Pooh and the Psychologists

Cute, although a little—okay a lot forced. I know it's fun to run with the Pooh-as-paragon-of-X idea for many values of X (Taoist, philosopher, database designer), but there really just isn't enough material in any of those for a book. It wears thin: cute & clever becomes tedious and pompous. I found myself eagerly searching for signs of authorial self-recognition in Case 6, the one on bombastic old Owl. Looking for a wink to the reader. Nope, didn't find one.

Even with that, I enjoyed the book. Williams treats Milne and his characters with respect and kindness. And he does offer a fresh new lens for me to view Pooh with on my next rereading — a lens I actually like. One that shines light on Milne himself and why his books resonate so deeply with so many of us.

This is a good book for a Pooh aficionad@. You will gain new appreciation for Milne. But you know another great way to gain new appreciation? Read Winnie-the-Pooh itself. Especially if you haven't read it for a while.