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  WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG

  When We Were Very Young

  A. A. MILNE

  DECORATIONS BY Ernest H. Shepard

  Dutton Children’s Books

  AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN GROUP [USA] INC.

  Dutton Children’s Books

  A DIVISION OF PENGUIN YOUNG READERS GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, M4P 2Y3 Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) • Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa • Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This presentation copyright © 2009 by The Trustees of the Pooh Properties Coloring of the illustrations copyright © 1992 by Dutton Children’s Books When We Were Very Young copyright © 1924 by E. P. Dutton Copyright renewal, 1952, by A. A. Milne

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  CIP DATA AVAILABLE.

  Published in the United States by Dutton Children’s Books,

  a division of Penguin Young Readers Group

  345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  www.penguin.com/youngreaders

  ISBN: 1-101-15895-6

  to

  CHISTOPHER ROBIN MILNE

  or

  as he prefers to call himself

  BILLY MOON

  this book

  which owes so much to him

  is now

  humbly offered

  Just Before We Begin

  AT ONE TIME (but I have changed my mind now) I thought I was going to write a little Note at the top of each of these poems, in the manner of Mr. William Wordsworth, who liked to tell his readers where he was staying, and which of his friends he was walking with, and what he was thinking about, when the idea of writing his poem came to him. You will find some lines about a swan here, if you get as far as that, and I should have explained to you in the Note that Christopher Robin, who feeds this swan in the mornings, has given him the name of “Pooh.” This is a very fine name for a swan, because, if you call him and he doesn’t come (which is a thing swans are good at), then you can pretend that you were just saying “Pooh!” to show how little you wanted him. Well, I should have told you that there are six cows who come down to Pooh’s lake every afternoon to drink, and of course they say “Moo” as they come. So I thought to myself one fine day, walking with my friend Christopher Robin, “Moo rhymes with Pooh! Surely there is a bit of poetry to be got out of that?” Well, then, I began to think about the swan on his lake; and at first I thought how lucky it was that his name was Pooh; and then I didn’t think about that any more…and the poem came quite differently from what I intended…and all I can say for it now is that, if it hadn’t been for Christopher Robin, I shouldn’t have written it; which, indeed, is all I can say for any of the others. So this is why these verses go about together, because they are all friends of Christopher Robin; and if I left out one because it was not quite like the one before, then I should have to leave out the one before because it was not quite like the next, which would be disappointing for them.

  Then there is another thing. You may wonder sometimes who is supposed to be saying the verses. Is it the Author, that strange but uninteresting person, or is it Christopher Robin, or some other boy or girl, or Nurse, or Hoo? If I had followed Mr. Wordsworth’s plan I could have explained this each time; but, as it is, you will have to decide for yourselves. If you are not quite sure, then it is probably Hoo. I don’t know if you have ever met Hoo, but he is one of those curious children who look four on Monday, and eight on Tuesday, and are really twenty-eight on Saturday, and you never know whether it is the day when he can pronounce his “r’s.” He had a great deal to do with these verses. In fact, you might almost say that this book is entirely the unaided work of Christopher Robin, Hoo, and Mr. Shepard, who drew the pictures. They have said “Thank you” politely to each other several times, and now they say it to you for taking them into your house. “Thank you so much for asking us. We’ve come.”

  A.A.M.

  Contents

  Corner-of-the-Street

  Buckingham Place

  Happiness

  The Christening

  Puppy and I

  Twinkletoes

  The Four Friends

  Lines and Squares

  Brownie

  Independence

  Nursery Chairs

  Market Square

  Daffodowndilly

  Water-Lilies

  Disobedience

  Spring Morning

  The Island

  The Three Foxes

  Politeness

  Jonathan Jo

  At the Zoo

  Rice Pudding

  Missing

  The King’s Breakfast

  Hoppity

  At Home

  The Wrong House

  Summer Afternoon

  The Dormouse and the Doctor

  Shoes and Stockings

  Sand-Between-the-Toes

  Knights and Ladies

  Little Bo-Peep and Little Boy Blue

  The Mirror

  Halfway Down

  The Invaders

  Before Tea

  Teddy Bear

  Bad Sir Brian Botany

  In the Fashion

  The Alchemist

  Growing Up

  If I Were King

  Vespers*

  WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG

  Corner-of-the-Street

  Down by the corner of the street,

  Where the three roads meet,

  And the feet

  Of the people as they pass go “Tweet-tweet-tweet—”

  Who comes tripping round the corner of the street?

  One pair of shoes which are Nurse’s;

  One pair of slippers which are Percy’s…

  Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

  Buckingham Palace

  They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

  Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

  Alice is marrying one of the guard.

  “A soldier’s life is terrible hard,”

  Says Alice.

  They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

  Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

  We saw a guard in a sentry-box.

  “One of the sergeants looks after their socks,”

  Says Ali
ce.

  They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

  Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

  We looked for the King, but he never came.

  “Well, God take care of him, all the same,”

  Says Alice.

  They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

  Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

  They’ve great big parties inside the grounds.

  “I wouldn’t be King for a hundred pounds,”

  Says Alice.

  They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

  Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

  A face looked out, but it wasn’t the King’s.

  “He’s much too busy a-signing things,”

  Says Alice.

  They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace—

  Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

  “Do you think the King knows all about me?”

  “Sure to, dear, but it’s time for tea,”

  Says Alice.

  Happiness

  John had Great Big Waterproof Boots on; John had a Great Big Waterproof Hat; John had a Great Big Waterproof Mackintosh—And that (Said John) Is That.

  The Christening

  What shall I call

  My dear little dormouse?

