In Which Christopher Robin Gives Pooh a Party, and We Say Good-bye.
- It's an idyllic spring day. Birds chirping, sun shining, air conditioners humming. Well, maybe not that last one.
- Christopher Robin (the character) decides to throw a party for Pooh as a kind of reward for saving Piglet from the flood.
- Once again, Owl is sent as the messenger to tell the other animals.
- Pooh gets very excited about the party being for him, but then he also starts to feel a little self-involved, a little anxious. What if the others forget his heroic efforts? What if they don't think he deserves a party?
- So Pooh makes up a song about it. It's called "Anxious Pooh Song". Anxious people tend to favor efficiency over art.
- It's a song about people doubting him. And Milne (the author) highlights how all these feelings are going on "inside him" (Winnie-the-Pooh.10.15.) Pooh's got feelings too, after all.
- Meanwhile, Owl is talking to Eeyore. You can guess how well this goes.
- Eeyore doesn't believe he's invited at first, but grudgingly agrees to come.
- Cut to party day.
- CR has set out a long table and all the creatures of the wood are sitting round and eating and chatting.
- The host gets up to make a speech in honor of the honoree, to the one who helped a friend, to the hero...
- Naturally Eeyore stands up and accepts the praise. It was nothing. You all would have done the same.
- Eeyore?!
- What did he do?
- Good question. No one quite knows. They all thought the party was for Pooh.
- Soon enough CR stands up and announces that the party—and an accompanying present—is for Pooh.
- Not Eeyore. This is why they call donkeys jac— well, you know.
- Pooh tries to make a speech too, but everyone's too excited about the present.
- Open it!
- Oh my...
- The greatest gift one could ever receive: no, not a Tickle-me-Elmo in 1996. Not a Furby in 1999. Not an iPhone fingernail insert in 2027.
- It's pencils. Monogrammed pencils and colored pencils. Erasers and a ruler. The X-Box of the early 20th century. It was awesome.
- Still is, for that matter.
- Eeyore is the only one who doesn't marvel at the gift. Just "writing business" he says. NBD.
- The party ends and Piglet and Pooh walk home together.
- Christopher Robin (the listener) chimes in to find out what happens next.
- Since it's the end of the first book, Milne (the narrator) doesn't actually know.
- But if CR wants to hear more, he could tell more stories.
- CR says that Pooh, at least, wants to hear more stories about himself.
- The father and son say good night to each other.
- Just to make sure, Pooh's pencil case wasn't any better than CR's right?
- No, they were the same.
- Okay.
- Good night.
- And Christopher Robin and Pooh go bump bumping up the stairs together.