First sentence: Not so very far away there is a forest. You've probably been there. It's the sort of Forest with trees to hide behind, sticks to bend and snap, streams to wet your toes in, and steep running down-y bits to run down. In this Forest, two friends sat in a patch of sunlight.

Premise/plot: This is the official prequel to A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. These are stories that take place before the first book. For example, ever wonder how Winnie the Pooh came to be Christopher Robin's bear? Ever wonder about Pooh's experiences in a department store? The stories mainly seem to stand alone.

My thoughts: I had very high expectations. This one mostly lived up to those high expectations. I wouldn't say that it was completely and totally magical from cover to cover. But there were two or three stories that really stood out to me as wonderful. Most were pleasantly good and solid--nothing disappointing. I loved Eeyore's origin story, for example. And Piglet's story with the boot was also great.

Is this one necessary for every Pooh lover? Maybe. Maybe not. The originals are SO wonderful, marvelous, memorably epic. This prequel is solidly good and pleasant enough. I definitely enjoyed it more than not. I don't know that it is something that would be an absolute must for every fan. ( )

The secret origin of Winnie the Pooh! A chapter a day keeps the doldrums away.

Chapter One. in which we go back to the beginnings

Before the flashbacks can begin, Tigger wants to make sure he's the star of at least one story. And he does a remarkable job of it.

Chapter Two. in which a bear is bought

Before he came to Christopher Robin's home, Pooh was on a shelf at London's Harrods department store, and he caught the eye of a annoying spoiled young girl gathering a tremendous pile of loot during her shopping trip. Obviously this vignette is going to go nowhere.

Chapter Three. in which some friends arrive

Eeyore and Piglet's dispositions are explained by the manner in which they were delivered to Christopher Robin's house, one in a soggy and abused package and the other squeezed through a tiny mail slot.

Chapter Four. in which Winnie meets another and Eeyore doesn't

Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore accompany Christopher Robin to the London Zoo where Eeyore gets lost and Pooh meets a very special bear.

Chapter Five. in which a mountain is moved

Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore manage to have a small adventure in Christopher Robin's bedroom when they jump to scary assumptions about mysterious noises and shapes in the morning gloom.

Chapter Six. in which we all feel very young

A visit to London's Natural History Museum is a bit of a snooze even with all the dinosaur skeletons. Thank goodness for Eeyore's fixation on corners saving the day.

Chapter Seven. in which it rains a great deal

Eeyore is the only saving grace in this chapter as a rainy day keeps everyone inside playing in a blanket den. A mouse name Flo appears, but contributes little and takes a lot.

Chapter Eight. in which some hiding places are better than others

Rabbit and his friends and relations appear for the first time as Christopher Robin's family move from London to a place next to the Hundred-Acre Wood. Eeyore again steals the show as he is first to hide in a game of hide-and-seek and picks an unusual spot. I wish more detail had been given about the move and how the little houses in the wood came to be.

Chapter Nine. in which several holes are dug

Christopher Robin gets Pooh and his friends playing pirates and looking for precious items to bury in their treasure chest.

Chapter Ten. in which we all live happily ever after. The end.

On a winter day, Rabbit tries to warn everyone about the dangers of ice, so they all gather on a frozen stream to listen. Soon enough Christopher Robin's boot and Piglet are both in need of rescue. A bit too reminiscent of Milne's flood, but still nice enough.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Before the Before (An Introduction) -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter One. in which we go back to the beginnings -- Chapter Two. in which a bear is bought -- Chapter Three. in which some friends arrive -- Chapter Four. in which Winnie meets another and Eeyore doesn't -- Chapter Five. in which a mountain is moved -- Chapter Six. in which we all feel very young -- Chapter Seven. in which it rains a great deal -- Chapter Eight. in which some hiding places are better than others -- Chapter Nine. in which several holes are dug -- Chapter Ten. in which we all live happily ever after. The end.

(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/23954351-rod-brown?ref=nav_mybooks&she... ) ( )