On a sunlit International Children’s Book Day, April 2, Mayflower Bookshop marked this special day with an event about the world and language of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, created by author A.A. Milne. The stories, collected in four books, were originally meant for his son, the Christopher Robin of the adventures.
Dr. Wim Tigges took us on a journey to the Hundred Acre Wood, and showed us the power, tenderness and jokes the stories have to this day, concentrating on the hilarious language of the world of Pooh Bear, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo, and the creation of such terrifying animals as woozles and heffalumps. The spell-bound audience was vastly amused by Tigges’ examples of Pooh-language and listened breathlessly as Tigges analysed the stories, demonstrating that the books by Milne are timeless and still, after almost a hundred years able to capture a varied audience!