Return to Hundred Acre Wood

Eighty years after Winne-the-Pooh was first published, David Benedictus released a sequel to the classic stories of Pooh and Christopher Robin: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood.   Benedictus, British author and theater director, had the idea to write a sequel after producing audio recordings of Milne’s classic tales, starring Judi Dench.  He sent two sample stories to the Pooh Properties Trust, who declined his request to publish because Disney had full rights.  Ten years later, when sequel rights reverted back to the estate, Pooh Properties approached Benedictus for additional stories and a compilation of 10 stories was published (October 2009).

Benedictus does a great job keeping with Milne’s writing style, maintaining the integrity of the themes, and still manages to introduce a brand new character: Lottie the Otter.  Lottie fits-in like she’s part of the original crew.  A feisty otter with an appreciation for good etiquette and a passion for cricket, Lottie embodies the same values and characteristics of the other Hundred Acre Woods residents.  

The cherry on top is Jim Dale’s narration (narrator for Harry Potter among others); the characters’ voices capture the heart & soul of A.A. Milne and deliver a believable return to Winnie’s world.  Writing a sequel to a universal classic is an act of bravery.  Benedictus is quoted as saying “At worst, everyone will hate me and I'll just crawl under a bush and hide.”  But the end result was a seamless transition from the old to the new, proving the timelessness of Pooh and his pals.

____________________________________________________

Posted by Caroline M Duke

Collection Development Manager, Findaway World