A New Children’s Book Marks 100 Years of Winnie-the-Pooh

In 1926, author A.A. Milne and illustrator Ernest H. Shepard published Winnie-the-Pooh, introducing a character that would go on to become a fixture of children’s reading for generations. A century later, that milestone is being marked by a new kids’ book, How a Bear Became a Book, written by Annette Bay Pimentel and illustrated by Faith Pray.

The new title is built around the story of how the classic came together, placing the focus on the partnership between writer and illustrator rather than on the bear alone. By celebrating Milne and Shepard’s collaboration, it offers young readers a way into the history behind a book that has long outlived its first publication date.

That perspective matters because Winnie-the-Pooh has become more than a single title from 1926; it is now part of the wider cultural memory of children’s literature. A centenary naturally invites renewed attention to how beloved books are made, and to the creative choices that help a character endure across decades.

Looking back at the original publication also underscores the role of illustration in the life of a literary classic. In this case, Shepard’s drawings were part of the book’s original identity, and the new picture book’s own pairing of text and image reflects that same kind of joint artistic effort.

For publishing and for readers, the release of How a Bear Became a Book suggests that the story of Winnie-the-Pooh is still evolving as a subject of retelling. Rather than simply revisiting the bear as a character, the new book frames the creation of the book itself as part of the attraction.

The centenary gives the classic a fresh point of entry for children who may be encountering it for the first time. And by spotlighting the people behind the original 1926 volume, the new book places one of literature’s most familiar bears back in the context of the page on which he first appeared.