Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

Winnie-the-Pooh #5

by David Benedictus, Mark Burgess (Illustrator)

It was eighty years ago, on the publication of The House at Pooh Corner, when Christopher Robin said good-bye to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Now they are all back in new adventures, for the first time approved by the Trustees of the Pooh Properties. This is a companion volume that truly captures the style of A. A. Milne-a worthy sequel to The House at Pooh Corner and Winnie-the-Pooh.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Classics, Fantasy, Animals, Audiobook, Juvenile

201 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2009

About the author

David Benedictus is an English-Jewish writer and theatre director, best known for his novels. His most recent work is the Winnie-the-Pooh novel Return to the Hundred Acre Wood (2009). It was the first such book in 81 years.
He was educated at Eton College, Oxford and the University of Iowa. His second novel, You're a Big Boy Now, was made into a 1966 feature film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He was an assistant to Trevor Nunn at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has also worked as a Commissioning Editor for Drama at Channel 4, and ran the Book at Bedtime series for BBC Radio 4.
He previously wrote and produced audio readings of the Pooh stories, with Judi Dench as Kanga and Geoffrey Palmer as Eeyore. He sent the trustees of the A. A. Milne estate two sample stories of his sequel, and it took more than ten years for them to approve the project.
Upon the book's publication he admitted to nerves over its reception, saying, "At worst, everyone will hate me and I'll just crawl under a bush and hide – I can live with that...some people do hate the whole idea of a sequel, but it's not as if I'm doing any damage to the original, that will still be there. My hope is that people will finish reading a cracking story and just want more of them, and that's where I come in."[2] Michael Brown, chairman of the Pooh Properties Trust, said Benedictus had a "wonderful feel" for the world of Pooh.
According to an interview he gave to the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot in 2009, he claimed that his cousin did a research about his surname and found out it was actually "Baruch" (ברוך - meaning same as "Benedictus" in Hebrew) upon his ancestors came to Britain, and that they have Yemenite Jewish heritage.
He published an autobiography, Dropping Names, in 2005.
He is fond of chess and plays for a South London chess club. He also runs a horse racing tipster website.
Benedictus commented on his work in 1985, "Given peace of mind, financial independence, and a modicum of luck, I may produce a novel to be proud of one day.

Reviews

[Suhailah · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐ 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for GR ⭐

80 years after House on Pooh Corner was published, the door to the Hundred Acre Wood was reopened and attempted to recapture some of the initial magic author A.A. Milne created with the originals.

For the most part in my opinion (and I loved the originals), it was pretty successful in capturing some of the magic. Either that or I was way too desperate to return to the Hundred Acre Wood! It’s just so comforting and carefree! My favorite chapter was “In Which Pooh Goes in Search of Honey.” 🍯 🍯 There is also a new character introduced which was a brave move but seemed to work in bringing something new to the series.

My only complaints (driving down my overall rating) would have to be mainly about the narrator for the audiobook. The quality definitely decreased. Piglet doesn’t make the cute snort noises anymore. Eeyore sounds like an angry pirate. And Pooh doesn’t sound the same at all. I really missed his fuzzy voice. 😡 Did enjoy Rabbit’s new Scottish accent though hehe!


All in all though, the stories are still sweet and simple. They try very hard to follow A.A. Milne’s signature style which was pleasing in of itself. My goal is to complete the 6 original Winnie the Pooh books listed here on GR. One more to go! 🎉

[SVG · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day, some time ago, I heard the news
Benedictus is plotting some kind of a ruse!
New Winnie the Pooh? It simply can't be--
certainly no A.A. Milne was he!

As the day came round a bright blue book was bound,
with fanciful new tales covering old ground.
Mimicking a style Quite Unlike Any,
I braced for what could be a disappointment (or many).

But OH! the whimsy was there and abundant,
with characters shiny and new (not redundant).
How cheered and relieved I was to have met,
all the Hundred Acre Wood lot, especially Piglet.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Right from the title, this book got off on the wrong foot. If you want to follow Milne, then you should probably realize that Owl lives in the Hundred Acre Wood (or rather, did, before he lost his house and moved into Piglets, which is mentioned several times in this book as an attempt to reconnect readers with the original stories), and that everyone else lives in the Forest. The only person who could really return to the Hundred Acre Wood would be Owl, then, and he never does in this book.

