When We Were Very Young is a best-selling book of poetry

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 by A. A. Milne

A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...

. It was first published in 1924, and was illustrated by E. H. Shepard

E. H. Shepard

Ernest Howard Shepard was an English artist and book illustrator. He was known especially for his human-like animals in illustrations for The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne....

. Several of the verses were set to music by Harold Fraser-Simson

Harold Fraser-Simson

Harold Fraser-Simson , was an English composer of light music, including songs and the scores to musical comedies. His most famous musical was the World War I hit, The Maid of the Mountains, and he later set numerous children's poems to music, especially those of A. A...

. The book begins with an introduction entitled "Just Before We Begin", which, in part, tells the reader to imagine for themselves who the narrator is, and that it might be Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, appearing in his popular books of poetry and stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. He has subsequently appeared in Disney cartoons....

. The 38th poem in the book, "Teddy Bear", that originally appeared in Punch magazine in February, 1924, was the first appearance of the famous character Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...

, first named "Mr. Edward Bear" by Christopher Robin Milne. In one of the illustrations of "Teddy Bear", Winnie-the-Pooh is shown wearing a shirt which was later coloured red when reproduced on a recording produced by Stephen Slesinger

Stephen Slesinger

Stephen Slesinger , was an American radio/television/film producer, creator of comic strip characters and the father of the licensing industry...

. This has become his standard appearance in the Disney

The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

 adaptations.

Contents

• Corner of the Street
• Buckingham Palace
• Happiness
• The Christening
• Puppy and I
• Twinkle Toes
• 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
• "Vespers" being in the library of the Queen's Dolls' House, is here by special permission

Background

Vespers

Vespers

Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...

 used to be the name for the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Anglican

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...

 churches.

See also

• Now We Are Six
  Now We Are Six
  Now We Are Six is a book of thirty-five children's verses by A. A. Milne, with illustrations by E. H. Shepard. It was first published in 1927 including poems such as "King John's Christmas", "Binker" and "Pinkle Purr". Eleven of the poems in the collection are accompanied by illustrations featuring...
  
  , another book of poetry by A. A. Milne
• Fourteen Songs from When We Were Very Young, by A.A. Milne. Music by Harold Fraser-Simpson with Decorations by E.H. Shepard.