Good evening and welcome to the Sleepy Bookshelf.

This season I'm thrilled to be revisiting the 100-acre wood with House at Poo Corner.

I know many of you have requested this sequel and I thought it might be a nice break from our more grown-up

novels for a time. We know our listeners are as unique as our novels and lucky for you,

our bookshelf is so varied with lots of different types of stories to lull you into a deep sleep.

The following is a preview to give you an idea of what to expect from this season.

A. A. Melm was born Alan Alexander Milne in London in 1882.

He was an English author and playwright, best known for creating Winnie the Pooh, although he also wrote plays, novels and essays for adults.

And if you're interested in these, we have just read a couple for our premium subscribers in our previous

season. Milne was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College Cambridge. He served in

World War I and later worked for a satirical magazine named Punch.

In the 20s, after becoming a father, he turned to writing for children, which is when the characters from the 100-acre wood were created.

The setting was inspired by Ashdowne Forest in Sussex, near his family home, and the stories were based

on his son Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals. They became instant classics, though it did

cause some frustration that his other work was overshadowed by Pooh's immense popularity.

We have already read Winnie the Pooh. You can find this in season 17, and House at Pooh Corner was

published later in 1928. It is a collection of 10 linked stories continuing the adventures of Winnie the Pooh,

piglet, eaw, rabbit, kangar, roo, owl, Christopher Robin, and Tigger, who is introduced for the first time.

The stories revolve around small but meaningful adventures and include a touching ending

where Christopher Robin prepares for school.

We hope you will join us for this season. However, if you decide that

house at Poo Corner isn't your cup of tea, feel free to explore the rest of the bookshelf.

...