EXCERPT: THE END
When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three,
I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever. - A.A. Milne

ABOUT 'NOW WE ARE SIX': A treasured children’s classic of 35 delightful poems, this lovely hardcover edition of Now We Are Six is British author A. A. Milne’s second book of poetry, published in 1927. Charming verses capture the inner voice of a child’s imaginings upon turning six years old. Memorably illustrated in eleven of the poems is cuddly Pooh Bear (Winnie-the-Pooh), inspired by illustrator E. H. Shepard’s son’s teddy bear, Growler. The verses include “The Charcoal-Burner,” “The End,” “The Engineer,” “Forgotten,” “The Friend,” “Furry Bear,” “In the Dark,” “Knight-in-Armour,” “The Morning Walk,” “Us Two,” and “Waiting at the Window.”

MY THOUGHTS: When I was six, my parent presented me with a hard cover set of The World of Pooh and The World of Christopher Robin, which contains Now we Are Six. That was 1961 and I have been reading them ever since. They are looking a little battered and tattered have travelled with me wherever I have been and are the most loved and treasured books I possess.

I have enjoyed introducing my grandson to the works of A.A. Milne and we often have a poem or two at bedtime, the favorites from this collection being Us Two, Forgiven (we once had to go on a beetle hunt with an appropriately labelled matchbox), The Friend, Waiting at the Window (yes, we have had raindrop races on wet days), and In the Dark.

Along with the rest of the set, Now We Are Six is an enduring classic, never to be forgotten by me and to one day be inherited by Luke. A beautiful volume for introducing young children to the world of poetry. They will love the rhyming and repetition.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#NowWeAreSix #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: He married Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913, and their only son, Christopher Robin Milne, was born in 1920. In 1925, A. A. Milne bought a country home, Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, East Sussex. During World War II, A. A. Milne was Captain of the Home Guard in Hartfield & Forest Row, insisting on being plain 'Mr. Milne' to the members of his platoon. He retired to the farm after a stroke and brain surgery in 1952 left him an invalid and by August 1953 "he seemed very old and disenchanted".

He was 74 years old when he passed away in 1956.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Dover Publications via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Lovely as expected! Pooh bear is such a classic, comforting character. Loved the tasteful & simple illustrations

Good heavens, what a delightful little book! Milne was a genius when writing from a child's point of view, and capturing the feelings of childhood, both the complicated and the uncomplicated. And the nostalgia! If you, like me, have experienced anemoia (the type of nostalgia for a time or a place one has never known) all your life, you need a copy of this book. Are there little ones in your life? Each needs a copy of this book. Age doesn't matter, this book is wonderful, and I believe it will speak to you no matter how young or old you might be. Also, this has the best introduction I've ever read, and I recommend not skipping over it!

Fans of Winnie the Pooh will love this poetry book by A.A. Milne. Funny, sweet, reflective. Children and adults will enjoy these poems. You'll want to add this one to your home library.

Of course, I read this more than 50 years ago when I was a child (although older than 6, naturally). I loved all of A.A. Milne’s children’s books (although I didn’t know Once Upon A Time or The Red House Mystery, the latter of which I’ve bought but have yet to read).

Did I like it as much when I reread it at 65? No, but I think that’s because I always loved When We Were Very Young more, which has my very favorite Milne poems, “Disobedience,” “Buckingham Palace” (turned into a song), “The King’s Breakfast” and “Vespers”; however, in that book, every poem is a winner.

Still, I am very glad that I re-read Now We Are Six. I had confused which poems were where, so I was left missing my favorites; that said, this sequel of sorts has plenty of exceptional poems, too. These were my particular favorites: “Sneezles,” “Buttercup Days,” “The Engineer,” “Journey’s End,” “Come Out with Me,” “The Good Little Girl,” “Explained,” “In the Dark” — and my favorite from this volume, “Forgiven,” about a wayward pet beetle. Really a joy to read after all these decades!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Dover Publications in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely collection of poems from A. A. Milne. The poetry is whimsical and the illustrations are charming.

A cute collection of poems by A.A. Milne. Adults will enjoy this more than younger readers. The poems are nice, but at times hard to follow. Great for fans of A.A. Milne!

A lovely collection of poetry, with the usual gorgeous drawings we come to expect from E H Shepherd.

They have wonderful rhyming patterns which sound fabulous read aloud. Some of the poems I was less keen on - like those about kings and knights - but as a six year old (aka the intended audience) I would have loved them!

We also get a couple of sneaky appearances from our boy Winnie the Pooh!

A cute and quirky collection which would be a great addition to any child's bookcase, whether 6 or 96.

Poetry is my comfort food so I admit I’m biased. I’ve encountered this charming collection of poetry before, so reading it again, makes it even sweeter. The illustrations are charming too. I don’t know if I would have loved it when I was six, but I love it now (even though I’m not a multiple of 6).

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy this charming book!

While I really did enjoy some of the poems in Now We Are Six, I didn’t find the collection nearly as charming as When We Were Very Young.