Benedictus tries really hard to capture the feel of Milne's prose, and in many ways succeeds. Indeed, it was the closeness that made the differences all that much more obvious. He seems to capitalize the wrong words at times, and in my opinion, failed to capture some of the more subtle elements of the characters. There's a couple of scenes that stand out as just being wrong in my mind. There's one with Christopher Robin taking a bath. Now, this is another reminder of a similar scene from the very first chapter of "Winnie-the-Pooh". However, it just feels wrong now. In the original, we knew that it was Milne himself watching his son taking a bath. It's not Milne, this time, but rather Benedictus, and it's kind of creepy. There's another scene were Pooh is depressed, and the only thing for it is to eat. It's a bit disturbing, really.

Much will be said of Lottie the Otter, the new character in the Forest. To me, it seemed like Benedictus was trying to one-up Milne. Lottie is a real animal, like Rabbit and Owl, and therefore superior in intellect to the other animals. Indeed, she appears to be smarter than Rabbit and Owl, more agile than Tigger, and just about the best at everything. What really upsets me, though, is Rabbit has no problems with her. When Kanga and Roo showed up in the Forest, Rabbit schemed to kidnap Roo. When Tigger showed up, Rabbit tried to get him lost in the Forest. There's no issue with Lottie, though, and this represents another situation where Benedictus just didn't get the character right.

If you've got a favorite character and were hoping for more stories featuring him or her, you're in luck. Every character shows up in every chapter (although Lottie doesn't actually appear until chapter four). Owl seems to get far more focus in this book than in the Milne stories, although he's pretty much incapable of doing anything without invoking his Uncle Robert. I missed the stories that focused on just two or three characters, and having every character in every chapter seems like pandering to every audience.

The best thing for me about the whole book was the illustration. Mark Burgess managed to capture the look of Shepard while still maintaining some of his own individuality.

Overall, it's no worse than anything Disney has done to these beloved characters, but the book still stands in the shadow of the originals. I don't see this as earning the love that the original books evoke, and I hope that this puts an end to the Milne and Shepard estates trying to find another golden goose. It says something to me that an attempt like this never occurred while Christopher Milne was still alive. I think the boy and his bear were quite happy with the way things had turned out eighty years ago, and I am too.

[Bistra Ivanova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Понеже предпочитам да виждам Мечо Пух през очите на Ърнест Шепърд, вместо на компанията Дисни, нямаше как да бъда по-скептична към шума около Новата Книга за Мечо Пух, издадена точно 80 години след оригинала. Но така или иначе, намираше ми се вкъщи, затова днес я преполових набързо с голяма доза скептицизъм. Не я разбрах много тази работа с "О, Прасчо, чу ли, че Кристофър Робин се е върнал в Гората след 80 години. Колко ли много време са 80 години, а Прасчо?", при което момчето идва на видимо същата възраст, споделя спокойно, че вече ходи на училище и приключенията продължават, затова не я и довърших. В превода на Емилия Л. Масларова текстът звучи тромаво и сковано ("Глупав мой Пух" вместо "Глупаво мое мече" например), а и самите истории ми се сториха недобре обмислени най-меко казано.

Българското издание е чудесно като оформление, хартия, печат и т.н., но самата книга е това, което действително ме отвращава в днешния медиен бизнес - преповтарянето на една и съща идея до безобразие и търсене на все нови и нови начини да се печели от нея. Не зная за какво му е на Кристофър Робин да слуша грамофон в 2009, нито защо кара колело с плетена кошница (остава само да каже, че яде био зеленчуци и харесва дизайн от 60-те), но навярно предстои да видим как тези незначителни детайли ще бъдат използвани в следващи медийни превъплъщения.

[Willow · Rating 2 out of 5]

This somehow wasn't as enjoyable as i had expected. I'm not sure why, but it felt like it went on too long and i got tired of it. There wasn't really anything wrong with it; it's just that, in my opinion, it didn't really capture the spirit of the original nor did it turn out as whimsical and sweet as "The Best Bear in All the World." I didn't care for the new character, either.

Note: there is some fortune-telling/palm-reading towards the end of the book.

[Simone Hagemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hvor var det skønt at tilbringe en sommer i selskab med Jakob, Plys og alle de andre. Jeg var nervøs for, om bogen kunne fange den rigtige Plys-feeling, men det kunne den heldigvis. Den slår på ingen måde de originale historier, men den er virkelig fin og fungerer rigtig godt alligevel. Det er derfor også en bog, jeg helt klart glæder mig til at genlæse en dag.