  His eyes are small,

  But his tail is e-nor-mouse.

  I sometimes call him Terrible John,

  ’Cos his tail goes on—

  And on—

  And on.

  And I sometimes call him Terrible Jack,

  ’Cos his tail goes on to the end of his back.

  And I sometimes call him Terrible James,

  ’Cos he says he likes me calling him names….

  But I think I shall call him Jim,

  ’Cos I am so fond of him.

  Puppy and I

  I met a man as I went walking;

  We got talking,

  Man and I.

  “Where are you going to, Man?” I said

  (I said to the Man as he went by).

  “Down to the village, to get some bread.

  Will you come with me?” “No, not I.”

  I met a Horse as I went walking;

  We got talking,

  Horse and I.

  “Where are you going to, Horse, today?”

  (I said to the Horse as he went by).

  “Down to the village to get some hay.

  Will you come with me?” “No, not I.”

  I met a Woman as I went walking;

  We got talking,

  Woman and I.

  “Where are you going to, Woman, so early?”

  (I said to the Woman as she went by).

  “Down to the village to get some barley.

  Will you come with me?” “No, not I.”

  I met some Rabbits as I went walking;

  We got talking,

  Rabbits and I.

  “Where are you going in your brown fur coats?”

  (I said to the Rabbits as they went by)

  “Down to the village to get some oats.

  Will you come with us?” “No, not I.”

  I met a Puppy as I went walking;

  We got talking,

  Puppy and I.

  “Where are you going this nice fine day?”

  (I said to the Puppy as he went by).

  “Up in the hills to roll and play.”

  “I’ll come with you, Puppy,” said I.

  Twinkletoes

  When the sun

  Shines through the leaves of the apple-tree,

  When the sun

  Makes shadows of the leaves of the apple-tree,

  Then I pass

  On the grass

  From one leaf to another,

  From one leaf to its brother,

  Tip-toe, tip-toe!

  Here I go!

  The Four Friends

  Ernest was an elephant, a great big fellow,

  Leonard was a lion with a six-foot tail,

  George was a goat, and his beard was yellow,

  And James was a very small snail.

  Leonard had a stall, and a great big strong one,

  Ernest had a manger, and its walls were thick,

  George found a pen, but I think it was the wrong one,

  And James sat down on a brick.

  Ernest started trumpeting, and cracked his manger,

  Leonard started roaring, and shivered his stall,

  James gave the huffle of a snail in danger

  And nobody heard him at all.

  Ernest started trumpeting and raised such a rumpus,

  Leonard started roaring and trying to kick,

  James went a journey with the goat’s new compass

  And he reached the end of his brick.

  Ernest was an elephant and very well-intentioned,

  Leonard was a lion with a brave new tail,

  George was a goat, as I think I have mentioned,

  But James was only a snail.

  Lines and Squares

  Whenever I walk in a London street,

  I’m ever so careful to watch my feet;

  And I keep in the squares,

  And the masses of bears,

  Who wait at the corners all ready to eat

  The sillies who tread on the lines of the street,

  Go back to their lairs,

  And I say to them, “Bears,

  Just look how I’m walking in all of the squares!”

  And the little bears growl to each other,

  “He’s mine,

  As soon as he’s silly and steps on a line.”

  And some of the bigger bears try to pretend

  That they came round the corner to look for a friend;

  And they try to pretend that nobody cares

  Whether you walk on the lines or squares.

  But only the sillies believe their talk;

  It’s ever so portant how you walk.

  And it’s ever so jolly to call out, “Bears,

  Just watch me in all the squares!”

  Brownie

  In a corner of the bedroom is a great big curtain,

  Someone lives behind it, but I don’t know who;

  I think it is a Brownie, but I’m not quite certain.

  (Nanny isn’t certain, too.)

  I looked behind the curtain, but he went so quickly—

  Brownies never wait to say, “How do you do?”

  They wriggle off at once because they’re all so tickly.

  (Nanny says they’re tickly too.)

  Independence

  I never did, I never did, I never did like

  “Now take care, dear!”

  I never did, I never did, I never did want

  “Hold-my-hand”

  I never did, I never did, I never did think much of

  “Not up there, dear!”

  It’s no good saying it. They don’t understand.

  Nursery Chairs

  One of the chairs is South America,

  One of the chairs is a ship at sea,

  One is a cage for a great big lion,

  And one is a chair for Me.

  THE FIRST CHAIR

  When I go up the Amazon,

  I stop at night and fire a gun

  To call my faithful band.

  And Indians in twos and threes,

  Come silently between the trees,

  And wait for me to land.

  And if I do not want to play

  With any Indians today,

  I simply wave my hand.

  And then they turn and go away—

  They always understand.

  THE SECOND CHAIR

  I’m a great big lion in my cage,

  And I often frighten Nanny with a roar.

  Then I hold her very tight, and

  Tell her not to be so frightened—

  And she doesn’t be so frightened any more.

  THE THIRD CHAIR


  When I am in my ship, I see

  The other ships go sailing by.

  A sailor leans and calls to me

  As his ship goes sailing by.

  Across the sea he leans to me,

  Above the winds I hear him cry:

  “Is this the way to Round-the-World?”

  He calls as he goes by.

  THE FOURTH CHAIR

  Whenever I sit in a high chair

  For breakfast or dinner or tea,

  I try to pretend that it’s my chair,

  And that I am a baby of three.

  Shall I go off to South America?

  Shall I put out in my ship to sea?

  Or get in my cage and be lions and tigers?

  Or—shall I be only Me?

  Market Square

  I had a penny,

  A bright new penny,

  I took my penny