''Winnie-the-Pooh Meets the Queen'' (e-book edition published as ''Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday'') is a 2016 children's book written to celebrate the 90th birthdays of both the fictional character

Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...

and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 2016. The Queen celebrated her 90th Official Birthday on 11 June, although her actual birthday is 21 April 1926. The first ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' book, written by A. A. Milne, was published in October 1926. This original story imagines a meeting between Pooh and Queen Elizabeth at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. The text was written by Jane Riordan while illustrations were by Mark Burgess in the style of the original drawings by E. H. Shepard.

Background

The story was originally available as an audio-video download narrated by the actor

Jim Broadbent James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film ''Iris'' (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for hi ...

. Broadbent said "I have been a fan of

since I was a boy. In fact I named my very first and much loved teddy Pooh and that can only have been after the A. A. Milne character". The print version followed in November 2016. A. A. Milne dedicated a 1926 book of songs featuring Pooh, “Teddy Bear and Other Songs", to the newborn then-Princess Elizabeth. As a little girl, Princess Elizabeth was also presented with a hand-painted

Christopher Robin Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, based on his son Christopher Robin Milne. The character appears in the author's popular books of poetry and ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' stories, and has subsequently appeared in various Disney a ...

tea set. A PDF e-book version was also released by

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

. In this edition, Jane Riordan is not credited as author.

Plot

informs

, Piglet,

Eeyore Eeyore ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-P ...

Rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

Tigger Tigger is a fictional character, fictional character, an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic Stuffed toy, stuffed tiger. He was originally introduced in the 1928 story collection ''The House at Pooh Corner'', the sequel to the 1926 book ''Winnie- ...

, and Kanga that

is about to celebrate her 90th birthday. The toys discuss the need for a very special present to mark the occasion. Pooh comes up with a hum that everyone agrees would make a charming gift. Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore travel up to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on a train from to deliver the hum in person. They take a bus from Victoria station and enjoy such iconic London sights as

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

and

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

. The Queen happens to be out for a stroll in front of

, allowing Pooh the opportunity to deliver the hum in person.

Prince George of Wales

Prince George has an appearance in the story when Piglet presents him with a red balloon. George is not named but is described as “much younger than

and almost as bouncy as

”.

References

External links

Free e-book edition
{{Elizabeth II 2016 children's books 2016 British novels British children's novels Cultural depictions of Elizabeth II Winnie-the-Pooh books Children's books about pigs Children's books about tigers Books about United Kingdom royalty Egmont Books books Cultural depictions of Christopher Robin Milne Children's novels about bears Novels about tigers