Customer Reviews

Eeyore Has a Birthday Mini Board Book

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This little book is an exact reproduction of a chapter 6 in the original book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, with the original illustrations by Shephard enhanced by judicious watercoloring. All the charm of the original, in a perfect size for reading to littler kids, who can feel satisfied at having been read "the whole story." Also good for children just starting to read all by themselves.

Beautifully bound and illustrated, this little book is part of a series of 10 such Pooh books published by Dutton. Don't confuse these 10 "storybooks" with the even smaller and abridged board-books for infant/toddlers.

In the imaginary world of A. A. Milne, the characters in Winnie the Pooh mirror some of life's realities in the animal characters present within. We all like the happy go lucky, carefree Christopher Robin, Piglet, and whomever; it is not so easy to swallow the character of Eeyore who lives in his dismal environment.

In this particular story, Eeyore is moving through his day, his Birthday, realizing that his birthday is getting little if any attention from his friends. His whole demeanor is gloomy, and this is where we come in. Whether you are three or five or 53, you will be able to put some drama into this story and define ways in which you can bring his birthday to life. Read this story to your children, asking them how it must feel to have a similar situation of the day moving along with little recognition of one's birthday. Perhaps, you can relate to this at some point in your life; maybe you'll even share such a story, though it's not necessary. Empathy and compassion are characteristics that can be nurtured toward growth.

Well, get over the gloom! This is a new day, a new year, a new birthday, and we can change anything in your story if we put our minds to it. Grab a gigantic piece of art paper the size of a poster board, and break it up into 5 boxes, as if it was a comic strip. Find a good marker to illustrate the main character, in this case Eeyore, walking through his day..... And add the characters that interact with him to re-create a joy-filled birthday. In the second box, start with the littlest of characters, Piglet, "hiding a teensy present" in his trouser pocket, only to be lifted out and transformed into helium-filled balloon shaped flowers. Put a surprised smile on Eeyore's face, and add a bit of color to his hide, maybe a bit of lavender. Engage your children in talking about the simple transformation in Eeyore's spirit when his friend Piglet surprises him with these balloons bearing rainbow-colored flowers. Yes, you are teaching your children to re-write a story, and in essence, re-write joy into their lives.

By the third box, you may illustrate a few more characters into the panel and generate a conversation where they all begin to surprise Eeyore with some simple birthday presents. As the story moves along to panel five, it will be obvious that life can change and we can make the changes and bring about the joy.

And so, the fourth and fifth panels are yours to illustrate and create a genuine feeling of joy and celebration for Eeyore and whomever is sitting in your lap. You, too, will be surprised how quickly your children will be agents of change in re-creating the story that goes on and on; after all, there will be another birthday, another celebration, next year! So, grab a sheet of art paper and a giant marker and rewrite this story.....as you want it to be told.

Oh, now that the illustrations are done, have the children color the illustrations with their favorite crayons, and post it on the fridge.
"Happy Birthday!

When I went to introduce my preschooler to Winnie-the-Pooh, I bought the big book with the complete stories and poems. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it wasn't quite right for my 3-year-old. Reading a story out of the original works takes a good 15-20 minutes, which is more than one can really expect from a preschooler or toddler. Also, the original Pooh is a bit like Sesame Street, in that there are phrases and indeed entire sections of the stories that adults will find amusing but which will just go over a child's head.

And yet, I didn't want to break down and go the route of the Disney-fied Pooh books, with their cartoonish illustrations and watered-down plots and characters.

That's why I was so pleased to find the Easy-to-Read series. There are six easy-to-read titles from two publishers. They are:

Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees
Pooh Goes Visiting
Eeyore Has a Birthday
Tigger Comes to the Forest
Christopher Robin Leads an Expedition
Pooh Invents a New Game

Each book is based on one chapter from the complete works. These little books are divided into four chapters, although it should be no problem to read one from start to finish in one sitting.

The print is large and well spaced, and there are ample illustrations (the original drawings by E.H. Shepard) on every page spread to keep little eyes engaged in the story. Most important, the editor has removed most of the passages that aren't so kid friendly and has simplified the stories without giving them a Disney style candy coating. One could read the original story and then the easy-to-read version and get the same basic plot; when going from the Milne works to the Disney versions, the same is certainly not true.

I didn't give these books five stars because the editor retained some language and dialogue that may be a bit confusing for children in the intended age range. Nevertheless, these books are a wonderful introduction to a classic cast of characters for the preschool set.

When all the characters in the imaginary world of Winnie the Pooh go on their day to day mischiefs, forgetting a friends special day, it makes one see how cartoon characters really portray real life situations. The full page of colors allows one to sit back and get the satisfaction of a children's book. Yet this book not only addresses a child's awareness nor is it an entertainment instrument but as well as a joyful piece of literature for any age group to admire

I love eeyore he is my favorite charter. I loved his book. It was neato.