''When We Were Very Young'' is a best-selling book of poetry by
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-th ...
. It was first published in 1924, and it was illustrated by
E. H. Shepard
Ernest Howard Shepard (10 December 1879 – 24 March 1976) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is known especially for illustrations of the Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic animal and soft toy characters in ''The Wind in the Willow ...
. Several of the verses were set to music by
Harold Fraser-Simson. The book begins with an introduction entitled "Just Before We Begin", which, in part, tells readers to imagine for themselves who the narrator is, and that it might be
Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, based on his son Christopher Robin Milne. The character appears in the author's popular books of poetry and ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' stories, and has subsequently appeared in various Disney ...
. The 38th poem in the book, "Teddy Bear", that originally appeared in ''
Punch'' magazine in February 1924, was the first appearance of the famous character
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...
, first named "Mr. Edward Bear" by
Christopher Robin Milne.
[Milne, A. A. "When We Were Very Young". Methuen & Co.; London, 1924] In one of the illustrations of "Teddy Bear", Winnie-the-Pooh is shown wearing a shirt which was later coloured red when reproduced on a recording produced by
Stephen Slesinger. This has become his standard appearance in the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
adaptations. On 1 January 2020, ''When We Were Very Young'' entered the public domain in the United States,
but remains protected in other countries, including the UK.
Contents
# "Corner of the Street"
# "Buckingham Palace"
# "Happiness"
# "The Christening"
# "Puppy and I"
# "Twinkle Toes"
# "The Four Friends"
# "Lines and Squares"
# "Brownie"
# "Independence"
# "Nursery Chairs"
# "Market Square"
# "Daffodowndilly"
# "Water Lilies"
# "Disobedience"
# "Spring Morning"
# "The Island"
# "The Three Foxes"
# "Politeness"
# "Jonathan Jo"
# "At the Zoo"
# "Rice Pudding"
# "The Wrong House"
# "Missing"
# "
The King's Breakfast"
# "Hoppity"
# "At Home"
# "Summer Afternoon"
# "The Dormouse and the Doctor"
# "Shoes and Stockings"
# "Sand Between the Toes"
# "Knights and Ladies"
# "Little Bo Peep and Little Boy Blue"
# "The Mirror"
# "
Halfway Down"
# "The Invaders"
# "Before Tea"
# "Teddy Bear"
# "Bad Sir Brian Botany"
# "In the Fashion"
# "The Alchemist"
# "Growing Up"
# "If I Were King"
# "
Vespers
Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...
"
See also
* ''
Now We Are Six'', another book of poetry by A. A. Milne
References
External links
*
1924 children's books
1924 poetry books
Books illustrated by E. H. Shepard
British children's books
Children's poetry books
Fantasy novels
English poetry collections
Methuen Publishing books
Poetry by A. A. Milne
Winnie-the-Pooh books
Cultural depictions of Christopher Robin Milne
{{Poetry-collection-stub