About the Author

Ernest H. Shepard was born in 1879 in London. His father was an architect and his mother whodied when he was ten years old was the daughter of a notable watercolorist. It was she who firstencouraged young Ernest to paint and draw. Art became Ernest's passion, and after attendingHeatherly's Art School and the Royal Acadamy Schools, Shepard supported himself by drawingfor the illustrated papers and by illustrating books.

In 1903, Shepard married Florence Chaplin. Florence was a mural painter and fellow student atthe Academy. The Shepards had two children: Graham, who was killed in World War II, andMary, who later illustrated Mary L. Travers Mary Poppins books.

When World War I broke out, Shepard served in France, Belgium, and Italy, attaining the rank ofMajor. On his return to England, he continued with his art. He became a regular contributor toPunch, the classic British humor magazine, where he met A. A. Milne, a man who was to beinstrumental to his career. Shepard was elected to the editorial board of Punch, and shortlythereafter, he agreed to do the illustrations for Milne's first book of verse, When We Were VeryYoung.

The illustrations that Shepard created for all four of the Pooh books received worldwide acclaim.For the next thirty years, he continued to illustrate books for both adults and children. In 1973,for the first time, he added color to his drawings for Winnie-the-Pooh. Shepard ultimately donatedseveral hundred drawings to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Ernest H. Shepard continued to pursue his love of drawing until his death in1976.copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Reviews

Judging by his smooth, superior performance here, British actor Broadbent may well have spent lots of time in Milne's Hundred Acre Wood. To generations of children who know the Disney-fied version of these characters, Broadbent's Pooh will sound slightly more buffoonish than merely daffy (as Pooh appears in so many of the Disney animated films). However, this new interpretation is well in keeping with the author's creation of the Bear of Very Little Brain. And Pooh's sweet and loyal attributes are never tarnished. Via Broadbent's treatment, the beloved gang that includes enthusiastic Tigger, agitated Rabbit, melancholy Eeyore and, of course, level-headed Christopher Robin, journeys through a series of familiar adventures and maintains a place of honor in the children's audiobook canon of classics. This recording joins those by the late Charles Kuralt as some of the best adaptations of the material. Ages 5-up. (Oct. 2003). Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Gr 3-8‘Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner are classic stories of friendship and fantasy. Now We Are Six is a collection of poems read by Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers.