HOW A BEAR BECAME A BOOK

Marking the 100th anniversary of the first Winnie-the-Pooh book, a paean to that silly old bear and the team that brought him to life.

With a skillful nod to the original titles, Pimentel fashions her story of Pooh Bear’s origins as a conversation between Christopher Robin and his ursine pal. As she recounts author Alan Alexander Milne and artist Ernest Shepard’s complicated relationship—Milne initially rejected Shepard as a potential illustrator—she weaves in information about what making the book entailed. In other children’s books at the time, “images stood guard at the beginning of a chapter” or “simply leaned against the words,” yet Milne, Shepard, and their editor had “revolutionary ideas about how words could work with pictures.” Pimentel softens technical jargon into ideas sure to spark young readers’ imaginations, while her unmistakable fondness for the subject matter shines through. She elegantly explores lofty concepts (“They imagined Alan’s words and Ernest’s pictures dancing together”), anchored by Pooh’s deliciously twee rejoinders (“I suppose even bears of very little experience can dance!”). Backmatter even introduces readers to this book’s editor, art director, and team. Meanwhile, Pray references Shepard’s style yet imbues her work with an impressive originality, portraying Pooh as a vague collection of words that grows more distinct as his first book nears publication.

A stunning tribute to a classic that also offers insight into the bookmaking process.