When We Were Very Young

NEW stunning paperback edition showcasing the original E.H.Shepard art with Milne’s classic, timeless poetry for children.

‘Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares! Christopher Robin is saying his prayers!'

E.H.Shepard’s original, iconic artwork has been reproduced for this 100th anniversary range so it truely pays homage to the vividness of the original art that accompanied Milne’s classic, favourite stories.

In this famous collection of verse for children, we join Christopher Robin and his friends for a trip to Buckingham Palace, learn what a King likes for his breakfast and meet a much-loved bear for the very first time.

Curl up with A.A.Milne’s classic book of poetry for children, When We Were Very Young. This is the first volume of rhymes written especially for children by Milne – as popular now as when they were first written.

This special 100th anniversary paperback collection is a heart-warming and funny introduction to children’s poetry, offering the same sense of humour, imagination and whimsy that we’ve come to expect from Milne's favourite books about Winnie-the-Pooh, that Bear of Very Little Brain.

This book is all the more special due to E.H.Shepard’s decorations, which are shown in full, glorious colour. They are truly iconic and contributed to him being known as ‘the man who drew Pooh’.

Milne and Shepard had a unique working relationship for their time, in that they closely collaborated on the design of the storybooks and poetry. This joint approach to laying out the words and illustrations was clearly the perfect partnership; Shepard entirely captured the charm of Pooh’s world, created by Milne, resulting in the gorgeous books we all know and love.

The nation’s favourite teddy bear has been delighting generations of children for nearly 100 years. Milne’s classic children’s stories – featuring Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin and, of course, Pooh himself – are gently humorous while teaching lessons about friendship and kindness.

Pooh ranks alongside other beloved character such as Paddington Bear, and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage. Whether you’re 5 or 55, Pooh is the bear for all ages.

Do you own all the classic Pooh titles?

Winnie-the-Pooh

The House at Pooh Corner

When We Were Very Young

Now We Are Six

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

The Best Bear in All the World

Once There Was a Bear

Tales from the Forest

Winter in the Wood

Some retro reviews of the original publication in the 1920s:

“To children it is something more than a volume, it is a treasure trove – richer in value than Aladdin’s Cave or any sunken Spanish galleon that ever carried gold from Peru. In literature it ranks with the highest and the greatest. It is a classic!”, Northern Weekly Gazette, 18th September 1926

“Now, when Mr. A. A. Milne started the ‘Christopher Robin’ poems in ‘Punch’ he was starting something altogether bigger than he knew.”, Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 9th December 1926

“When Mr. Milne began four years ago to write verses for his small son, and, through ‘Punch’, had the good fortune to have them illustrated by Mr. E. H. Shepard, he little realised that within a few months five continents would be clamouring for the adventures of ‘Christopher Robin’ and his pets.”, Sunday Express, 21st October 1928

A.A.Milne was born in London in 1882 and became a highly successful writer of plays, poems and novels. He based Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and friends on the real nursery toys of his son Christopher Robin and published the first book of their adventures together in 1926. Since then, Pooh has become a world-famous bear, and Milne’s stories have been translated into seventy-two languages.