Publication Date: November 25, 2003 | Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Golden Days Nursery Rhymes
A series of short stories by A. A. Milne which he described as 'a fanciful elaboration of each picture' to accompany the delightful original illustrations.
A re-issue of the famous ode to childhood by A A Milne. In 1925 Henriette Willebeek Le Mair was commissioned by the Colgate company to produce a series of illustrations for magazine advertising. The public imagination was so captured by these that AA Milne wrote an accompanying collection of short stories - A Gallery of Children.
Alan Alexander Milne was born in London on January 18, 1882, the third and youngest son of a schoolmaster. At age eleven, he won a scholarship to the Westminster School. He went on to attend Cambridge University and became the editor of the undergraduate paper, Granta. After graduating from Cambridge in 1903, Milne moved back to London with enough savings to live for one year. He was determined to become a writer. By 1906, he had been offered the position of Assistant Editor at Punch, a classic British humor magazine. He remained at Punch for the next eight years. In 1913, Milne married Dorothy de Selincourt (known as Daphne) and moved to a house in London's Chelsea section. When World War I broke out, he enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, eventually serving in France. During his training period, he wrote his first play, Wurzel-Flummery, which was produced in London in 1917.
By 1919, having completed one book and several plays, Milne finally achieved financial independence. His play, Mr. Pim Passes By, previously staged in London, was produced by the Theatre Guild in New York City. It was as great a success there as it had been on the London stage. Milne was now well established as a witty and fashionable London playwright. In 1920, Christopher Robin Milne was born, an event that was to change the history of children's literature. In 1923, during a rainy holiday in Wales, Milne began work on a collection of verses for children. The result was When We Were Very Young, published in 1924.
Demand for Milne's whimsical work was overwhelming, and in 1926, he duplicated his earlier success with the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh. The sequel, The House at Pooh Corner, followed in 1927. Now We Are Six, another charming collection of verse, followed one year later. It was through these four books, all illustrated by the wonderfully talented Ernest H. Shepard, that Milne acquired a vast audience outside of the theater. In the years since their initial publication, interest in these books has grown and grown.
Milne continued to be a prolific essayist, novelist, and poet until his death in 1956.
Definitely not just a children's book, it will appeal to the adult in each child and the child in each adult. The most interesting aspect is that each story was written about it's illustration, rather than the other way around. Le Mair's exquisite drawings and Milne's prose and poetry are so woven together that you find yourself flipping back and forth between them as you read.
As with all Milne's stories and verse, these children are strong and independent. The last story, "Castles by the Sea", is politically correct enough to have been written today. Anyone who loves Milne should give these children a try.
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Published just after "When We Were Very Young" and before "Winnie-the-Pooh", this book displays a transition in Milne's writing. Although the title would suggest it was written for children, it's probably more correct to say it was written for parents. The stories, while good, are not quite the exciting tales we might tell our children today, but have that distinct rhythm of Milne's that is very soothing and will aid in the children falling asleep. The joy is not so much in the stories themselves, but in the manner in which they are told.
There are eleven stories in the book, and in several you can see the foundations for what would be the Pooh books. He often speaks in the first person, including himself as a character in the stories. In "Miss Waterlow in Bed", we find a character that could easily be Pooh himself. And the real gem of the book is the last story, "Castles By the Sea". Told partly in verse, and partly in prose, it's a fun tale that draws you in. Parents will enjoy getting into the role of the story teller for that one.
Readers who only know the Pooh books might be disappointed in this book, but fans who have read and enjoyed Milne's other works will find this one very familiar and a welcome addition to their collection.
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