Schoolhouse Background

A.A. Milne 

by Ann Thwaite

"It was a school full of love. 'Without affection,' J.V. Milne once wrote, 'the schoolroom is a hard, forbidding place. With love, it becomes the next best place to home.' For the Milne boys, of course, school and home were inextricably entwined. As soon as he is old enough to think about it, Alan can hardly wait to be a proper Henley House schoolboy."

I found the background of Alan (A.A.) Milne, the author and playwright who later became world famous for Winnie the Pooh to be very interesting. He grew up in the 1880s with his older brothers in the small British schoolhouse where his father, John (J.V.) Milne, was the headmaster. Because J.V. came from poverty, he lacked qualifications and was only able to become headmaster at rougher schools. Yet he led these with affection and good humor. Alan was to grow into a man with confidence.
“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.” 

This biography provides other fascinating details about the life of the man who wrote much and lived a literary life. It is a good introduction to the man behind the famous children's stories.

A. A. Milne by Ann Thwaite. Tempus Books, 2007