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Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest

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"A complete chapter from the original Winnie-the-Pooh"--Back cover.

28 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1926

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345 people want to read

About the author

A.A. Milne

1,847 books3,711 followers
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 teachers was H. G. Wells who taught there in 1889–90. Milne attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied on a mathematics scholarship. While there, he edited and wrote for Granta, a student magazine. He collaborated with his brother Kenneth and their articles appeared over the initials AKM. Milne's work came to the attention of the leading British humour magazine Punch, where Milne was to become a contributor and later an assistant editor.

Milne joined the British Army in World War I and served as an officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and later, after a debilitating illness, the Royal Corps of Signals. He was discharged on February 14, 1919.

After the war, he wrote a denunciation of war titled Peace with Honour (1934), which he retracted somewhat with 1940's War with Honour. During World War II, Milne was one of the most prominent critics of English writer P. G. Wodehouse, who was captured at his country home in France by the Nazis and imprisoned for a year. Wodehouse made radio broadcasts about his internment, which were broadcast from Berlin. Although the light-hearted broadcasts made fun of the Germans, Milne accused Wodehouse of committing an act of near treason by cooperating with his country's enemy. Wodehouse got some revenge on his former friend by creating fatuous parodies of the Christopher Robin poems in some of his later stories, and claiming that Milne "was probably jealous of all other writers.... But I loved his stuff."

He married Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913, and their only son, Christopher Robin Milne, was born in 1920. In 1925, A. A. Milne bought a country home, Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, East Sussex. During World War II, A. A. Milne was Captain of the Home Guard in Hartfield & Forest Row, insisting on being plain 'Mr. Milne' to the members of his platoon. He retired to the farm after a stroke and brain surgery in 1952 left him an invalid and by August 1953 "he seemed very old and disenchanted".

He was 74 years old when he passed away in 1956.

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5 stars
279 (53%)
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142 (27%)
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90 (17%)
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Luke.
835 reviews41 followers
December 25, 2020
Basically a kidnap story, set in the 100 acre wood! And it's honestly fantastic! 😀
Profile Image for Tristan.
44 reviews
November 3, 2025
This is the first proper book I read to my pregnant wife’s bump, ready for the baby now he’s grown ears in there. Not good at voices yet, need more practice
Profile Image for Jack Adams.
190 reviews5 followers
February 12, 2020
First book I read my son.
Now he is doing naps on my lap.
Profile Image for K.U..
Author 1 book6 followers
July 15, 2021
I love this story, it is one of my favorites. It is always a great joy to read about Piglet, Pooh, Rabbit, Kanga nad Baby Roo.
Profile Image for Andie Dole.
203 reviews3 followers
December 23, 2022
I forgot how much I loved this book. The best part is being the reader, as the misspelled words and placement of sentences are half the enjoyment. Kanga is one clever kangaroo.
Profile Image for C. John Kerry.
1,433 reviews10 followers
May 25, 2024
Not sure if this story would pass muster these days. Rabbit, Pooh and Piglet are not happy with Kanga and Roo living in the forest. Thus they decide to kidnap Roo as part of a plot to get them to leave. Rabbit will take Roo and look after him while Piglet pretends to be Roo so that Kanga doesn't know, at least not at first. Of course this being a Winnie-the-Pooh story things don't go accordin to plan, especially for poor piglet when Kanga refuses to admit that he isn't Roo. It is unclear if she doesn't realize or if she does and just pretends she doesn't. Still it is a fun story. One amusing bit is when Christopher Robin is asked how Kanga and Roo came to the forest and his reply is "the usual way". Of course Pooh has no idea what Christopher Robin means but doesn't want to admit it. A good book for children, but be prepared in case someone asks you about kidnapping.
Profile Image for Leila T..
Author 1 book41 followers
December 16, 2011
Apart from the abrupt ending and the weird way Kanga interacted with Piglet towards the end (not to mention the enigmatic Christopher Robin in the final pages), I really enjoyed this one and want to read all of them.
Profile Image for Harker.
503 reviews56 followers
January 31, 2016
The illustrations are nice, but how did I not remember how dry the narrative is?

