Happy Birthday, Christopher Robin Milne!

 
Christopher Robin Milne was born on August 21, 1920. The son of author A. A. Milne, he was the basis of the character Christopher Robin in his father's Winnie-the-Pooh stories and in two books of poems.

On his first birthday, he received an Alpha Farnell teddy bear he called Edward. The teddy bear was about two feet tall, light in colour, frequently lost its eyes, and was Milne’s constant companion. This bear, along with a real bear named "Winnie" that Milne saw at the London Zoo, ultimately became the muse for the Winnie-the-Pooh character.
Christopher Robin Milne and Edward, his teddy bear
 

In his childhood, Milne was fond of being associated with his father's books and helped him write a few stories. He once organized a short play for his parents, re-enacting a story about himself and his friends in the woods. His peers mocked him, reciting passages from the books, particularly from the poem Vespers: "Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares! Christopher Robin is saying his prayers."
In 1974, Milne authored and published the first of three autobiographical books, The Enchanted Places, which gave an account of his childhood and of the problems he had encountered because of the Winnie-the-Pooh books. Other books he wrote were More Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls (1992) and Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls (1993). Milne gave the original stuffed animals that inspired the Pooh characters to the books' editor, who in turn donated them to the New York City Public Library.
Winnie-the-Pooh stories now appear on the famous children’s channel Cbeebies and extracts are read on BBC radio.
He died on April 20, 1996.
Check out our catalogue for books written by A.A. Milne.