Cassandra Case

I read this book to my daughter many, many times in several different versions so it has great sentimental value even if I dislike the way Pooh's friends peer pressure him into giving away honey pots for a charity drive. From one hoarder to another Pooh, I feel your pain.

This is another picture book in the My Very First Winnie the Pooh series that has been adapted from a reader by Isabel Gaines in the Winnie the Pooh First Reader series by adding a bunch of words to every sentence.

The reader show more version: "Hello, Piglet," answered Pooh. "What's in your wagon?"

The picture book version: "Hello, little Piglet," said Pooh when he saw his friend. "What's all that you have there in your wagon. Is it for me?"

I don't know why I find this situation so amusing, but tickle me it does.

(My Pooh Project: I love Winnie the Pooh, and so does my wife. Having a daughter gave us a chance to indoctrinate her into the cult by buying and reading her every Pooh book we came across. How many is that? I’m going to count them this year by reading and reviewing one every day and seeing which month I finally run out. Track my progress here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/23954351-rod-brown?ref=nav_mybooks&she... ) show less

Pooh tries to invite Gopher to a picnic, but the workaholic little critter wants to keep working on a tunnel project. But when his tunnels flood, Gopher tries to do the hanging out with friends thing. His obsession with digging keeps turning little casual chores into big disasters. Luckily, he's able to get back to work, no longer underfoot but back underground where he belongs. The moral: Work-life balance be damned; choose a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your show more life.

This isn't a bad story, but the pacing of the book is way off, with the leisurely picnic taking up half the book and all of Gopher's above-ground shenanigans with physical comedy getting crammed onto two-page spreads that read more like summaries than stories. And the big finale with Gopher saving the day against a looming flood that could sweep away his friends homes is illustrated with pictures that miss all the moments of high action or drama.

The title page says this is an adaptation, and it does feel like a poor regurgitation of something else, but for the life of me, I cannot find what this is adapting. I've seen almost all the Pooh movies and shows -- with the exception of the unwatchable "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" which aired years after this book was made. It feels like it should be from "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," and while I found some vaguely similar episodes by reviewing fan sites and scanning through Disney+, none seem to really match the story here. If anyone has any ideas, I'd really like to hear them.

UPDATE, JUNE 15, 2023:

I have finally found the source! This is a very poor retelling of the short story "Gopher's Day Off" from Winnie the Pooh's Bedtime Stories, written by Bruce Talkington and illustrated by John Kurtz. The original story is pretty bad, mind you, but this heavily abridged and reworked version is even worse.

(My Pooh Project: I love Winnie the Pooh, and so does my wife. Having a daughter gave us a chance to indoctrinate her into the cult by buying and reading her every Pooh book we came across. How many is that? I’m going to count them this year by reading and reviewing one every day and seeing which month I finally run out. Track my progress here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/23954351-rod-brown?ref=nav_mybooks&she... ) show less

Christopher Robin takes a notion to spend the day singing nursery rhymes so he wanders through the Hundred Acre Wood gathering the Pooh friends by ones and twos until they're having a big playdate party. (Hmm, where have I seen that plot structure before?)

Nursery rhymes are always fun and the author manages to weave them into a day-in-the-life structure, from waking to bedtime, that makes sense. Nice.

(My Pooh Project: I love Winnie the Pooh, and so does my wife. Having a daughter gave us a show more chance to indoctrinate her into the cult by buying and reading her every Pooh book we came across. How many is that? I’m going to count them this year by reading and reviewing one every day and seeing which month I finally run out. Track my progress here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/23954351-rod-brown?ref=nav_mybooks&she... ) show less

This book follows a common formula in Pooh books where Pooh has a problem, question, or concern and wanders around the Hundred Acre Wood meeting his friends one-by-one seeking information, opinions, or help, and then everyone gathers for a party to celebrate the resolution.

A sleepless night is the problem of the moment, and Pooh consults his friends about good ways to fall asleep. Nothing works until one does, and then everyone prepares a party while Pooh finally sleeps.

I suppose a boring show more bedtime story has a better chance of being an effective bedtime story, so it has that going for it.

UPDATE, JUNE 15, 2023:

The title page notes that this book is an adaptation, and I have finally found the source from which it is adapted: Winnie the Pooh's Bedtime Stories, written by Bruce Talkington and illustrated by John Kurtz. That book has a framing sequence around short stories featuring each of Pooh's friends. This heavily abridged version cuts out all the short stories and just retells the framing sequence with a new script and Kurtz' original art.

(My Pooh Project: I love Winnie the Pooh, and so does my wife. Having a daughter gave us a chance to indoctrinate her into the cult by buying and reading her every Pooh book we came across. How many is that? I’m going to count them this year by reading and reviewing one every day and seeing which month I finally run out. Track my progress here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/23954351-rod-brown?ref=nav_mybooks&she... ) show less