" "REPEAT 'JAMES JAMES MORRISON MORRISON'!!!"
Milne, A.A. When We Were Very Young (1924)
As books begin to show their age, some are best weeded and forgotten, but others are meant to be preserved and cherished. When We Were VeryYoung is one of those books to be cherished. It was originally published in 1924 and is still popular today. It contains childhood poems of a bygone age and culture (after all, what child now-a days has a nurse or goes to the market square with a six pence to buy a rabbit) and, like Mother Goose, the poems don’t alway...more
As books begin to show their age, some are best weeded and forgotten, but others are meant to be preserved and cherished. When We Were VeryYoung is one of those books to be cherished. It was originally published in 1924 and is still popular today. It contains childhood poems of a bygone age and culture (after all, what child now-a days has a nurse or goes to the market square with a six pence to buy a rabbit) and, like Mother Goose, the poems don’t alway...more
This book is composed of many different poems that are full of imagination. All of the poems have illustrations that go along with the theme of the poem. Many are very short and to the point. These poems not only had rhyme but rhythm as well. The images were not extremely clear but the illustrations helped. The observations displayed were very creative and insightful. This book of poems would be very useful when introducing poems to a classroom full of students. It is a perfect example of what p...more
M and I are memorizing poems from this wonderful book for the camp Talent Show next month. She has learned "The Four Friends" ("Ernest was an elephant, a great big fellow/Leonard was a lion with a 6-foot tail...") and can recite it with barely a pause. I am learning "The King's Breakfast" ("The King asked the Queen, and the Queen asked the Dairymaid, 'Could we have some butter for the Royal slice of bread?'") and it is slow going because it's long and a lot of the lines are ALMOST, but not exact...more
A. A. Milne's first book of poetry, published even before Winnie-the-Pooh. It's a great collection of lovely poems for children. He uses all kinds of different rhyming patterns and can evoke the feelings of childhood very well. I love the poem about sitting on the middle stair, and some of the prettier poems about nature.
I will be reading this to Aiden again as he grows up. This edition, by the way, is just lovely - it's part of a boxed set they put out when they released Return to the Hundred A...more
I will be reading this to Aiden again as he grows up. This edition, by the way, is just lovely - it's part of a boxed set they put out when they released Return to the Hundred A...more
My experience with A. A. Milne is somewhat backward from most people, I think. I first encountered him with his poem “The Knight Who’s Armor Didn’t Squeak”. Years later I learned about Winnie the Pooh.
His understanding of the way little children think and behave makes it obvious that he spent a great deal of time with his own child, observing his behavior.
This is a collection of his poetry about being young and experiencing the world and it is absolutely brilliant. It will only take about half a...more
His understanding of the way little children think and behave makes it obvious that he spent a great deal of time with his own child, observing his behavior.
This is a collection of his poetry about being young and experiencing the world and it is absolutely brilliant. It will only take about half a...more
These time tested and enchanting poems revolve around the world of a very young Christopher Robin as he meditates on the nature of, among other things, chairs and stairs and squares and prayers. They also brush up against some of the adventures of Edward Bear (aka Winnie the Pooh) Then there are those poems that take pause to consider the world around said boy and bear, sometimes waxing whimsical and other times moving towards the meditative. This collection provides a fine mix of verse to graze...more
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I used to love reading this book with my Mum and Dad. Inside is one of my favorite poems of all time...
'Halfway Down'
Halfway down the stairs
is a stair
where i sit.
there isn't any
other stair
quite like
it.
i'm not at the bottom,
i'm not at the top;
so this is the stair
where
I always
stop.
Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And it isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head.
It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!
'Halfway Down'
Halfway down the stairs
is a stair
where i sit.
there isn't any
other stair
quite like
it.
i'm not at the bottom,
i'm not at the top;
so this is the stair
where
I always
stop.
Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And it isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head.
It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!
I’m not sure if any other writer quite captures the lyrical simplicity and self-seriousness of a child like A.A. Milne. His use of language is beyond that which most “adult” writers possess, utilizing sparse, elegant verse and paying close attention to the subtle nuances of sound. His subjects are perfect, as well! He clearly remembered being and child and was sympathetic to children. He did not don a pair of rose-colored glasses or talk down to his little readers, but rather he expressed all of...more
Nov 05, 2008
Wayne
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
the child in us all.
Recommended to Wayne by:
My Nana, Margaret Gertrude Gaughn
Ages 5 to 9!!!???
Balderdash.
I've been reading this book ever since my older sister Di and I discovered it in our Nana's bookcase in the early 1950's.We eventually knew just about every poem off by heart, not because we set out to achieve this noble task but merely because we just read the poems over and over and over again, delighting in their rhythms and rhymes and subjects.
This is a 1938 edition. Pre World War Two. And post Edward and Mrs Simpson. It actually looks as though it may have been b...more
Balderdash.
I've been reading this book ever since my older sister Di and I discovered it in our Nana's bookcase in the early 1950's.We eventually knew just about every poem off by heart, not because we set out to achieve this noble task but merely because we just read the poems over and over and over again, delighting in their rhythms and rhymes and subjects.
This is a 1938 edition. Pre World War Two. And post Edward and Mrs Simpson. It actually looks as though it may have been b...more
A top notch book of children's poetry with excellent illustrations. Milne perfectly grasped the child's point-of-view, and "When We Were Very Young" delivers exactly the right tone of simplicity and wonder. My kids love it and ask for it again and again. It works without ever getting too syrupy sweet, and without the hidden messages that become so painfully obvious in other children's books. I think the reason that children and adults and nostalgic twenty-somethings love these poems is that they...more
It was a rainy day. The sun shone for a very short period of time. After errands, I came home, and in my need to locate books and somehow document where they are throughout the house, I sorted through some containers and came upon this delightful book of poems. Earlier today I noted a post on Darryl's thread regarding poetry month.
