Oh, Stuff and Fluff! Winnie-the-Pooh and His Friends are Back!

Back Where?
At The New York Public Library Children's Room.

Where were they?  
Out for for a year-long conservation/refurbishment with a textile restoration expert.

Why?
To get them all spruced up! Winnie-the Pooh, aka Edward Bear,  turned 95 this year!  (In 1921, on August 21, A.A. Milne gave the teddy bear, purchased at Harrods Department Store in London, to his son, Christopher Robin, for his first birthday.)

How long have they been in New York City?
Winnie and his friends Tigger, Eyore, Kanga, and Piglet (all former well-loved toys of Christopher Robin Milne) have resided at the New York Public Library since 1987.

Who are the two little boys looking at Pooh and Friends on display?
My grandsons! In August their Mommy took them to the NYPL to make and mail birthday cards for Pooh's 95th!  And, better late than never, I'm finally posting about it here on my blog.

Can I visit Pooh?
Anyone can visit Winnie-the-Pooh and his pals. Every year thousands of children and their parents come to see them in their grand quarters in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (NYPL). Pooh and his friends are as happy as when they lived in the Hundred Acre Wood.

What if I can't visit, but I want to send Winnie-the-Pooh a card?
You can send a card online, by clicking here.

Library Lions and Edward Bear: Exploring the New York City Public Library

As I mentioned in my last post, today I'm giving you a little tour of NYCPL's Steven A. Schwarzman Building. Despite the fact that the Rose Main Reading Room was closed for renovation (after a scary plaster collapse in the ceiling a few months back), the New York City Public Library did not disappoint!

All was well with Patience and Fortitude, the Library's majestic sentinels (they have been immortalized in several excellent children's books - go to my post here).

It's been on my "bucket list" for quite a while to meet them.  They were festive, all dressed up with new Christmas garlands...

Fortitude is to the right of the library's wide steps - on north/uptown side

Patience is on the left/south/downtown side of the library's wide front steps

Once inside the library, my husband and I were greeted by a breathtaking Christmas tree!  The entryway and staircases were the backdrop for the final "bowler hat scene" in the film, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999).  The Metropolitan Museum of Art refused permission for their interior be used in the film, so several of the scenes were shot in the NYCPL.

By the way, how many films and television shows do you think have been shot on location at this library?  Go here for the list!

We made our way downstairs to the children's area, and once again came face-to-face with the Library Lions - this time in Lego form!

But the main attraction downstairs for adults and kids alike is a small enclosed glass case, where we came face to face with the original inspiration for A.A. Milne's Pooh books: Christopher Robin's Edward Bear and four of his friends...

The REAL Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga (Roo was lost in an orchard in 1930s), Piglet, and Winnie-thePooh 

Thanks to Milne's American publisher, the stuffed toys ended up in New York.  Go here to see more pictures of these beloved animals on display.  It would be unbearable to lose them, but I do feel kind of bad they're not in England!  You can read my past post "Origins of Winnie-the-Pooh" here.

The Children's Center in the NYCPL is very welcoming - though it doesn't have the intake-of-breath-effect that I experienced at the Los Angeles Central Library Children's Literature Department. But there are lots of fun murals and artwork all around the ceiling, as well as this display of books by native New Yorker Ezra Jack Keats, who created one of my grandson's favorite characters, "Peter" - take time to read about Keats' inspiration for this endearing boy here.

Upward and onward...my husband and I enjoyed roaming the rest of this beautiful institution's public rooms and halls (minus the Rose Main Reading Room, as I mentioned - they wouldn't even let us peek inside)...

Isn't it gorgeous?  You can see more pictures of all the various library rooms here (my camera just couldn't do them justice and I didn't want to bother all the quiet readers).  I could have spent hours in the Local History and Genealogy Room.

Oh, and the library bookstore was fantastic.  So you can shop, if you must!

SOMEONE IS TWO (WITH WINNIE-THE-POOH)!

Today's post is in honor of my grandson (who turns two today) and Winnie-the-Pooh.  They happen to share the same birthday!  A A. Milne introduced Pooh in 1926 - which makes Pooh Bear 88!

"US TWO"

Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.

"What's twice eleven?" I said to Pooh.
("Twice what?" said Pooh to Me.)
"I think it ought to be twenty-two."
"Just what I think myself," said Pooh.
"It wasn't an easy sum to do,
But that's what it is," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what it is," said Pooh.

"Let's look for dragons," I said to Pooh.
"Yes, let's," said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
"Yes, those are dragons all right," said Pooh.
"As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That's what they are," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what they are," said Pooh.

"Let's frighten the dragons," I said to Pooh.
"That's right," said Pooh to Me.
"I'm not afraid," I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted "Shoo!
Silly old dragons!"- and off they flew.

"I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he,
"I'm never afraid with you."

So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,
"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True,
It isn't much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. "That's how it is," says Pooh.

A Bear and A Boy (well, three boys...)

This Mother's day, one of my favorite gifts was from my oldest son.  He gave me a 1961 edition of Winnie-The-Pooh (originally published in 1926).  What did I say?  "I'm so surprised, I love it, and it's just what I wanted!"

Why do I treasure this book?  We spent many happy hours reading aloud the "Pooh" stories when my son (boy #1) was little. (Read more here in "Making Friends With Pooh".)  

Also, Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations are simple, yet exquisite.  They are perfectly paired to the text.

I had never read A.A. Milne's dedication until now:

TO HER

Hand in hand we come

Christopher Robin and I

To lay this book in your lap.

Say you're surprised?

Say you like it?

Say it's just what you wanted?

Because it's yours --

Because I love you.

Do you know the history of Pooh and Milne's son Christopher Robin (boy #2)?  It has to do with a swan and a London Zoo bear...you'll have to read Milne's introduction in the book - or, you can go here to read my post, "Origins of Winnie-the-Pooh" for a short explanation and some fun facts you may not have known.

There's another boy (#3) who loves this Bear...my little 19 month-old grandson.  

He is smitten with Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977).  He sings along with "Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood", and bounces like crazy to "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers".  

Thanks to the film, my young grandson has been introduced to lots of new friends:  "Pooh", "Liglet", "Eeyoore", "Ow-l", "Tid-der", "Babbit" and "Woo".

  

Even though purists my not want to thank Walt Disney for Pooh's red shirt...

I really appreciate Walt's hat-tip to the Milne books - especially the opening scene of the 100 Aker Wood, which almost perfectly matches Shepard's end papers in the books.

  

With or without the red shirt, Pooh is a family favorite!  When my grandson is a little bit older - around Piglet's age - I look forward to many happy hours reading aloud to him about Edward Bear.

But right now he's happy to settle for watching the movie and playing with his Pooh Bear in the bathtub (just like Christopher Robin).