As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen. ~Winnie the Pooh

If you are looking for a great read during A.T.T.O., look no further than the beautifully photographed biography of A.A. Milne. Timber Press published, “The Natural World of Winnie-The-Pooh: A Walk Through The Forest That Inspired The Hundred Acre Wood.”

Alan Alexander Milne (1882-1956) is the author of the Winnie-the-Pooh books. Both of Milne’s parents were teachers. He considered himself lucky to have such an idyllic childhood that he returned to his stomping grounds as an adult in his writing for children. The calm village of Hartfield in Victorian London and the English countryside inspired his stories. The Hundred Acre Wood where Christopher Robin encounters the likes of the silly willy nilly old bear, Tigger, Eeyore, and piglet is a real place called Ashdown Forest and the Five Hundred Acre Wood.

The family lived at Henley House which consisted of two detached buildings. A.A. Milne lived in one of the buildings with his Mom, Dad, and two brothers. The other detached building was the schoolhouse where his father was the headmaster. H.G. Wells was one of his teachers that sparked his interest in nature and the surrounding landscape. Alan adored his father and family, as well as school. It was his father’s love of mathematics that ignited a passion in Alan for the subject. At Trinity College, Cambridge Alan studied math before becoming a literary figure. Christopher Robin is based on Milne’s son and toys in his nursery. It is not surprising then, that the man who wrote such a beautiful story about friendship, understanding, and kindheartedness had such a strong meaningful connection between his home and school families.

Aalto, K. (2015). The natural world of Winnie-the-pooh: A walk through the forest that inspired the hundred acre wood. Portland, OR: Timber Press.