DIY Homeschooler

January 2023 brings another A.A. Milne work into the public domain in the U.S. Now we Are Six is a book of 35 poems. Many deal with Christopher Robin, and a few about our favorite bear.

If I were a bear,
  And a big bear too,
I shouldn’t much care
  If it froze or snew;
I shouldn’t much mind
  If it snowed or friz—
I’d be all fur-lined
  With a coat like his!

For I’d have fur boots and a brown fur wrap,
And brown fur knickers and a big fur cap.
I’d have a fur muffle-ruff to cover my jaws,
And brown fur mittens on my big brown paws.
With a big brown furry-down up to my head,
I’d sleep all the winter in a big fur bed.

“Furry Bear,” Now We Are Six

There is no better introduction to poetry than Milne’s poems. Not only are they simple and interesting, but they jingle.

We started with When We Were Very Young before moving to Now We Are Six. We simply enjoyed reading aloud one poem each day (Monday through Friday). Learn more about different approaches to covering poetry.

If you are looking for ways to spice things up, check out our Winnie-the-Pooh unit.

The original illustrations by Shepard are not included in this version. Of course, there is much to be said for the print versions with color illustrations (see below), but what an absolute joy. Free in the public domain. Enjoy!

Free eBook

• Read online
• PDF
• Various formats (EPUB, Kindle)

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Additional Resources

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear
To learn more about the bear that inspired the book, read this heart-warming story. Winner of the 2016 Caldecott. Read our full review.

Winnie-the-Pooh: A Unit Study
Background information, activities for rounding out studies, printables, and more in our unit.

4 Ways to Incorporate Poetry
More on working through poetry read-alouds.