A. A. Milne

Hello! My name is Alan Alexander Milne, but you can call me A. A. Milne. I was born on January 18th, 1882, in a busy city called London, in England. Ever since I was a boy, I loved words. I loved reading them in books, and most of all, I loved putting them together to make up my own stories and poems.

I grew up and had a family of my own. My wife, Daphne, and I had a wonderful son named Christopher Robin, who was born in 1920. Like many children, Christopher Robin had a bedroom full of stuffed animal friends. His very favorite was a teddy bear he called Winnie-the-Pooh. Watching my son play with Pooh and his other toys, like Piglet and Eeyore, gave me a brilliant idea.

I decided to write stories about their adventures! I imagined a magical place for them to live, based on the woods near our home, and called it the Hundred Acre Wood. I wrote my first book of stories about them, called 'Winnie-the-Pooh,' which came out in 1926. A talented artist friend of mine, E. H. Shepard, drew the pictures that brought Pooh, Tigger, Kanga, and all their friends to life for everyone to see.

I wrote many plays and books for grown-ups too, but the stories from the Hundred Acre Wood were the most special to people. I lived to be 74 years old, and my life was filled with creating stories. I am so happy that, even today, families all over the world still snuggle up to read about a silly old bear and his friends, learning about the importance of kindness and friendship.