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When we were very young

1924

  • children's poetry
  • children's poetry, english
  • collected works
  • collections
  • english poetry
  • poetry
  • english
  • translations into hebrew
  • fiction
  • juvenile fiction

The story

A collection of poems reflecting the experiences of a little English boy growing up in the early part of the twentieth century.

What it’s like

Light, playful verse with a soft, wondering voice, the kind of book whose rhythms carry you before the sense does. Milne's poems are short, rhymed and bouncy, built on the sing-song metre of nursery rhymes, and they move through small domestic worlds: a nursery with its toys and rules, a rainy afternoon indoors, a walk to the woods with a bear of little brain, the sheer size of an ordinary day seen from knee height. The imagery is plain and tactile (buttercups, a stick, a fire guard, a cold bath) rendered with an adult's gentle affection for a child's logic. The mood is warm, humorous and tender, with the occasional wistful note about growing up. Nothing here is frightening or violent; the only sharpness is the mild impatience of a child being told to go to bed. It suits reading aloud, a slow Sunday morning, a comfort reread, or a bedtime book for an adult who wants something soothing and nostalgic. It is best for people who enjoy whimsical, rhythmic verse and gentle, low-stakes charm.

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