[Chris Lilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very useful exercise to help a reader understand just how good, how subtle, how controlled A. A. Milne is. And this isn't. Resolutely unengaging. He should have written something, anything, else.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 27%
Boże, co to za dramat jest ><

[Spigana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vljeh.
This is definitely not Winnie-the-Pooh I love so much. Children might like this book, but it has lost all the magic, innocence and wit that made Winnie-the-Pooh favorite for many adults.

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked how Pooh and the gang supported each other like a community. I took comfort in the simplicity and modesty of their day to day lives in the forest ❤️

[~tea~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the writing style and illustrations.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing could ever live up to the original works, but this was still extremely enjoyable.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't be honest with myself if I didn't give this 5 stars. Review to come.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Winnie the Pooh, the books are full of charm and humour and so sweet. We held a WtP event at our library last weekend and when I was requesting books to promote it, I saw this listed and immediately requested it. i was curious what it would be like and whether it would live up to the original.
This book does carry a certain amount of charm, the illustrations are fabulous and really quite faithful to the original style. The writing was very close, at times it didn't quite read right and I didn't chuckle as much as I wanted to but I did laugh out loud at some points.
David Benedictus did a very good job with what must have been a very hard task. He had a lot to live up to. A.A Milne has been treasured for so many years, their some big shoes to fill.
The actual outline is quite sad for someone like me who has grown up with WtP. The idea is that Christoper Robin has come back for the summer holidays. He's gone away to school and left WtP and friends behind. He enjoys a summer with them, but the closeness and freedom of fun is missing. He is growing up and growing apart from his childhood friends. You can tell he still cares for them and enjoys seeing them, but you can tell he is starting to drift away, and that loss of innocence and fun is quite sad. I know we all go through it but there's just something about reading it, especially between such an iconic pair as Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin. That's the sort of magic and pairing you expect to last forever. I think that is the spark missing from this book, which of course doesn't reflect badly on the author at all, it is just the way of life and David handled it brilliantly.

This collection of stories are all sweet and funny, Eeyore is my favourite character to read still, his gloomy pessimism is done just right and makes me laugh. Piglet is still shy and nervous but proves that small can be mighty. And Pooh Bear is his usual charming self, he makes me laugh so much, his little honey addiction is so sweet.

Overall this is a charming collection, done well by the author but just wasn't quite as magical as I expected.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I have a fairly unique perspective on this book, as someone who wasn't all that familiar with Winnie the Pooh from my childhood and read Milne's books for the first time right before reading this, as a 27 year old. This is an admirable attempt at mimicking Milne's style that nonetheless misses the point. Every story in the originals had something to say and none of the characters were as one-dimensional as they are here. Milne had this way of using these characters and their quirks as a way to make fun of humanity itself, of our shortcomings and flawed ways of thinking, while still ultimately being loving and uplifting. They are, without exaggeration, some of the best, most subtle, most layered children's books I've ever read.

There's just none of that here, it's all surface level copying of style with none of the substance. None of these stories really seemed to have anything to say about either people in general or the characters, they were just random situations used as an excuse to keep writing things in this world and fill out a whole book. Pooh never comes up with a clever solution through sheer intuition, he is forever the bear of little brain in Benedictus' version of this world. He seemed to have no idea what to do with Owl and made him obsessed with his late uncle Robert for some reason. It's a recurring joke that's not really a joke, and definitely not funny, and never goes anywhere. Eeyore is tolerated by the others at best whereas in the originals he was genuinely considered a friend and his depression and pessimism were completely ignored, which is a hell of an uplifting message for people with depression and friends of said people. Not to mention some of Eeyore's lines in the originals had me literally laughing out loud, and I never once laughed while reading this.

So...yeah. It's not a bad book. It's pleasant enough, and I didn't dislike reading it at any point (except maybe the cricket story because sports are boring as sin), but it just felt like empty calories the entire way. It didn't have anything new to add to the conversation, it was just a series of random events and meaningless references to things from the originals.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most beloved figures in children’s literature, Winnie-the-Pooh has delighted readers since his appearance in 1926. At the end of “The House at Pooh Corner,” A. A. Milne nostalgically writes, “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.” Now this immortal line is finding its fulfillment, and the treasured inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood are back in David Benedictus’ “Return to the Hundred Acre Wood.” This modern adaptation seeks to continue the timeless adventures of Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin, with the same familiar characters as well as a few new ones, including Lottie the otter. Within these pages, the animals hold their first spelling bee and cricket game and even establish the Hundred Acre Wood Academy and hold a Harvest Festival. Every day marks a new exciting activity, and you can be sure that, in this special place, there will always be good friends and laughter.

