Customer Reviews

Winnie the Pooh

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

First of all, as pretty as the die-cut dust jacket is, it's prone to tearing. And if you have young children this is likely to be an issue, which sort of spoils the whole collector's/heirloom edition thing. Second, although I would ordinarily like the cream colored pages and colored illustrations, I don't like how they did it for this edition. Starting in the early '90s Dutton published full-color editions of all four of Milne's books (Winnie-the-Pooh, The House At Pooh Corner, When We Were Very Young, and Now We Are Six) on white paper, and the illustrations blended perfectly with the pages. Unfortunately, for this 80th anniversary edition the publisher seems to have simply reused the color pictures from the 1991 edition, complete with the white backgrounds for each illustration. The effect of this against the cream colored pages of this new book looks a bit sloppy to me, as if someone had cut out the pictures from the 1991 edition and pasted them onto the pages of this new one. The older color editions of Milne's books are still available through Amazon (search for "Winnie-the-Pooh full-color gift edition"), and in my opinion they're nicer than this new edition.

Before I bought this book I had read a few comments complaining about the color of the pages... somewhat yellowish in an almost but not quite parchmenty sort of way. Oh bother, said I, This is coloring my experience of the book. It's been in the back of my mind through every chapter, "Do I like this? Or do I not?" First let me say I love the brushed watercolors over the illustrations... I'm enthralled by the book jacket and the way the window is lit up by the colored version beneath on the actual cover... and the truth is I would have picked a slightly different page color -- but that's besides the point. It's still a lovely edition and my first grader certainly has no complaints.

On top of that, I'd forgotten how wonderful Pooh is. I'm so jaded by the Disney versions that invade every store and home (except mine) that I've spent a lot of time bypassing poor Pooh & Co altogether. We had recently revamped reading aloud here at home because books "written for first graders" were too mindless, books written at the reading level of Pooh today are written for an intellectual level of thought and humor that is beyond the first grader (A. A. Milne had an incredible gift for including all levels of maturity in these works) so our attempts there got tossed aside as my first grader played with his toes, fingers, hair and anything else he could reach because the books just weren't "keeping him." So I tallied up a new library budget and between Amazon and Abe Books did an overhaul... Pooh certainly is one that has hit the spot. The writing is more like how I would speak to my son, but the story is still appealing to the imagination of a first grader, the plot easily managed... so we've started each sit down with a couple of Milne poems and then followed it up with a chapter or two from this and The House At Pooh Corner Deluxe Edition thank the heavens for older books still in print! Do yourSELF the same favor, and while you're at it, toss out any of those Disney Pooh books... this will do so much more for your child's development.

This is a review of the Jim Broadbent recording of the first Winnie the Pooh book. Although it does seem to include the other recordings I have heard, and I expect his version of The House at Pooh Corner would be quite similar.

Jim Broadbendt does a great job reading us WtP. Anyone who has heard the Charles Kuralt version- this version is 300% better. Jim not only has a sense of of humor, but does a different voice for each character. Two things sorely lacking on the CK versions. Now, for those who have heard the Peter Dennis recordings, well, those are better, there's no getting around that. Peter's piglet cannot be topped and he also does the most wonderful versions of the songs I have ever heard. But alas, those tapes are no longer available and Dennis never recorded the entire book(s). So, I figure Jim is still deserving of the 5 stars.

Broadbent does a wonderful job of bringing out the humor in the stories, something which the Kuralt recordings do not. His Eeyore does sound a bit like Ringo Starr- but, that works rather well now, doesn't it? Pooh, well, he's a bit on the not-so-bright side, but he's cheerful and trustworthy. Piglet does sound timid and sweet. Rabbit, well, he could be a bit more edgey in these. Jim has made Rabbit a bit more sympthetic a character than I envision him. Still, the subtle nuances are not lost, even on children. And, it is nice to have an unabridged version of the story available.

My children just love these cds. Which is nice. It's always good to have something that the entire family enjoys and is still a worthwhile use of time. Especialy something that one can listen to in the car that doesn't bore the pants off the driver and yet amuses the children enough to keep them quiet. I highly recommend this version for anyone who would like to expose their child to the original Pooh stories.

