Oh, DO Bother!

"Not like Pooh, the most effortless Bear we've ever seen."
"Just How do you do it, Pooh?"
"Do What?" asked Pooh.
"Become so Effortless."
"I don't do much of anything," he said.
"But all those things of yours get done."
"They just sort of happen," he said.
~Tao of Pooh, p. 70

With much going on in my little world over the past few days, I had the opportunity to read The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff in no time flat. The book is surprisingly dense and would seem to have a high level of "internal" (going back and reading over passages while going through the whole book) and external (picking up the book to re-read in a month or so) re-readability. Even with a basic background understanding of the Taoist (and Buddhist) concepts presented within, I found myself needing wanting to go back over excerpts to better understand the allegory.

There is much to commend the book for readers of all ages and spiritual persuasions, but likely the most accessible intent would be to read it as an interesting introduction to a layer of Winnie the Pooh you might not otherwise be aware of. All the members of the Hundred Acre Wood gang are present, but not necessarily in their "Disney-fied" forms, at least to my understanding. Certain characters which in animated form are endearing, Eyeore comes immediately to mind, are not so likable in this book.

This is due primarily to the characters thankless roles of representing ideals and approaches to life the author purposely wishes to present as less than the ideal of Pooh. As the "Uncarved Block," on which Hoff builds his allegory, Pooh is clearly the philosophical ideal that the author, through an interesting "conversation" with said character which frames the book, wants the reader to aspire to.

For my money the hardest thing for a writer to do is to make me laugh with their written word. I'm happy to report that throughout the novel I found myself audibly chuckling at the antics of Pooh and "hmmm"-ing to the connections presented... if nothing else, I am looking very forward to returning to A. A. Milne's source material for a break from the stresses of real lie!

Bottom Line: If like yours truly you've never had the opportunity to read this book, it is worth searching out for a day or twos reading enjoyment.