Written in the vein of Milne’s distinctive, lovable style, this story is a success, although it is noticeably different from the original. Benedictus, like Milne, employs portmanteau words and quirky capitalization to convey important ideas. Nevertheless, “Return to the Hundred Acre Wood” is, overall, more sophisticated and not as lighthearted or as silly, as evidenced by some of the events in which the animals participate. Various historical tidbits are mentioned throughout the book, and there is a perceptible influence derived from the works of Kenneth Grahame and Maurice Sendak. There are plentiful color illustrations by Mark Burgess, who endeavors to emulate the characters’ portrayals as initially set forth by Ernest H. Shepard. Despite some perceptible divergences, however, each of the characters maintains his or her recognizable personality, and readers of all ages will doubtless enjoy revisiting the Hundred Acre Wood and spending time with its adored residents.

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting attempt to recapture the magic of the A.A. Milne classics. I went into it with an open mind, but almost immediately couldn't help but be struck by the stark differences in the writing styles. David Benedictus nearly hits the mark from time to time in his writing, but more often makes the characters a bit too aggressive, or a bit too overbearing and the result is an odd sort of shadow of the original that never entirely hits the moralistic nearly philosophical stance of Pooh.

One of the biggest problems with the book, for me, was the introduction of Lottie the otter. While adding a new character is not a bad idea - Tigger was new in the second book, after all - Lottie quickly becomes the star of the show. Lottie can do no wrong, and comes off as rather snobbish and with little to temper that character. Too often the characters are in awe of her, and then take a backseat to her; instead of it being the characters learning to deal with Lottie, it's 'isn't Lottie wonderful'? Additionally, Lottie isn't Christopher Robin's, but rather an actual otter... which destroys too much of the liminal space that Pooh is meant to occupy.

There were aspects of the book I enjoyed, foremost of which was the ending. Some of the stories hit the mark rather nicely, and I am by no means against the idea of people further contributing to the Pooh canon. Personally, I just feel that books such as The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet better captured the spirit of the original and the attraction of simplicity. Nevertheless, this will certainly be a book that children love and the illustrations are wonderful.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was a Christmas gift and I read it Christmas night and cried myself to sleep because I miss my cat. Thanks Mom.

Four stars because giving five to a Pooh sequel not written by the Milne himself is sort of sacrilegious, but this book gets far more right than it does wrong. The tone is there without being forced -- occasionally the dialogue is perhaps a little more on-point than Milne ever was, but I'm really nitpicking there. A new character is introduced with sort of a dumb name, but the fact that a new character is introduced and totally fits is, again, a sort of Milne Miracle.

And the pictures are gorgeous. Still miss my cat.

[Malcolm]

I think this was a brave effort. I was a bit suspicious of the idea of producing a sequel...how could the original books be improved and I was right: this isn't better but it is a good attempt. There are occasional glimpses of Milne's whimsy but at times the text is a bit too knowing for its own good. The illustrations are superb and there are moments that capture the original perfectly. The otter was an unnecessary edition but all in all a pleasant read that could well send me back to the originals.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy it, really I did. It just wasn't Pooh. If I had not loved the originals so much perhaps it would have been all right.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poor follow-up and very little of the charm of the original.

[Jordan Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. It wasn't bad, and I commend Benedictus for taking on the task, but this just didn't live up to Milne. I don't supposed any book could.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The least successful of three attempts to recapture the magic of A. A. Milne's prose in juvenile chapter books that I've read in recent weeks. (See also: Once There Was a Bear and The Best Bear in All the World.)

The author's outlook on the characters has them too often sour and dour, and he misguidedly attempts to introduce a sexualized character into the mix.

Chapter One. in which Christopher Robin Returns

It's summer, and the friends in the Hundred-Acre Wood are excited by a rumor that Christopher Robin is coming home from boarding school. Party time!

Chapter Two. in which Owl Does a crossword and a Spelling Bee is held

Owl's a bit grumpier in this book, and it's going to get worse. This chapter is also notable for the creepy return of Christopher Robin's infamous "blue braces."

Chapter Three. in which Rabbit organizes almost everything

Rabbit decides to do a census of the Hundred-Acre Wood, so we get to meet Grandad Buck and more of Rabbit's friends and relations.