After reading the review of this book, I was hopeful but not too excited. A few days later, after ordering a new copy of the book from Amazon, I was elated. This is the WINNIE THE POOH book I have been waiting for, for years. Someone finally took the time and loving care to do it right. Everything about this book, from the color, cut out bookcover (and COLOR hardcover cover underneath it!) to the light yellow butter colored pages with full color EH Shephard illustrations lavishly presented throughout, this book is obviously a work of love. The map of 100 Acre Wood on both front and back inside cover is in color!! This beautiful edition was produced to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of this story and it is a winner. The story itself, of course, is priceless and enduring, but the presentation, this time around wins kudos. I immediately placed it on my bookshelf. This one is a keeper. Don't miss out - and don't buy cheaper editions - trust me, this is the one you want. Worth every penny and more.

I first read Pooh as a child, when my mornings were spent with the Spotted or Herbaceous Backson, and my afternoons were spent doing Nothing. It was a good book then, which I really enjoyed.

But I don't do Nothing any more. Well, not so much. They don't let you. Now my life is spent going around and around the thicket looking for the Woozle, or going bump, bump, bump down the stairs, thinking that there must be a better way, if only I could stop bumping long enough to think of it.

Now I need Pooh. I need to be reminded that spelling isn't everything - that there are some days when spelling TUESDAY simply doesn't count.

Pooh and Piglet are wondering where you've been. Eeyore told them that you're not coming back. "They've forgotten" said Eeyore. "Typical," said Eeyore. "How Like Them," he said.

But you can come back, you know. You can find a Thoughtful Spot, or join an Expotition for the North Pole, or even drop sticks off a bridge.

Because the Forest will always be there, and anyone who is Friendly with Bears can find it.

If you are a lover of "classic" Pooh, the Milne version with art illustration by Ernest H. Shepard, then you will love these calendars with excerpts from the THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER, WINNIE-THE-POOH and other A.A. Milne writings. The stickers at the back of the calendar are great for children (and adults) to use to identify significant and special days. I am a grandmother and give these calendars to family because they are such fun! Pooh still brightens our lives.

[This is a review of the Hodder/Headline audiocassette version] I learned to read by listening (again and again and again and again) to a pair of well-loved and well-worn LPs of the Pooh stories read by Maurice Evans. I always considered them the finest Pooh audiobooks ever recorded. Up until now! Now there's this wonderful series of fully-dramatized adventures of Pooh featuring a brilliant cast of wonderful British actors: Stephen Fry ("Jeeves and Wooster") as Pooh, Geoffrey Palmer ("The Madness of King George") as Eeyore, Judy Dench ("Shakespeare in Love") as Kanga...and best of all, the *incomparable* Jane Horrocks ("Little Voice" and Bubble from "AbFab") as a squeaky, alarmed, and altogether adorable Piglet. You don't have to be a kid to appreciate these fine recordings (and there are plenty of adult Pooh fans out there who will *love* these versions). Accept no substitutes: this is simply the finest Pooh audio series yet created, beating by a *far* distance the Alan Bennett and (ugh!) Charles Kuralt versions.

I am reviewing the BBC tape of Winnie the Pooh, House at Pooh Corner, A Party for Pooh, and When We Were Very Young (four tape set). This set has become a very beloved member of our home! My three-year-old son can easily listen to this for an hour, and the wonderful thing is that after many hours of listening, I still find the stories charming and funny. The narrators are just masters at characterization. Now these tapes live in our car, and we pop them in EVERY time we are driving! Wonderful, wonderful find!

How Peter Dennis does it I don't know. He just IS the stories. Every character comes to life perfectly no one else has ever interpreted them as A.A. Milne wrote them. These recordings are a must whatever your age. I am over 50 and a "Classic" Pooh fan. It's sheer bliss to listen to them.

When I was a young child and we had no tv (47+ yrs ago), my father would read us this book in the evening. He would make all the different voices and I could see it all in my head. I was in awe of him, reading this wonderful book and telling such wonderful stories. When I have seen the movie, I very fondly recall my father reading to us, inspriring us to read and imagine.