Now We Are Six

By A. A. Milne

First published in 1927, “Now We Are Six” is a charming and timeless collection of poems for children by English author A. A. Milne. Famous for his enduringly popular “Winnie the Pooh” tales, which have charmed and entertained countless children and parents alike, Milne was also a talented poet and these thirty-five verses showcase his ability to capture the excitement and innocence of childhood. Humorous and clever, many of these poems feature the beloved characters Christopher Robin and his companion Winnie the Pooh. Perfect for reading aloud and introducing young children to the beauty of poetry, “Now We Are Six” eloquently puts into words the magic of a child turning six and discovering a world of imagination and adventure. This edition includes all the original illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Jan 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781420981537

A. A. Milne

A.A. Milne (1882-1956) was an English writer. Born in London, Milne was educated at an independent school run by his father. Milne went on to Trinity College, London, where he earned a B.A. in Mathematics while editing and writing for the student magazine Granta. Upon graduating in 1903, Milne worked as a contributor and assistant editor for Punch, Britain’s leading humor magazine, while playing amateur cricket. He served in the British Army in the Great War as an officer and was injured at the Battle of the Somme in July of 1916, which led to his work as a propaganda writer for Military Intelligence before his discharge in 1919. Having married in 1913, Milne and his wife Dorothy de Sélincourt welcomed their son Christopher Robin Milne into the world in 1920. Around this time, Milne worked as a screenwriter for the British film industry while continuing to publish in Punch, where his poem “Teddy Bear” appeared in 1924. Marking the first appearance of his character Pooh, this launched Milne’s career as a successful children’s author. Winnie-the Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928) were immediate bestsellers for Milne and continue to be read, cherished, and adapted today. Following this success, disturbed by the fame surrounding his son Christopher Robin, who figured as a character in his Pooh stories, Milne turned to writing adult fiction and plays, including Toad of Toad Hall (1929), an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s beloved novel The Wind in the Willows (1908).

Book preview

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NOW WE ARE SIX

By A. A. MILNE

With decorations by

ERNEST H. SHEPARD

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Now We Are Six

By A. A. Milne

With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-8152-0

eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-8153-7

This edition copyright © 2023. Digireads.com Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Image: a detail of an illustration from the book by Ernest H. Shepard / Colorization copyright 2023 Digireads.com Publishing.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

SOLITUDE

KING JOHN’S CHRISTMAS

BUSY

SNEEZLES

BINKER

CHERRY STONES

THE KNIGHT WHOSE ARMOUR DIDN’T SQUEAK

BUTTERCUP DAYS

THE CHARCOAL-BURNER

US TWO

THE OLD SAILOR

THE ENGINEER

JOURNEY’S END

FURRY BEAR

FORGIVEN

THE EMPEROR’S RHYME

KNIGHT-IN-ARMOUR

COME OUT WITH ME

DOWN BY THE POND

THE LITTLE BLACK HEN

THE FRIEND

THE GOOD LITTLE GIRL

A THOUGHT

KING HILARY AND THE BEGGARMAN

SWING SONG

EXPLAINED

TWICE TIMES

THE MORNING WALK

CRADLE SONG

WAITING AT THE WINDOW

PINKLE PURR

WIND ON THE HILL

FORGOTTEN

IN THE DARK

THE END

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TO

ANNE DARLINGTON

NOW SHE IS SEVEN

AND

BECAUSE SHE IS

SO

SPESHAL

INTRODUCTION

When you are reciting poetry, which is a thing we never do, you find sometimes, just as you are beginning, that Uncle John is still telling Aunt Rose that if he can’t find his spectacles he won’t be able to hear properly, and does she know where they are; and by the time everybody has stopped looking for them, you are at the last verse, and in another minute they will be saying, Thank-you, thank-you, without really knowing what it was all about. So, next time, you are more careful; and, just before you begin you say, "Er-h’r’m! very loudly, which means, Now then, here we are"; and everybody stops talking and looks at you: which is what you want. So then you get in the way of saying it whenever you are asked to recite . . . and sometimes it is just as well, and sometimes it isn’t. . . . And by and by you find yourself saying it without thinking. Well, this bit which I am writing now, called Introduction, is really the er’h’r’m of the book, and I have put it in, partly so as not to take you by surprise, and partly because I can’t do without it now. There are some very clever writers who say that it is quite easy not to have an er-h’r’m but I don’t agree with