Disney's iteration of Winnie the Pooh has been a big part of my life at many stages. Whenever I'm feeling down, I like to escape into the Hundred Acre Wood with my animal friends and just relax, where the biggest source of stress is finding Eeyore's tail and encountering Heffalumps and Woozles. Considering just how prevalent Pooh Bear and his friends have been in my life, it's surprising that it's taken me until I'm 21 to experience the stories in their original, more whimsical format.

I'm totally biased, so I will say that I prefer the Disney versions of the characters - but the ones in this book are certainly more interesting. Eeyore is darker and his stories more upsetting, Owl is somehow infinitely more annoying, Rabbit has gone from being mean to almost sinister, Piglet has more self importance, Kanga feels like she stepped right out of the Stepford Wives forty years too early. This makes me less fond of the characters (although I'm sure that would grow in time if I read more stories), but it does make the stories themselves slightly more engaging.

I am a big fan of the writing style. I'm used to using Capital Letters to Emphasise things that I'm Writing Online, even if they seem nonsensical in a sentence, and it was a joy to see them used here in the same way, almost 100 years earlier. The writing conventions and illustrations combine to make such a fun reading experience, and while I'll likely gravitate towards The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh before I pick up this book, I'm sure it will be one I reread and one I'd love to enjoy and share with the children in my family.