Jim Dale reading the Exposition from Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: September 24, 2009

In anticipation of the release of Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus, which goes on sale October 5th, I want to share this video of Jim Dale reading the exposition from Return to the Hundred Acre Wood during the recording of the audio book. Return to the Hundred Acre Wood is the first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard’s classic books, Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner to be written in over eighty years!

Courtesy of the Penguin Young Readers Group, here are some fun facts about Winnie-the-Pooh:

• Winnie the Pooh was brought to life on Christmas Eve in 1925 when the first Pooh story, written by AA Milne, was published in the London Evening News. The piece was based on a bedtime story read by AA Milne to his son, Christopher Robin.

• The characters in AA Milne’s stories are based on toys once owned by his son. The original stuffed toys are now kept in New York Public Library.

• The inspiration for Hundred Acre Wood comes from Ashdown Forest in Sussex, which was near AA Milne’s country home Cotchford Farm.

• Winnie the Pooh is also called Pooh, or Pooh Bear, but never, ever, just Winnie.