Winnie the Pooh is the much loved children’s character who first appeared on the scene one hundred years ago.  A. A. Milne, was a Cambridge educated and quite successful novelist and playwright, the assistant editor at “Punch” when he decided to entertain his 4 year old son, Christopher Robin by writing stories about his stuffed animals.  Edward Bear (whose nickname came from a real bear at the London Zoo), Eeyore, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga and Roo became the main characters in this delightful set of stories featuring the Hundred Acre Wood and the young Christopher Robin.

The book became an immediate success, and poor Milne’s contributions to fiction and the theater were soon subsumed under the fame of his cute little bear.  All was not happiness as Milne and his wife were estranged from their son over the latter’s anger at having his privacy invaded through the stories.  On the other hand, the people and organizations that Milne willed his papers to have done fine.  One group sold their rights to Winnie to Disney for $350million and Winner and his friends are second only to Mickey Mouse in contributing to Disney’s coffers.

That being said, I had a delightful time making my through the Hundred Acre Wood with all of these characters.  Read it to your grandchildren or just to yourself.