annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Oh, Bother is a modern take on the beloved A.A. Milne characters from the 100 acre woods by Jennie Egerdie. Released 7th May 2024 by Hachette on their Running Press imprint, it's 96 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is part parody and a little bit of pastiche/homage featuring Pooh & co. dealing with life in the 21st century (urban sprawl encroaching on the 100 acre woods, therapy, global warming, threatening species extinction (bees) and more). Oh, bother indeed.
It's short, made up of 16 brief vignettes, and all featuring the beloved characters in various day-to-day situations. The text is enhanced by Ellie Hajdu's simple pen and ink sketches which are reminiscent of the E.H. Shepard originals without being too derivative (or actionable).
Three and a half stars. Worth a look for library acquisitions personnel and potentially for gift giving purposes.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.