Last Sat'dy evenin' me and m'friend Jessup went over to enjoy the comp'ny of two lady critters. Well sir, we set out on the porch swing a'drinkin' lemonade an' a'listenin' to a show on the radio come all the way in from Charlotte. By the time the night'd finished, seems I near got the vapors from so much a'swingin and a'chitchattin'. En't had s'much fun since Jessup 'n' me went to watch Clay and Calhoun fight over the last chicken leg.

Alright, I'll quit talking (typing?) like that, now. Another fun thing we did Saturday night besides sit on a swing and listen to the radio was read Winnie the Pooh. I know it's not wise to live so fast and loose, but by jingo, I'm still a young man! Anyway, I've tried to figure out what makes Pooh so transcendent (as opposed to other popular children's icons like Captain Underpants and Rover Dangerfield.)

I think that, like Peanuts, the charm comes from contrasting the seriousness with which these
simple, raggedy stuffed animals regard themselves with the actual silliness of the situation. For example, in the story we read on Saturday, Rabbit is very upset about the arrival of a new animal who (gasp) keeps her baby in her pocket. Of course, this must be dealt with, and Rabbit comes up with an intricate plot for driving Kanga and Roo from the Wood. Of course, to the animals all this is very important business and handled with the utmost gravity. There are fears, jealousies, and bruised egos. Pooh is initially hurt when he thinks he is less important than Piglet. Piglet does not want to be alone when he faces a fierce kangaroo. Rabbit, although he has no real reason to dislike Kanga, easily wins the other animals to his cause because, well, he's rabbit and he talks the loudest. How very human.

However, I don't think the point of the stories is that the animals are like us; we are like the animals. I'm sure that if we could pull back and witness ourselves from the third person all our rivalries, hurt feelings, and fears would seem as silly as Milne's subjects'. Silly as they might be, however, Milne never mocks or scorns the animal's feelings. He is always gentle.

I think Pooh keeps us humble by reminding us how very small and silly we are in the great scheme of things.