When We Were Young by A. A. Milne is composed of endearing 44 poems for children. Some of these poems I thought I heard when I was a young boy in the Pacific island. But at that time, I neither had knowledge of who A. A. Milne was nor I did have any interest on English poems. What I and my friends were singing were local poems like the very funny ”Tong-tong-tong paketong-ketong/ Alimango sa dagat…” or the funnier ”Lumakad sya sa tubig, ang paa ay nabasa… Nguni’t ang kanyang *beep-beep* ay hindi nababasa” or the one where you have to go inside the circle and dance ”Bubuka ang bulaklak…” or when we grew a bit older, the double-meaning ”Si Haring Solomon, may alagang pagong/ May biyak sa likod parang pinalakol…”Of course we also had our ”A, B, C, D… Now I know my ABC, won’t you come and sing with me” but that type of song or poem we only sang or recited while inside the classroom. When outside, we sang ”Ako ay may lobo…” so that we would not be asking for balloons anymore when we went to the mainland and saw one. Obviously, the Disney characters were not big hits also in the island as we did not have electricity yet and so there were no movie houses and television sets. I only came to know Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White, etc. via the very few books in the school or newspaper ads. I used to sell newspapers in the island every afternoon when I was in grade school.But among the 44 poems in this book, I remember I read some like “Jonathan Joe” and I thought I liked it because of the relationship between Jonathan and his grandpa. I remember I could not understand “Little Bo-Peep and Little Boy Blue” like who between the two lost the sheep and how they ended up marrying each other. “What’s marry?” I remember asking my sister and I thought marrying was like the two of us being together most of the time. Among her 3 brothers, I am the one closest to my sister so she is always ready to lend me money even up to now ha ha.Seriously, this book by A. A. Milne is very nice. The poems really have the pure voice of an innocent child. The verses are simple yet scintillating and they are a delight to read and recite aloud. I regret having not read these to my daughter when she was a young girl. Although she had my share of my Tagalog children’s songs like ”Daraan ang reyna/Bubuka ang bulaklak…” not because I taught her those but she heard them on the radio or saw on T.V. because The Sexbomb Dancers were very popular when she was growing up ha ha. Kidding aside, I will make sure I’ll read these A. A. Milne’s books to my grandchildren if and when my daughter will have some kids. No pressure, dear daughter. I remember many Christmases back when in a Christmas party, somebody joked us by asking ”What is Winnie-the-Pooh’s gender?” We were all caught surprised. Nobody knew the answer because Winnie-the-Pooh is this bear who has no pants and yet you do not see his or her genitalia. Moreover, “Winnie” could be a girl’s name here in the Philippines because we used to have a teenage star called Winnie Santos, the sister of Governor Vilma Santos. Hah, had I read this book prior, I would have answered correctly. Winnie-the-Pooh is a boy since his former name was Mr. Edward Bear as he was introduced in this book. His first public appearance!The funny thing during that party was that we latter found out that the one asking the question also did not know the answer.So, you see, many of us here in the Philippines, did not read this book when we were young.
Childhood is a beautiful country, one which I was loath to leave but had to, all the same. It is the inevitable tragedy of the human condition. But writers have the magic in their pens, using which they can take us back to that hallowed place. This is one thing that A. A. Milne does wonderfully well. No wonder his books for children have outlived his more "serious" works.Reading these poems, I could visit Christopher Robin's pre-school world of late mornings, drowsy afternoons and exciting days spent in the nursery engaged in such momentous pursuits as naming a dormouse, catching a beetle or stalking a brownie behind the curtains. In this world, a chair can become a pirate ship or a lion's cage and one has to be very careful to avoid the cracks in the pavement while walking, so that the bears who lie in wait are kept at bay. It is a time when life is just one big repository of wonder, when time has not become the tyrant it will soon be, and one is not goaded by the devil of purpose. Where am I going? I don't quite know.Down to the stream where the king-cups grow-Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow-Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.Where am I going? The clouds sail by,Little ones, baby ones, over the sky.Where am I going? The shadows pass,Little ones, baby ones, over the grass.If you were a cloud, and sailed up there,You'd sail on water as blue as air,And you'd see me here in the fields and say:'Doesn't the sky look green today?'Where am I going? The high rooks call:'It's awful fun to be born at all.'Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:'We do have beautiful things to do.'If you were a bird, and lived on high,You'd lean on the wind when the wind came by,You'd say to the wind when it took you away:'That's where I wanted to go today!'Where am I going? I don't quite know.What does it matter where people go?Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow-Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.Really, what does it matter where one goes? Ultimately, we all reach the same place.
Do You like book When We Were Very Young (1988)?
My experience with A. A. Milne is somewhat backward from most people, I think. I first encountered him with his poem “The Knight Who’s Armor Didn’t Squeak”. Years later I learned about Winnie the Pooh.His understanding of the way little children think and behave makes it obvious that he spent a great deal of time with his own child, observing his behavior.This is a collection of his poetry about being young and experiencing the world and it is absolutely brilliant. It will only take about half an hour to read it and I suggest anybody who wants to understand children should do so.
—Jesse Whitehead
I enjoy reading this book. It flowed as if the poems told stories. I like the choice of pictures.Line and Squares Whenever I walk in a London street,I'm ever so careful to watch my feet;And I keep in the squares,And the masses of bears,Who wait at the corners all ready to eatThe sillies who tread on the lines of the streetGo back to their lairs,And I say to them, "Bears,Just look how I'm walking in all the squares!"And the little bears growl to each other, "He's mine,As soon as he's silly and steps on a line."And some of the bigger bears try to pretendThat they came round the corner to look for a friend;And they try to pretend that nobody caresWhether you walk on the lines or squares.But only the sillies believe their talk;It's ever so portant how you walk.And it's ever so jolly to call out, "Bears,Just watch me walking in all the squares!"
—Chanita Zimmerman
My edition is a rather darling thing, with an adult note written in pencil on the flyleaf: "September 3, 1976 - 5 years old - From Carl LeVan." On the inside cover is a scrawled response: "Thank you Carl," with the name nicely underlined. They wrote his name once more underneath, underlined again, for effect, I suppose. When you turn to the very back, there's another note: "Merry Christmas" with a little triangle tree. Then comes "Marcy," I think, Room 303. This name, too, is written twice, but each time I can't tell if their cursive is Mary or Marcy.Ah, when we were very young. My favorites were "Daffydowndilly," "Politeness," and "Vespers," but they all have their charm. And, now we know why Pooh won't lose weight! He's proud of being like the king of France. Which, I think, is a very nice thing indeed.
—Tasia
