Winnie-The-Pooh is a British children's book, written by A.A. Milne for his son Christopher Robin Milne and illustrated in the original version by E.H. Shepard.
The Pooh books (Winnie-the-Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner) are based around the adventures of a small boy and his collection of stuffed animals. In much the same way as the Peanuts cartoon strip, they are philosophical, with each of the animal characters portraying an archetype:
- Pooh: A kind of everyman, discovering the world, and overcome with wonder. He isn't a great thinker (he's a bear of very little brain), but he is a deep thinker.
- Piglet: Small and timid, but capable of great things, especially in the cause of friendship.
- Eeyore: The classic pessimist, looking on the dark side of everything.
- Tigger: Eeyore's antithesis, an enthusiast and cock-eyed optimist, perpetually being disappointed, but always bouncing back.
- Kanga: The nurturing mother figure.
- Roo: The curious child always getting into trouble but learning from it.
- Owl: The pompous know-it-all, very sure of his facts, however wrong they might be.
- Rabbit: The busybody, always frazzled, organising everyone, whether or not they want to be organised.
The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet are treatises examining the philosopy set out in the books and Pooh has also been used as the basis for a book on management styles.
But most of all they are just lovely books for kids to read.