When We Were Very Young

For nearly a century, children and adults alike have delighted in this endearing volume of verse and its whimsical illustrations. Written with simplicity and gentle humor, A. A. Milne's poems recapture the innocence of childhood and the wonder of everyday situations, from putting on boots for a rainy day to birdwatching and gazing at a cloudy sky. Alert readers will recognize the narrator of "Teddy Bear," a poem that originally appeared in Punch magazine in 1924 and marked the debut of Winnie-the-Pooh (here named "Mr. Edward Bear" by the author's son, Christopher Robin Milne). The verses' imaginative rhymes and rhythms make them a joy to read aloud, and Ernest H. Shepard's drawings provide memorable accompaniment.