I'm glad Kanga had a sense of humor. I wonder what Rabbit and Roo did on their Tuesdays together?
1 review1 follower
September 2, 2020
I’m so angry.
They didn’t like the change of a new family in the wood, so they STOLE HER BABY to coerce her to leave!
With different contexts for the reader, so changes the reading. My context is that of an Australian who grew up in a world of hidden history. Historical truth was inconvenient, and often presented as a sidenote to British history.
So the ‘little trick’ others describe, for me speaks to so much more. British men taking away the child of an indigenous australian woman (Yes I mean Kanga), is a heavy and shameful part of our history.
I’m so glad in the story Kanga could trust Christopher, and had the agency to respond with a ‘trick’ of her own.
Anyway. Different contexts, different readings. I did not find this story funny, and though it was not the casual morning story I expected to share with my daughter, I’m glad we read it.
Profile Image for Jordan.
359 reviews
February 13, 2024
Don’t get me wrong, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who loves those who inhabit the hundred acre wood more than I. But for being a children’s book, it consisted of highly inappropriate themes for children. Mainly, kidnapping, lying, revenge — with hardly any morale or resolution to be found. A classic only by definition and not one I’ll likely read again.
703 reviews
October 10, 2018
Pooh, Rabbit and Piglet decide to play a trick on Kanga by putting Rabbit in Kanga's pouch and taking Baby Roo. However, the trick backfires when Kanga figures out what is really happening. This is a fun book for children and the pictures are adorable.
Profile Image for Amy.
51 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2022
Enter the dark side of the Hundred Acre Wood. Threatened by the arrival of Kanga and Roo, the older residents hatch a kidnap plot to convince the interlopers to leave. But then, a mother’s love completely TURNS THE TABLES.
Profile Image for Derrick.
120 reviews1 follower
December 31, 2022
This was a brilliant book. The stakes were high and there was a plot and conflict. It was fun to read about Kanga’s cleverness, she is a very likable character. All of the shenanigans in this book were truly delightful, humorous, and very much worth the read!
Profile Image for Jen.
1,598 reviews
May 31, 2025
How did I not remember this storyline? I've never thought of Kanga as being a particularly unique character but this has just changed my mind completely. I applaud Kanga's trolling here. Serves Piglet right! Also, Pooh's poem was quite something for a "bear of very little brain."
183 reviews
April 14, 2023
Pooh, Piglet and Rabbit plan to capture Baby Roo. When Piglet pretends to be Baby Roo and Kanga plans a little joke 😃
Profile Image for Susan.
841 reviews
September 18, 2023
I don't think I've ever read any "Winnie the Pooh" stories, but I found this one hilarious.
62 reviews
April 7, 2025
Poor old piglet, they're all mean to him yet again...the hindsight if reading these books as an adult!
Profile Image for Denis.
87 reviews
May 28, 2016
This book is intended for the young reader to read. And by young reader I mean those old enough to be interested in Winnie the Pooh. I have a hard time believing this.

First, logistically this book is not suited for the young reader. It is tiny. The print is tiny. The pictures would not keep the young reader interested. I barely noticed them.

Now, as far as the story goes, the more I read about the world of Christopher Robin, the more I am convinced that the author is trying to describe the mind of a very disturbed child. Somewhere on the internet the characters in the Christopher Robin world were accurately described. Pooh was gluttony. Rabbit was Avorice. Piglet was Ignorance. Eoyre was depression. And Tiger was ADHD. And based on this story, I am starting to believe this. Let me explain.

This is a story of a newcomer to the Christopher Robin world. Kanga and her child Roo. The story starts off with prejudice. Rabbit comes up with a scheme to get rid of Kanga and Roo for no other reason that he doesn't like them because they are different. The others go along with this scheme because they don't know any better. What was the scheme? They planned to kidnap little Baby Roo so that Kanga would hate it here and leave. Two great traits to teach kids. Prejudice and Kidnapping!

Pooh uses deception to trick Kanga to look the other way while Rabbit kidnaps Roo. And it works. Piglet is used as the Roo substitute so that Kanga would be fooled.

Kanga, showed no emotion about worrying for her child and instead decides to plot revenge by torturing Piglet with a cold bath.

In the end, Christopher Robin comes to sort the whole mess out and everything goes back to normal and for punishment, on every Tuesday Rabbit has to babysit Roo. Kanga spent the day with Pooh teaching him how to jump and Piglet spent every Tuesday with Christopher Robin. The Author ends the story abruptly by stating that everyone was happy. But were they?

What did we learn here? That we don't like Kanga and Roo because they were different. We learned a good scheme to be able to kidnap someone. And when we have been tricked we learned that a good way to feel better about it is to get back at the people who tricked you.

The making of a great children's moral book (insert sarcasm). Makes me think of how many kids read books like these and internalized the information. Doesn't surprise me why some kids are assholes today! We have to be so careful as to what we feed our kids minds. My take is that either parents are not reading this material or are not intelligent enough to asses the true story even as it is hidden by cuteness.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book669 followers
September 21, 2008
Part of the original Winnie the Pooh Treasury set I got when my oldest was born. They are longer than the board books we have featuring Pooh and his friends, but are still great for young children.
Profile Image for Book Tea &#x1fad6; with Jai .
688 reviews22 followers
February 8, 2012
For me this is a excellent story of meeting new friends and letting old friends and new friends get along together. It is also a story of sharing, and being open to new things, even though it maybe different from what you do.
Profile Image for Emily.
824 reviews44 followers
December 21, 2012
This is my favorite of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories created by A.A. Milne. I enjoy the funny plan Rabbit comes up with to try and get Kanga and Roo to leave the forest. However, they all become friends and like each other instead of being afraid of each other.
Profile Image for Jenn Ayers.
Author 1 book65 followers
July 2, 2013
Not bad, if you want ok kidnapping. :) Because it's a Pooh book, I let it slide, but I had to explain to my daughter why what they did was bad. If I had been Kanga, my reaction would have been less pretending and more
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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