Fans of a certain honey-loving bear will have a new way to transport themselves to the Hundred Acre Wood.
HarperCollins U.K. imprint Farshore will publish four new audiobook editions of author A.A. Milne and illustrator E.H. Shepard’s Winnie-the-Pooh children’s books, the press announced in a news release. The audiobooks are being released to mark the 100th anniversary of the book Winnie-the-Pooh.
Actor and comedian Sally Phillips, known for her roles on series including I’m Alan Partridge and Veep, will narrate audiobook editions of When We Were Very Young, Winnie-the-Pooh, Now We Are Six, and The House at Pooh Corner.
Milne and Shepard’s books, featuring the sweet but naïve Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore, have been a staple of children’s literature since the first full-length book about the group of anthropomorphic animals, Winnie-the-Pooh, was published in 1926. (Winnie made his first appearance in a poem in When We Were Very Young.) The characters have been featured in several movies and television series.
In a statement, Phillips recalled listening to editions of the books recorded by actor and singer Bernard Cribbins when she was a child. “I loved having these magical, whimsical stories read to me, loved reading them myself to my children, and reading them again here for you has been a joy as well as [a] privilege,” she said. “I hope you enjoy discovering or rediscovering the magic of Winnie-the-Pooh as much as I did.”
The audiobooks will be released on June 4.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
