Winnie-the-Pooh II

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood
by David Benedictus, illustrated by Mark Burgess

Dutton Juvenile, 160 pp., $19.99

When I first heard that a new Winnie-the-Pooh story was in the works, I immediately felt two emotions. The first was sheer jubilation. Having enjoyed the original A. A. Milne tales as a child, I couldn’t wait to see Pooh and his friends end an 80-year period of hibernation. The second was mild trepidation. When authors are afforded opportunities to continue popular fiction stories, the results have been mixed. There have been successes—Geraldine McCaughrean’s Peter Pan in Scarlet (2006)—and there have been less-than-equal sequels, most notably Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett, the 1991 follow-up to Gone With The Wind. 

Fortunately, David Benedictus has adapted Winnie-the-Pooh stories into audio book format, and concocted a marvelous little volume that Milne would have been proud of. To his credit, he remains true to the original story line, preserved the characters’ unique traits and personalities, and brilliantly replicates Milne’s formula of silliness and zaniness. And while Benedictus has obviously added his own deft touch, including a new character, the continuity between his writing style and Milne’s is clear and well appreciated.

Time appears to have stood still for the honey-loving bear and his pals. That is, until a big Rumour spreads through the Hundred Acre Wood: Christopher Robin is coming back. Pooh and Piglet excitedly pass on the news to Eeyore. Meanwhile, Owl and Rabbit attempt to sort out if the Rumour is true. Kanga says that it’s true, while Tigger hops around, of no use to anyone. The result? 

And so, if Pooh and Piglet thought that it was true, and Owl believed that it was true, and Kanga said that it was true, then it really must be true. Musn’t it?