At the New York Public Library, visitors to the Winnie-the-Pooh room are greeted by a gigantic mural of the roly-poly bear and his friends sitting down to dinner.
"That's the iconic image that the publisher chose to welcome people into the room," says Elizabeth Bird, senior children's librarian at the institution, which is home to the Pooh stuffed animals owned by the real-life Christopher Robin. "That's the first thing you'll see, before you even see Pooh." Another wall features Pooh with his famous honey pots.
Though the updated recipes for "smackerels" like honey toffee apples and easy honey buns have been updated and purged of lard, the book still features original drawings by Ernest H. Shepard interspersed with memorable quotes from Pooh and his coterie. And messages that speak even to today's children.
"Kids understand being hungry and wanting more of your favorite food," Bird says. "It's kind of a wish fulfillment. Imagine having a pot as big as yourself filled with your favorite food. Like a big pot of cake."
