One of the nicest things about having a whole passel of children is getting to experience childhood classics over and over again. Dorothy, aged 2, is all about Winnie the Pooh. Her enjoyment is limited to the Disney version: the first and last Pooh movies (really the only ones worth bothering with, in my opinion.)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
and some toys she got for her birthday: a full set of the characters (even Christopher Robin, and Gopher, who’s “not in the book”) and a few Disney-fied books. Above, she hugs Pooh. Aww.
The older children have been introduced to the movies, of course, but also the original source material. Sean, bless him, has read bedtime stories every night for the last eleven or so years, including four trips through the Hundred Acre Wood.
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh
He’s read it twice to each set of kids, Faith and Abby, then Bede, Gilbert, Trixie and Gloria. Dorothy and Clementine will get it next, but it’ll be a few years yet. The humor hits at different levels depending on the age of the reader or listener, of course, and seeing the kids get jokes they missed the first time is a delight.
What a happy world!
