New on Milne - Brandreth's Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear

Out now in the United States from St. Martin's Press:

Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: A. A. Milne and the Creation of "Winnie-the-Pooh"

Author: Gyles Brandreth

Full details, preview, and ordering information at https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250429902/somewhereaboyandabear/.

Imprint Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Page Count: 416

Genre: Bios & Memoirs

On Sale: 12/02/2025

ISBN: 9781250429902

Book Details

For the 100th anniversary of the publication of "Winnie-the-Pooh," Gyles Brandreth chronicles the writing of this beloved classic and the life of its creator, A. A. Milne.

Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear tells the remarkable story of A A Milne, a playwright, a bestselling crime writer, poet, polemicist, humorist, and the man who created Winnie-the-Pooh.

Gyles Brandreth explores "Winnie-the-Pooh," a bear beloved by millions: his genesis, his life across a hundred years, his special philosophy, and the reasons for his worldwide popularity. Brandreth’s book is also the intimate biography of three generations of the fascinating and troubled Milne family, which knew fame and fortune, despising both for a time, but a family that ultimately found a profound reason to be grateful for the riches Pooh brought them.

With an extraordinary cast list that includes Elizabeth II and Walt Disney, Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear moves from idyllic childhood games in the English countryside to New York in the 1930s and the love affairs, litigation, and heartrending family rifts that touched the life of one of Britain's most brilliant writers and his most famous creation.

CFP Pleasures and Problems of Pooh Symposium (5/1/2026; Zoom 7/10-12/2026)

kidlit@hollins Biennial Symposium: The Pleasures and Problems of Pooh

deadline for submissions:
May 1, 2026

full name / name of organization:
Hollins University

contact email:
fraustinolr@hollins.edu

Source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/03/10/kidlithollins-biennial-symposium-the-pleasures-and-problems-of-pooh. 



The Pleasures and Problems of Pooh

The 3rd Biennial kidlit@hollins Children’s Literature Symposium

On Zoom

Friday-Sunday, July 10-12, 2026

Hollins University Graduate Programs in Children’s Literature

Chaired by Lisa Rowe Fraustino

This year’s hundredth anniversary of A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, published in 1926, provides a springboard for reflection on the role of classic children’s literature. This online symposium seeks presentation proposals from authors, illustrators, librarians, publishers, educators, and scholars in any field. 

Possible topics for exploration include: 

• Close readings of how the Pooh stories interpellate young readers into social structures. Who’s out, who’s in?
• How does imaginative play socialize children into adult behaviors?
• How does adult nostalgia contribute to classic children’s literature?
• What is the role of illustrations by E. H. Shepard and/or later artists?
• What is the purpose of cuteness? What does it cover up? How does cuteness integrate with other aspects of storytelling and interpretation, and toward what effect?
• Comparative readings of Pooh with other classics or with contemporary pairings
• Commercialization and/or Disnification of Pooh and other classic texts
• Examinations of media adaptations or translations into other languages. What is kept? What is reinterpreted? How do those choices reflect ideology?
• Exploration of imaginative play and/or toys in children’s literature
• Theoretical approaches–colonialism, whiteness, psychoanalytical, animal studies/anthropomorphism, food, boyhood, etc.
• What is the purpose of literary criticism, especially books that are written primarily for children (not adults) to read?
• What do we do when books feel like they aren’t written for us (because of race, class, gender, and other aspects of identity)?
• How do our readings/experiences of a text change when we read it multiple times?
• How does the intergenerational evolution of our engagement with classics call attention to new issues and questions over time?

We welcome proposals of 500 words and artwork of (no larger than 1000 pixels wide or no larger than 5mb).

For more information and to submit a proposal, visit https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/kidlit_symposium/2026/


Last updated March 13, 2026

New Graphic Novel Coming Fall 2026

Came across this by accident today:

Winnie-the-Pooh: The Graphic Novel

By A. A. Milne

Adapted by Kevan Chandler and Joe Sutphin

Age Range: 8-12 years

Available as paperback, hardcover, and ebook. 

Full details and ordering information at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/780649/winnie-the-pooh-the-graphic-novel-by-aa-milne-adapted-by-kevan-chandler-and-joe-sutphin/. 

