The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood

[katekintailbc]

The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood
by Kathryn Aalto

This book reminded me a lot of the Beatrix Potter book I read a while ago. It's divided up into three sections, though somewhat unnecessarily. The first section is all about A.A. Milne and how he was inspired by nature to create the Winnie the Pooh books. In addition, it talks about Ernest H. Shepard who did the illustrations of the Hundred Acre Woods. I knew a lot about Milne going in, but not as much about Shepard, and it was great to learn more about both men. The second section tells about various scenes and locations in the Pooh stories and their possible inspirations in Ashdown Forest, near where Milne and family lived. It was amazing seeing the illustrations side-by-side with the real locations. I love the Pooh books so much, and to see some of the aspects in photos was heartwarming. The third section was about the history of Ashdown Woods and all the flora, fauna, animals, and birds who make that part of the world their home.

The beauty of this book is the love the author has for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories as well as the respect for walking and exploring and honoring nature. That comes out so clearly on the pages. This trip into the magical world of my childhood with the silly old bear and his friends, especially Christopher Robin, made me laugh and cry. I didn't want the book to end. And I'm definitely inspired to go seek out these places should I find myself in England again.

What I didn't like as much about the book was how there weren't always images matching up with the words. A scene might be described, but there won't be an image right there that corresponds to it for a few pages later, if at all, or vice-versa. There were a few times I had to go hunt through the pages for the map (why wasn't it in the index?) for reference. Sometimes there weren't any corresponding images at all, which was disappointing, though I'm sure the book would have been twice as long if there were a photo for everything. Also, because there are three sections, a bit of the info was repeated (almost word-for-word) in different sections.

Apart from those small things, I really loved the book. It's not as good as seeing it in person, but definitely a close second. I loved learning so much. For example, Gills Lap is pronounced Jills. But ghylls is pronounced Gills. Yeah, what? heehee My favorite parts were the explanations of the games (championships!) of Poohsticks as well as all the people who actually build Eeyore houses in the Enchanted Place. Awwww. Here's to a wonderful book that really touched my heart.