The Tao of Pooh

 

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

Inspired by the original works by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard

Nonfiction

2019 Egmont Books (first published in 1992)

Finished on February 9, 2021

Rating: 1/5 (Poor)

Publisher's Blurb:

Is there such thing as a Western Taoist? Benjamin Hoff says there is, and this Taoist's favorite food is honey. Through brilliant and witty dialogue with the beloved Pooh-bear and his companions, the author of this smash bestseller explains with ease and aplomb that rather than being a distant and mysterious concept, Taoism is as near and practical to us as our morning breakfast bowl. Romp through the enchanting world of Winnie-the-Pooh while soaking up invaluable lessons on simplicity and natural living.

Philosophical works are generally not my cuppa tea, but my book group chose The Tao of Pooh for our February selection and I thought it might be a good chance to learn a little bit about this Chinese philosophy. I wound up having to buy a volume that includes not only The Tao of Pooh, but also The Te of Piglet. While I managed to finish the first book, I really struggled with boredom and don't think I gained much in the way of understanding Taoism, in spite of Hoff's attempt to explain it to his readers through the interactions among Pooh, Piglet and the rest of the gang in the Hundred Acre Wood. As others have said, the best part of this book is the selections from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories (including illustrations) and I'll also add that I'm glad it wasn't any longer than its 170 pages. The entire book sounded like one big riddle! I'm looking forward to my book group discussion and wonder how many members enjoyed the book.