Book Description

Experience the idyllic magic of the Hundred Acre Wood like never before through this charming graphic novelization of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard’s beloved classic, Winnie-the-Pooh.

Adapted by Kevan Chandler and Eisner Award-winning artist Joe Sutphin, this enchanting adaptation brings all ten original Winnie-the-Pooh stories to life with soft, captivating colors and sprawling scenes that are faithful to the heartwarming spirit of Pooh and friends. Follow along for an adventurous romp through the Wood as Pooh helps Eeyore find his tail, gets stuck in a tight space after eating far too much honey, tries to catch a Heffalump with Piglet, joins Christopher Robin on an Expotition, and more.

Perfect for both new readers and lifelong fans of all ages, this beautiful graphic edition is a treasure to be cherished for generations to come.

Product Details

Available on Oct 13, 2026

Published by Ten Speed Young Readers

Pages 176

Dimensions 7 x 9

Age Range 8-12 years

Grade Grades 3-7

Disney Celebrates 100 Years of Pooh

This was in my YouTube feed today:

CFP 100 Years of 100 Acres: The Natures of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Centenary Celebration (3/29/2026; Cambridge, UK 7/11/2026)

100 Years of 100 Acres: The Natures of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Centenary Celebration

Centre for Research in Children's Literature at Cambridge (CRCLC)

9:00 - 18:00, 11 July 2026


Source: https://www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/events/100-years-100-acres.

Since its publication in 1926, A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard’s Winnie-the-Pooh has become a beloved nursery classic, its delightful cast of characters and charming stories bearing myriad reworkings, from iconic animations to Latin translations, not to mention becoming bestselling philosophy, and big business.

This one-day celebration will provide an opportunity for scholars of Pooh to return to the Hundred Acre Wood and reflect on the past, present, and future of our ursine friend. A century later, what is the special nature of Pooh, and how does it speak to our current moment? How do recent approaches to children’s literature, from posthumanism to ecocriticism, shed new light on the text? And how might we make sense of the adaptability and longevity of these tales; the entangled global history of this book?

Alongside the selected academic talks, the event will feature an exhibition from Homerton Library’s outstanding collection of children’s literature; opportunities to interact with the beautiful grounds and gardens of the College; and a splendid (and appropriately themed) afternoon tea.

We invite proposals for twenty-minute papers, or panels of three papers, or roundtables, and encourage submissions from a diverse range of participants. Poster or creative (artistic/poetic) contributions are also welcomed. Suggested themes or topics for papers include (but are not limited to):

• Pooh and the natural world
• Ecocriticism and ecofeminism
• Pooh and the non-human
• Animal studies
• Critical plant studies
• Forestry and fieldwork
• Environmentalism, conservation, and climate crisis
• Illustration and art history
• Publishing histories
• Histories of childhood and reading
• Responses to and reinterpretations of Pooh
• Pooh in translation
• Nature and cultures of childhood
• Time and commemoration
• Intergenerationality
• Pooh in the classroom
• Decolonising the Hundred Acres
• The poetic nature(s) of Pooh
• Materialities and toys
• Placing Pooh in local and global contexts
• Natural histories and natural philosophies
• The nature of language in Pooh

Abstracts of no more than 300 words, together with the name and institutional affiliation of the speaker, should be submitted via this form. Proposals for panels should include a description of each paper.

The closing date for submissions is midnight UK time on Sunday 29th March 2026.

Registration details and costs will be available soon via the College website.

Blog Welcome

Hello, and welcome to the blog.

A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh is now 100 years old and is firmly fixed as an icon in popular culture. 

This blog is created to further the work of the Monsters & the Monstrous Area of the Northeast Popular/American Culture Association and will highlight and explore the many ways that Pooh and his companions in the Hundred Acre Wood have been adapted, appropriated, and transformed over time and across the globe.

We'll also showcase related works by and biographical resources related to the creators of the Poohverse: A. A. Milne, Christopher Robin Milne, and E. H. Shepard. 

Michael A. Torregrossa

Monsters & the Montrous Area Chair