I've always found A.A. Milne to be delightful. His writings are cute, yet filled with wisdom.
This was a quick, calm read while the rain pelted the windows.
I've always found A.A. Milne to be delightful. His writings are cute, yet filled with wisdom.
This was a quick, calm read while the rain pelted the windows.
When I was 5 or 6, my mother made me memorize Daffadowndilly. Every spring, it runs through my head as I watch the daffodils moving in the spring air.
James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupry took great care of his mother, though he was only three.
What is the matter with Mary Jane? It's lovely rice pudding for dinner again!
These poems have remained fondly in my memory for most of my life.
I'll always love this book. I always loved it much better than "Now We are Six".
James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupry took great care of his mother, though he was only three.
What is the matter with Mary Jane? It's lovely rice pudding for dinner again!
These poems have remained fondly in my memory for most of my life.
I'll always love this book. I always loved it much better than "Now We are Six".
This is such a great little book of poems and rhymes. I certainly think that this book reads a lot better than the second one, they have more flow and rhythm as you read. I also realise I read them out of order but no matter. The poems are easier to read as I said and are more engaging. There are short ones, long ones and some seemingly nonsensical ones but they are all very sweet and Shepard has done wonderful illustrations as always.
I read this book, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it to another person to read. The book included pictures and and they were colored, I liked that but some of the poems included were too short. I didn't enjoy reading this poem book that much because the poems didn't catch my eye. They weren't as funny or entertaining. I'm not sure how a younger person would feel if I were to read this to them. Overall I wasn't that big of a fan.
I enjoyed this little book of poetry. I am glad the illustrations were provided because they actually helped me understand the poems a little better. I recommend reading the foreword because it is very funny and let's the reader know about the thought process that went into the creation of the poems. I am excited to let my little niece read this book and see how a five year old interprets these poems!
Enjoyable trifles by A. A. Milne. The Milne cult will be offended that these brief and mostly pointless poems receive just three stars, but honestly, they have little to offer besides a certain charm of expression, and that charm is repeated throughout until by the end it seems less charming than it did before. To compensate, the better poems, better as poetry, are at the end.
I loved this book of poems, along with Now We Are Six. When I was in 5th grade my teacher often let us recite from memory our own favorites--I nearly always chose one of the poems from these two books. I especially loved (and can still mostly remember) the one that starts James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree.
1 like · like · see review
I didn't know it was a book of poems so I was pleasantly surprised at this discovery! All round it was ok. My absolute favourite poems were "The Christening", "Puppy and I", "The Three Foxes", "Before Tea" and "Vespers". They were gems hidden within making When We Were Very Young worthwhile.
I came across this book many years ago in Barnes and Noble and I had to buy it. Being a big Winnie the Pooh fan (who doesn't love a bear who always gets his head caught in a honey jar?) and enjoying the bouncy Tigger, I wanted to see what else this author had written.
I stumbled across the most engaging poems for children that I think I have found my new favorite children's book. I sat down in the middle of the floor and read the entire book straight through. In fact, I actually started craving r...more
I stumbled across the most engaging poems for children that I think I have found my new favorite children's book. I sat down in the middle of the floor and read the entire book straight through. In fact, I actually started craving r...more
So charming. I remember many of these poems from childhood, and they still must hold a lot of magic. Many times I have to read this book cover to cover. And it's so adorable to hear a 2-year-old reciting poetry! "John had great big waterproof boots on." Great introduction to the world of poetry.
Such an imagination. Such great poems to share, especially the one of the tubby bear. I love the devotion and love he expresses with each little poem, shows an absolute respect for his son's opinions, thoughts, and words. Really captures childhood, and how mundanely magical it be.
This was a cute collection of poems written for and about Milne's son Christopher Robin. I loved the one about independence and the one about Buckingham Palace. Many of the poems reminded me of my little girl Isabelle. Not as fun as the Winnie the Pooh stories, but still enjoyable.
These stories are a great way to enter the imaginary world of a child's mind. The poems are light and happy and seem to be read in a sort of sing-song way. Children will love to read these poems out loud. The charming Whinnie the Pooh characters are pictured in the book as well.
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Alan Alexander Milne (pronounced /ˈmɪln/) was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems.
A. A. Milne was born in Kilburn, London, to parents Vince Milne and Sarah Marie Milne (née Heginbotham) and grew up at Henley House School, 6/7 Mortimer Road (now Crescent), Kilburn, a small public school run by his father. One of his teac...more
More about A.A. Milne...
A. A. Milne was born in Kilburn, London, to parents Vince Milne and Sarah Marie Milne (née Heginbotham) and grew up at Henley House School, 6/7 Mortimer Road (now Crescent), Kilburn, a small public school run by his father. One of his teac...more
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“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
"Winter is dead.”
—
142 people liked it
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
"Winter is dead.”
“If people ask me,
I always tell them:
"Quite well, thank you, I'm very glad to say."
If people ask me,
I always answer,
"Quite well, thank you, how are you today?"
I always answer,
I always tell them,
If they ask me
Politely...
BUT SOMETIMES
I wish
That they wouldn't”
—
123 people liked it
More quotes…
I always tell them:
"Quite well, thank you, I'm very glad to say."
If people ask me,
I always answer,
"Quite well, thank you, how are you today?"
I always answer,
I always tell them,
If they ask me
Politely...
BUT SOMETIMES
I wish
That they wouldn't”
