It's just delightful. Comic genius. I could have done without the bittersweet ending, but otherwise it's just a great piece of writing.

This story is just darling! Unforgettable characters and delightful adventures!

"So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing." :,)

Tigger is the vaguely inappropriate uncle of the Hundred Acres Woods and I adore him. Milne's cast of melancholic animals desperately needed an injection of manic glee, and boy howdy did they get it in spades. And I still can't get over how Rabbit keeps trying to commit essentially felonies to get rid of new people.

But besides Tigger, it feels...samey. Which is fine, I reckon. It's bedtime stories, and you want to read about Pooh doing Pooh things and Eeyore bellyaching like Pagliacci. Honestly, I think my problem is two parts. First, there's too many characters, and not enough of the ones we like. Who honestly wants both Rabbit AND Owl in one scene? I want Pooh with Eeyore. Pooh with Tigger. Pooh with Piglet. And Pooh with Rabbit. When we have everyone in the entire world crammed into one scene, you start to feel like Pooh and just want to tuck yourself in for a nap.

Second: it's too sweet, which is admittedly a silly complaint. The first volume had a lot more bite (I refuse to let up how Rabbit kidnapped a freaking child), and a sense of safe danger that resolves itself. But things kind of just happen in the second go-around. Sure, Tigger and Roo get stuck up in a tree ("Tiggers can't climb downwards because their tails get in the way"), but there wasn't much of a point to go up in the first place.

Nonetheless, it's a nice set of stories that are meant for children but tuned for its grownup readers.

It's no surprise that this book is full of great stories, from Tigger coming to the forest right through to Christopher Robin going away. The characters are a real family, with all the frustrations and misunderstandings that can happen. But, things always work out in the end, and the brainy and brainless end up on the same level. A.A. Milne's imagination and ability to portray loveable animals with such true to life personalities is a marvel. Everyone on earth should read these books, Pooh et al. are timeless and universal. Loved this book.