Publishers Weekly
Christopher Robin returns from boarding school (80 years later) in this authorized but largely forgettable third volume of stories about Pooh, Piglet and the denizens of Milne's famous forest. Missing is the charm of the first book, mediated by an adult narrator creating a tableau for his child's imaginative play with a coterie of stuffed friends. Like the first books, there are 10 stories, but they are aged up to reflect Christopher's new interests—the play here involves a spelling bee, cricket, the creation of a school, the use of a thesaurus, atlas, dictionary, etc. A new character, Lottie the Otter, joins Rabbit and Owl to make a trio of the sanctimonious. Even saintly Kanga—Kanga!—loses her patience with Roo. There are a few inspired moments, including Rabbit's ill-conceived plan to lure his Friends and Relations to participate in a census using carrots and shortbread. (Rabbit also gets the best line: “Happy may be all very well, Eeyore, but it doesn't butter any parsnips.”) Burgess's illustrations are serviceable and resemble the originals, but, again, topping Shepard's originals proves a tough act to follow. All ages. (Oct.)\
Booklist
[A] warm jumble of happy memories. It's both surprising and comforting that tales of such soft tenderness are still relevant.
School Library Journal
Gr 1–4—Eighty years after the publication of the original "Winnie the Pooh" stories, this authorized sequel returns readers to the familiar characters and locales. Christopher Robin, on holiday from school, rejoins Pooh, timid Piglet, bouncy Tigger, patient Kanga, and his other friends for a summer full of adventure. In 10 stories, the friends put on a spelling bee, conduct a census, search for disappearing bees, start a school, and host a harvest festival. During a drought, they also meet a new resident of the forest, Lottie, an otter who is both forgetful and obsessed with etiquette. Another chapter, which describes a cricket match, may be more challenging for American readers. Fans of Pooh will recognize many elements: Pooh's hums, the animals' creative spelling, Piglet's fear of Heffalumps, and the maps on the endpapers. What's different is Christopher Robin; a year older, he seems less innocent, more in the role of an older sibling than a playmate. In addition, most members of the large cast of characters appear in each chapter, which feels a bit overwhelming. The writing is warm and humorous, though it doesn't quite match the charm and whimsy of the originals. Burgess's watercolor illustrations, on the other hand, are quite reminiscent of Shepard's. Pooh purists may find fault, but the book will likely be popular with many young readers and their parents.—Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
NOVEMBER 2009 - AudioFile
Listeners who settle in to hear these new Winnie-the-Pooh stories will find good friends, good food (including lots of honey, of course), and good adventures. David Benedictus, who dramatized A.A. Milne’s Pooh stories for audio, succeeds admirably in staying faithful to the spirit of the originals. Jim Dale is a marvel. Without relying on any of his voices from the Harry Potter series, he nonetheless populates an entire small wood: His Rabbit gets a Scottish accent; his Piglet squeaks; his Eeyore is appropriately gloomy. Dale even sings Pooh’s “hums,” the rhyming songs he makes up. The whole is an utterly charming audio production that evokes the feeling of never-ending childhood summers. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
