Pooh Welcomes Winter

Disney's My Very First Winnie the Pooh

by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, Robbin Cuddy (Illustrator), A.A. Milne (Contributor)

Pooh and his friends are distraught when the snowman they so carefully built melts as soon as they bring it inside for a party, until Christopher Robin helps them realize that winter is a "what" and not a "who"

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

29 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld is the award-winning author of more than sixty books for children, including DINOSAUR TRACKS, "a great choice for even the most discriminating dinophiles" (School Library Journal); DID DINOSAURS HAVE FEATHERS?, a Children's Book of the Month Club selection, described as "fascinating" by Kirkus Reviews; and DINOSAURS BIG AND SMALL, a 2003 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award winner.

When she's not reading, researching, writing, or editing, Kathleen loves to spend her free time exploring, doing fieldwork, and preparing fossils for her local natural history museums.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Winter is coming," intoned Pooh grimly, unaware of the events in motion that would one day result in innocent little Piglet becoming the hardened assassin who would lay low the Night King of the Woozle Walkers with an astonishingly deft act of knife work.

But first Pooh will have to deal with a little bit of mistaken identity regarding the chubby and quiet white fellow who has appeared in the Hundred Acre Wood just as Pooh is expecting Winter's arrival and is planning a party in his honor. But he seems cold; best warm him by the fire!

This cute little tale is part of the My Very First Winnie the Pooh series, probably my favorite of the many Pooh series I bought and read to my daughter. Frequent contributor Kathleen W. Zoehfeld is probably my favorite Pooh author after Milne. Hers were the Pooh books my daughter wanted to read over and over again throughout her childhood, and considering the way my little college junior was chuckling as I read it to her yet again today, they still hold up for her too.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun Winnie the Pooh book, where the characters go in search of Winter, who Christopher Robin says is about to arrive! As they search, they invite friends to join them for a party to welcome Winter to the wood.
Eventually, after believing a Snowman's Winter, Christopher Robin sets them straight. He then says it's a wonderful idea to celebrate the season-winter's arrival. And so they do.

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 2 out of 5]

With so many authors stirring the soup, one serves our least favourite. Two stars attest to common sense issues. Even fantasy needs cohesive follow-through of make-believe. Also, Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld hit upon a quibble with adjective redundancy. When Christopher Robin remarks: "Winter is coming"; everyone thinks he is announcing a person, rather than an event no animal needs a human to forecast! I am a dreamer who loves getting lost in worlds artists weave but there is no logic in clueless characters possessing the social competence to organize a party.

I wonder if I would have liked this outing better, if I didn't know Alan Milne's more involved 1926 story "Christopher Robin Leads An Expotition". My criticism was that misunderstanding a word over one page is natural and a learning tool but lame as a premise. However "expedition" understandably has four-syllables. To misunderstand a season in which these animals live was, forgive bluntness, stupid. Either this is a world in which teddy bears are toddler-aged, grappling with the basics; or they are animals with their own households, as they are always depicted. I think only Roo dwells with a Mother, Kanga. Is she younger? When Christopher Robin clarifies: "Winter is not who, it is a what", should they know pronouns better than the simple name for the weather covering the ground around them!?

I would surely like Kathleen's own works. She wins awards for science books, with degrees and a New York Catskills childhood. Since Pooh's English creator got his idea from a Canadian black bear named after a soldier's city, I cherish the longevity but the source can dilute too thinly. Our two countries say "hot chocolate". I loathe replacements with "cocoa", only less than redundantly observing that it is "hot"! I found too much fault to enjoy this.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood plan to welcome a mysterious guest called Winter.

This picture book features a comic misunderstanding. Pooh, Piglet, and the other characters have learned from Christopher Robin that winter will soon be arriving, and they mistakenly believe that Winter is a person who will soon be visiting.

They plan a welcome party and set off to find Winter whom they identify as Christopher Robin's snowman. They take the snowman back to Pooh's house and, concerned that he is frozen, try to warm him up, causing him to start to melt.

Luckily, Christopher Robin arrives and explains everything. They take the snowman outside and fix him up. Then they enjoy playing in the winter weather before heading inside for cocoa and cake.

This is a new story set in the Winnie-the-Pooh universe. It is both gentle and humorous.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing concept.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A precious Winnie The Pooh storybook! Christopher Robin has told the guys that winter was coming. So Pooh wants to give him a welcoming party. So as he and Piglet go to tell everyone that they need to help with the party snow arrives and makes it hard to get around. But they figure out a way to get around on the sled. They find a snowman but because they think he is 'winter' they take him home and invite him inside thinking he's just frozen. He begins to melt but Christopher Robin arrives and explains that winter is a season a 'time of year' not a person the team is disappointed because they can't have their party but Christopher Robin says they still can celebrate and they do.