(2) PS Illustrated by Rosemary Wells. Wells says in an opening note that she chose her favorite twelve poems from Milne's beloved classic to present in "picture-book format." She gives each its own introductory page on which she shows that poem's characters (usually a cat, mouse, rabbit, or other critter) as well as other important elements. For instance, for the first entry, "Happiness," the introductory page shows the character John as a cat, along with three small, square pictures with labels for each: mackintosh, boots, hat. This sets the stage for very young children so they can make more sense of what's to come. Wells also puts her own interpretation on some of the poems. In "Disobedience," which begins "James James / Morrison ­Morrison / Weatherby George Dupree / Took great / Care of his Mother, / Though he was only three," she adds extra text, placed in speech bubbles, in which James's mother is safely returned home--a reassuring if narratively radical touch. Through her brightly colored paintings (which incorporate iconic ­British markers such as Underground signs, red phone booths, and double-decker buses) and expressive characters, Wells will bring a new generation of readers to these almost-one-hundred-year-old poems. A glossary is appended of some of Milne's "old-fashioned" words, such as shilling and porringer.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Three stories and seven poems have been selected from Milne's books (despite the title, Pooh is featured in only two poems). Milne's inventive wordplay is accompanied by Shepard's colorized illustrations, which, in a good design decision, appear in their original positions relative to the text. A large typeface and lots of white space make the volume a nice choice for introducing children to the original stories.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh's pessimistic pal, the Old Grey Donkey Eeyore, plays a leading role in five stories culled from Milne's classic books. A large, square format lends itself to reading aloud, although the small vignettes of art will be best appreciated by lap-sitters. The enlarged format and the colorized illustrations seem like just another publisher's repackaging ploy to lure buyers, but the stories themselves retain all of their original charm.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. "Furry Bear," "Waiting at the Window," "Sneezles," and "Us Two" are a few of the twenty-three poems culled from Milne's collections of verse, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. The sweetly old-fashioned, often whimsical poems are accompanied by Shepard's classic line drawings, which have been unnecessarily colorized.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Adapted by Stephen Krensky. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. In these easy-to-read adaptations of two chapters from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, Krensky judiciously cuts out a few words and phrases here and there, but the tales remain remarkably close to Milne's originals. The books are illustrated with Shepard's (colorized) drawings and will be accessible to newly independent readers. [Review covers these titles: Pooh Goes Visiting and Tigger Comes to the Forest.]

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Adapted by Stephen Krensky. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. In these easy-to-read adaptations of two chapters from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, Krensky judiciously cuts out a few words and phrases here and there, but the tales remain remarkably close to Milne's originals. The books are illustrated with Shepard's (colorized) drawings and will be accessible to newly independent readers. [Review covers these titles: Pooh Goes Visiting and Tigger Comes to the Forest.]

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. In this picture book, three stories are reprinted word for word from The House at Pooh Corner. The design incorporates pictures pulled from other chapters of the book, as well as the line drawings originally paired with these selections; fortunately, the inserted pictures work well in their new placements. The colorization of Shepard's art is unfortunate.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. This tiny book about springtime features poems from Milne's two volumes of childhood verse and paragraphs from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. Each of the selections stands alone nicely and works in harmony with the others to create a thematic whole. Colorized versions of Shepard's familiar sketches of Pooh and friends illustrate the collection.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. These adaptations of two chapters from Winnie-the-Pooh preserve Milne's words, humor, and pacing while simplifying the texts for beginning readers, mainly by cutting out a few phrases here and there. Enlarged and colorized, Shepard's illustrations work well in this easy-reader format. Purists will clamor for the originals, but for most readers the alterations will be indiscernible. [Review covers Eeyore Has a Birthday and Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees.]

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. These adaptations of two chapters from Winnie-the-Pooh preserve Milne's words, humor, and pacing while simplifying the texts for beginning readers, mainly by cutting out a few phrases here and there. Enlarged and colorized, Shepard's illustrations work well in this easy-reader format. Purists will clamor for the originals, but for most readers the alterations will be indiscernible. [Review covers Eeyore Has a Birthday and Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees.]

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Isabel Bodor Brown. Princess Daffodil receives an inconvenient christening gift from her fairy godmother: "Wherever you go, / Flowers shall grow." She's confined to walking in flower beds until her parents dedicate a hill to her use, giving her a place to play and providing local children with an endless supply of flowers. Meticulous, softly colored illustrations with some humorous touches accompany the slight story.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Reprinted in its entirety, this chapter from Winnie-the-Pooh, in which Pooh hunts for Eeyore's missing tail, works well as a picture book. A few pictures borrowed from other chapters of the book have been added to Shepard's original drawings for this episode, all of which have been enlarged and colorized, but they fit right in with the story.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Fans of the "silly old Bear" and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood will be pleased with this picture book version of a chapter from Winnie-the-Pooh. The original, unabridged text in Milne's sophisticatedly naive style relates Pooh's predicament when he eats too much at Rabbit's house and gets stuck in the door. The text is accompanied by Shepard's illustrations, which have been enlarged and colorized.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Readers who love Milne's classic stories will appreciate this reprint of a chapter from The House at Pooh Corner in picture book form. The pictures have been colorized, and a few vignettes have been inserted to supplement the original illustrations, but the text has not been altered. Tigger's first meeting with Pooh and Piglet, as well as the rest of the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Woods, works well as a stand-alone book.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Although purists may not like that Shepard's illustrations have been enlarged and colorized, Pooh Bear's fans will appreciate this picture book rendition of Pooh's misguided attempt to sneak some honey from the bees. The text, which has not been altered, is taken from Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne's first collection of stories about the famous bear.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. This book might be more appropriately titled The Complete Poems of Christopher Robin, since Pooh Bear appears only a few times in this collection of the full texts of When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Milne's charming verses belong on every bookshelf, but the uneven colorization of Shepard's line drawings mars this presentation--some of the dark shades nearly obliterate the fine pen marks that provide definition, movement, and character. Brief biographical sketches of Milne and Shepard are included.

Reviewer: Anne St. John