Winnie The Pooh is a household name in this country, but how many of us could name the author of the series of books about the bear. I know until a couple of years ago I could not. A A Milne, is actually Alan Alexander Milne. He was born on January 18th, 1882, and was bought up in London in his father's school, Henley House, with his brothers David Barrett Milne and Kenneth John Milne. While studying there he found inspiration in one of his teachers, H.G. Wells, who amazingly would go on to be a famous writer. After Henley house Alan decided to go to Westminster school and from there to Cambridge studying with a maths scholarship. John ...  Read the complete review

A A Milne made his name BEFORE ‘Winnie the Pooh’ you know. A couple of years before the Bear with Little Brain found his way into print ‘When We Were Very Young’ took the nineteen-twenties bookshops by storm. It’s the first of two volumes of poems for children, the second being ‘Now We Are Six’. Being completely tone-deaf and having the most dreadful singing voice that you’ve ever heard (truly) I love to recite poems to my children rather than attempt much in the way of songs, especially unaccompanied. I can do it on the bus, or at the park, or indeed anywhere, and no one laughs! Even poor old tuneless me ...  Read the complete review