Chapter Four. in which it stops raining for ever and something slinky comes out of the river

This author has decided that Winnie the Pooh needs a Jessica Rabbit figure to be the whore to Kanga's matron. So an otter named Lottie who wears a pearl necklace slinks onto the scene. Ummmm . . . no. No, no, NO!

And there's a drought, so we show Christopher Robin and the friends playing around with an old, abandoned well with rotten wood in order to get some water? No, no, NO, we do not show children how much fun old abandoned wells are. This author is an idiot.

Chapter Five. in which Pooh goes in search of honey

Pooh's usual source of honey dries up when the bees in a nearby hive swarm out of it in search of a new home. It's nice that the author wants to introduce a little bee science, but he doesn't do it very well, especially when Pooh tries to lure them back to the hive they've just abandoned for some unspecified reason. (Perhaps the earlier drought?)

Chapter Six. in which Owl becomes an author and then unbecomes one

Owl strikes Roo at the start of the chapter, and the author expects readers to be okay with that assault because Owl is suffering from writer's block. Maybe social services needs to make a home visit to check on David Benedictus' family. He has proven himself quite the ass at the very least.

Chapter Seven. in which Lottie starts an Academy and everybody learns something

The friends play at an awful version of school, with the unfortunate Lottie character front and center.

Chapter Eight. in which we are introduced to the game of cricket

Not even Pooh can make me care about cricket.

Chapter Nine. in which Tigger dreams of Africa

Tigger falls into a food coma and goes all Rachel Dolezal, dreaming of his African heritage when tigers are actually from Asia.

Chapter Ten. in which a Harvest Festival is held in the Forest and Christopher Robin springs a surprise

Christopher Robin uses the cover of the festival to slip off to boarding school again. Summer's over, and the toys are on their own again. Will he ever return? Or has this all been a prequel to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey?

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Exposition -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter One. in which Christopher Robin Returns -- Chapter Two. in which Owl Does a crossword and a Spelling Bee is held -- Chapter Three. in which Rabbit organizes almost everything -- Chapter Four. in which it stops raining for ever and something slinky comes out of the river -- Chapter Five. in which Pooh goes in search of honey -- Chapter Six. in which Owl becomes an author and then unbecomes one -- Chapter Seven. in which Lottie starts an Academy and everybody learns something -- Chapter Eight. in which we are introduced to the game of cricket -- Chapter Nine. in which Tigger dreams of Africa -- Chapter Ten. in which a Harvest Festival is held in the Forest and Christopher Robin springs a surprise

(My Pooh Project: I love Winnie the Pooh, and so does my wife. Having a daughter gave us a chance to indoctrinate her into the cult by buying and reading her every Pooh book we came across. How many is that? I’m going to count them this year by reading and reviewing one every day and seeing which month I finally run out. Track my progress here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list... )

[Janae · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Benedictus offers a set of adventures inspired by the classic works of A.A. Milne.
Along with all the beloved characters (Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Tiger, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo), he introduces a new character: an otter named Lottie. Lottie is a bit snobbish, but she is excellent at playing cricket. It was a bit strange to meet a new character, but overall it didn't detract from the spirit of what Benedictus was trying to do.

I'm not a Milne expert, so the prose was close enough for me. I mostly picked this one because it was short, sweet, and narrated by the beloved Jim Dale.

[Yolande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts
This was cute! This is book 5 in the Winnie the Pooh series and was taken over from A.A. Milne. We get introduced to an otter who was so sassy. I love her. I feel like this read better than the first few books (sorry if I’ve insulted anyone). It was still nonsensical at times and the stories flowed through each other which I liked. So overall very positive reading experience. The pictures were adorable as always. My favourite story was “In which Lottie starts an academy and everyone learns something” the chaos of the school was hilarious. My least favourite was “The game of cricket” because as the title suggests it was about cricket which is not my thing.

Representation
N/A

Content Warning
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[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways I enjoyed this more than the original. The illustrations are beautiful - I will definitely acquire a copy to keep on my physical bookcase.

[BookWormYami · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
Such a cute book! Definitely a must read to little kids or anyone who loves Pooh in general and all his friends. I always loved Tigger!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this as much as the previous 2! 😕 still love Winnie The Pooh though! My childhood fave at least one of them! 🥰🍯

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

ahhhh dit was zo schattig 😊💛

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though not actually A.A. Milne’s writing, this is the next best thing. I loved the fresh stories and Shepard-esque illustrations. Pooh Bear and his Friends are like Honey to my Soul.