"It's like this," he said. "When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you're coming. Now, if you have a green balloon, they might think you were only part of the tree, and not notice you, and if you have a blue balloon, they might think you were only part of the sky, and not notice you, and the question is: Which is most likely?"
"Wouldn't they notice you underneath the balloon?" you asked.
"They might or they might not," said Winnie-the-Pooh. "You never can tell with bees."
-- "Winnie-the-Pooh," chapter 1, "In Which We Are Introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees, and the Stories Begin"
So he took hold of Pooh's front paws and Rabbit took hold of Christopher Robin, and all Rabbit's friends and relations took hold of Rabbit, and they all pulled together...
And for a long time Pooh only said "Ow!"...
And "Oh!"
And then, all of a sudden, he said "Pop!" just as if a cork were coming out of a bottle.
-- "Winnie-the-Pooh," chapter 2, "In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Into a Tight Place"
Then he had an idea, and I think that for a Bear of Very Little Brain, it was a good idea. He said to himself: "If a bottle can float, then a jar can float, and if a jar floats, I can sit on the top of it, if it's a very big jar."
So he took his biggest jar, and corked it up. "All boats have to have a name," he said, "so I shall call mine The Floating Bear." And with these words he dropped his boat into the water and jumped in after it.
For a little while Pooh and The Floating Bear were uncertain as to which of them was meant to be on the top, but after trying one or two different positions, they settle down with The Floating Bear underneath and Pooh triumphantly astride it, paddling vigorously with his feet.
-- "Winnie-the-Pooh," chapter 9, "In Which Piglet is Entirely Surrounded by Water"
So Owl wrote ... and this is what he wrote: HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY.
Pooh looked on admiringly.
"I'm just saying 'A Happy Birthday,'" said Owl carelessly.
"It's a nice long one," said Pooh, very much impressed by it.
"Well, actually, of course, I'm saying 'A Very Happy Birthday with love from Pooh.' Naturally it takes a good deal of pencil to say a long thing like that."
"Oh, I see," said Pooh.
-- "Winnie-the-Pooh," chapter 11, "In Which Eeyore Has a Birthday and Gets Two Presents"
Go to top
Return to Pooh home page