Milne, A(lan) A(lexander)

Milne, A(lan) A(lexander) (1882-1956), English author of a series of children's books that have become classics. Milne, who was born in London, was the author of several whimsical plays popular in the 1920s, including Mr. Pim Passes By (1919) and The Dover Road (1920), as well as a few novels of contemporary life and one detective story, The Red House Mystery (1922). He also adapted Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall (1929). This work has been overshadowed, however, by the verses and stories he wrote for his son, Christopher Robin. These delightful books include When We Were Very Young (1924), Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), Now We Are Six (1927), and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Not only Christopher Robin himself, with his stuffed bear Winnie-the-Pooh and their constant companion Piglet, but also Kanga and Roo, Eeyore the donkey, the kittenish Tigger, Rabbit, and Owl—all the fanciful characters created by Milne—are loved by both children and adults.