Winnie-the-Pooh is perhaps the world’s most famous teddy bear. He and his friends, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Kanga appear in stories written by A. A. Milne.

Milne was born in 1882. He attended a school run by his father. He later studied math at Cambridge University. He was a soldier in World War I. In the 1920’s, Milne wrote many successful plays. He worked for Punch, a humor magazine. Milne wrote throughout his life. His work included plays, non-fiction, poems, and mysteries.

Christopher Robin, Milne’s son, was born in 1920. Four years later, A. A. Milne wrote a book of children’s poems. He wrote Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926, inspired by his son’s stuffed toys. E. H. Shepard drew pictures for the book.

Milne’s books about Pooh Bear won him lasting fame. They are far better known than anything else he wrote. They are classics of children’s literature, loved by young and old.

A. A. Milne died in 1956. His widow sold Disney the movie rights to Winnie-the-Pooh in 1961. The studio has made many Pooh cartoons since then.

The real Winnie-the-Pooh and his stuffed pals are on display at the New York City Public Library’s Children’s Center.