{"id":5,"date":"2023-07-28T14:07:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T14:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaiamail.net\/home\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2023-08-04T15:31:48","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T15:31:48","slug":"a-winnie-the-pooh-chronology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gaiamail.net\/home\/chronologies-and-timelines\/winnie-the-pooh\/a-winnie-the-pooh-chronology\/","title":{"rendered":"a Chronology"},"content":{"rendered":"

of the Winnie the Pooh books<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello!<\/p>\n

This is my effort to arrange the “Authorized” Winnie-the-Pooh books into a rough, chronological order.\u00a0 This list is not based on publication date; nor is this any sort of official order – this is my attempt, using details contained within the stories themselves, to try to address continuity issues.<\/p>\n

Please take it or leave it as you will!<\/p>\n

Note that I may update or modify this list upon re-readings.<\/p>\n

The cover pictures shown below are not the covers from the original editions or from familiar recent editions; but are the latest and current cover designs of the publisher.<\/p>\n

Here goes:<\/p>\n

\n

We start with…<\/p>\n

Once There Was a Bear<\/i>
\nChapters 2-6
\n<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Obviously, we should start reading with chapter one but the chronological placement of the first chapter is challenging. Tigger is included in this bracketing sequence to a collection of flash-back stories, but Tigger was not introduced until much later in the series in The House at Pooh Corner<\/i>. This creates a continuity problem with the later closing bracketing chapter (chapter ten), more details on that a bit further below.<\/p>\n

Chapters two through seven take place while Christopher Robin still lives in London, with chapters three through six running concurrently with the events of When We Were Very Young<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\n

When We Were Very Young<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As near as I can tell, the placement of these poems seem to be roughly parallel to the middle chapters of Once There Was a Bear<\/i> and could be placed after either chapter six or chapter seven; or concurrent with chapters three through seven.<\/p>\n

\n

Back to…<\/p>\n

Once There Was a Bear<\/i>
\nChapters 7-10
\n<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Chapter eight introduces and opens in the Forest<\/a>, and we will not see London again until much later.<\/p>\n

Chapter 10 includes the prequel’s closing bracketing sequence, which segues immediately into the first chapter of the next book, Winnie the Pooh<\/i>. And here is the continuity problem mentioned above: Tigger is not yet introduced in Winnie the Pooh<\/i>. It’s possible that Tigger was only included in this book for marketing or legal reasons, in which case, if his presence is ignored, there is no real continuity problem. But I suspect that Tigger does not appreciate being ignored, so perhaps we should ignore the continuity problem instead.<\/p>\n

\n

Winnie the Pooh<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I really enjoy the prequel book, Once There Was a Bear<\/i>. For me, reading the characters’ back stories and previous adventures makes reading the original Winnie the Pooh<\/i> even more enjoyable an experience.<\/p>\n

\n

Now We Are Six<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

The House at Pooh Corner<\/i>
\nChapters 1-7
\n<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nIn which Tigger is introduced and Christopher Robin starts school.<\/p>\n

\n

The Best Bear in all the World<\/i>
\nChapters 1-3<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nI place these three stories here because they include Tigger and clearly show that Christopher Robin goes to school. They also need to be placed before the final chapters of The House at Pooh Corner<\/i> because Owl’s house in the Chestnuts has not yet been knocked down and Piglet is still living in his original house.<\/p>\n

\n

The House at Pooh Corner<\/i>
\nChapters 8-9
\n<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

In which Owl’s home in the Chestnuts is knocked down, Owl moves into Piglet’s original house, and so Piglet moves in with Pooh<\/p>\n

\n

The Best Bear in All the World<\/i>
\nChapter 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nAlthough not explicitly stated, it appears that Piglet is sharing Pooh’s home in this story. It also preludes the bitter-sweet tone that we see in the final chapter of The House at Pooh Corner<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\n

The House at Pooh Corner<\/i>
\nChapter 10
\n<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Christopher Robin leaves the Hundred Acre Wood to go to school full time; a heart-wrenching goodbye and a clear conclusion to the series.<\/p>\n

\n

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A direct sequel to The House at Pooh Corner<\/em>. A bit of time has passed and a slightly older Christopher Robin, who now rides a bicycle and listens to popular music, returns from school on holiday. In the first chapter, Eeyore refers to something that he said in the final chapter of The House at Pooh Corner<\/em>. Owl continues to live in Piglet’s original home and Piglet continues to share Pooh’s home with Pooh. These fun adventures conclude with another goodbye as Christopher Robin heads back to school.<\/p>\n

Although this was the first of the Authorized Sequels, to date it chronologically remains the final book in the series and contains some of my favorite stories.<\/p>\n

\n

Character notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The characters of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Tigger, and Penguin were all based on the real-world stuffed toys of Christopher Robin.<\/p>\n

Rabbit, Owl, and Lottie were creations of the authors’ imaginations.<\/p>\n

The Authorized Sequels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood<\/em> was published in 2009 with the explanation that “Pooh and piglet, Christopher Robin and Eeyore were last seen in the Forest<\/a> – oh, can it really be eighty years ago?”<\/p>\n

The Best Bear in All The World<\/em> was published in 2016, with Kanga explaining that, “Yes, Pooh – you’re ninety years old, which calls for a celebration.”<\/p>\n

Once There Was a Bear<\/em> was published in 2021 as a “95th Anniversary Prequel”; 2021 was also 100 years from 1921, the year that Christopher Robin’s mother Daphne Milne purchased a stuffed bear from Harrods as a gift for her son. We see this occur in chapter two of the book.<\/p>\n

2026 will be 100 years after the 1926 publication of the first Pooh book, Winnie the Pooh<\/i>. Will we see the publication of a fourth<\/i> authorized collection of new stories, to celebrate the centenary? I hope so!<\/p>\n

\n
    \n

    “Pooh, promise<\/em> you won’t forget about me, ever. Not even when I’m a hundred.”<\/p>\n

    Pooh thought for a little.<\/p>\n

    “How old shall I<\/em> be then?”<\/p>\n

    “Ninety-nine.”<\/p>\n

    Pooh nodded.<\/p>\n

    “I promise,” he said.<\/p>\n

    – Christopher Robin and Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner<\/em><\/p>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n

     <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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