New Winnie-the-Pooh story collection celebrates bear's 95th anniversary
Video report by ITV News Meridian's Malcolm Shaw
A new Winnie-the-Pooh story collection will be released to celebrate the beloved bear's 95th anniversary, the publisher has announced.
The prequel is written in the style of A. A. Milne by Jane Riordan, and illustrated by Mark Burgess in the style of E.H. Shepard.
Jane Riordan, Author, said: "I just think there's something so timeless about them, this is a world with no adults, it's just children, toys, animals, whatever you would like to call them.
"So there's an incredible freedom to those stories and that's something that attracts every generation. It's totally timeless."
Winnie-the-Pooh: Once There Was a Bear will take readers back to when Pooh was bought from Harrods for baby Christopher Robin.
It imagines the 'before stories' of Pooh, Eeyore and Piglet for the first time, and follows Pooh and friends on a number of outings, including one to London Zoo, where Pooh meets his namesake, Winnipeg.
The second half of the book focuses on Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, where the original stories were set.
It was the country home of the author and his son, the real Christopher Robin.
The distinctive landscape provided the perfect setting for his adventures with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and all the other characters.
Jane Riordan, Author, said: "E. H. Shepard spent quite a lot of time here in the Ashdown Forest with A. A. Milne, their sons played together here and you can really see when you look at the original artwork, you recognise the trees and it's just 100% here isn't it. That's very special."
Fans of the stories still come from around the world to retrace their footsteps.
Duncan Thatcher, Ashdown Forest Ranger, said: "When you're walking around you can visit the Heffalump trap, you can go to Roo's sandy place and visit Eeyore's gloomy place.
"It's magical for people to explore and realise that the stories that they read are actually based in real places, so there's a real link between the literature and the landscape."
Winnie-the-Pooh: Once There Was a Bear, will be published on Thursday (30 September).