Winnie the Pooh

I know, I know, it's a kids book. I do realise that, but have you read it recently? This is in the best tradition of children's books, written well enough that the adult reading it aloud can enjoy it as much as the child listening. Now, I'm sure some of you are sitting there thinking "That's all very well, but it's still unbearably twee..." That is because you are thinking of the Disney cartoon, which is indeed horribly cutsey and, as you so succinctly put it, twee.

The original, though, is so much more than that. The wry wit with which A. A. Milne writes (gosh, what alliteration!) counteracts the undeniable fact that you are reading a story about some stuffed toys (or worse, reading a blog about reading a story about some stuffed toys). Obviously, he has his moments, both good and bad. For instance, he will insist on framing his books with his poetry, which simply doesn't compare. However, once he gets on to the story proper, he sparkles.

I'm going to start off with my last remaining problem. Christopher Robin. I know he's the hero and I know it was written for hi, so he has to be present, but isn't he annoying? He's one of those children who unfortunately crop up so often in fiction and are simply too good not to irritate (I'm thinking here of such people as little Nell, Pollyanna, little Lord Fauntleroy...).

So, the best Pooh stories are those in which CR doesn't make an appearance, or at least not until the end of the story. One of my personal favourites (as opposed, I guess, to one of my impersonal favourites? I've always wondered about that expression) is the story of when Eeyore loses a tail. Mostly, I have to admit, because it features Eeyore a lot and, as you will see when I tell you my next favourite, I think Eeyore is the funniest character in he whole book.

This particular story is well named, it turns out, the bulk of the plot centring around the loss of Eeyore's tale. It's ok though, he finds it again (I thought the suspense might be upsetting you - don't worry, it's not the gritty realism type of book). The thing about stories featuring Eeyore, is that they are stuffed with such fantasic lines as '"And how are you?" said Winnie-the-Pooh. Eeyore shook his head from side to side. "Not very how," he said. "I don't seem to have felt at all how for a long time."'

I would tell you about my other favourite Pooh story, but it's in "House at Pooh Corner", so it would be cheating. I will say, though, that it features Eeyore, Pooh Sticks and people falling into rivers, and I can highly recommend it. Avoid the last couple of stories though, as they're all about CR leaving, and not really worth it.