"The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff

If you are looking for an enjoyable yet informative read Benjamin Hoff's "The Tao of Pooh" is for you. I have read this book twice now, gaining new knowledge and different insights both times.  There is a certain childhood magic Hoff writes with and about that evokes not only a deep seated nostalgia in the reader but also a new respect for Taoism.
        Hoff takes the reader through a basic conceptual explanation of the ancient ideas of Taoism pronounced (D)aoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. There are a countless number of books that try to and are dedicated to elucidating these three ways of being, but none as far as I know are as playful as "The Tao of Pooh". The author focuses his discussion quickly around Taoism as a way of explaining self, others and the word as we see it. This is all normal and good, but here is where the magic comes in; Hoff uses Winnie the Pooh, the childhood friend, hero, playmate, stuffed animal of many children as an exemplar of many important Taoist teachings, practices and ideas. Winnie and the other members of the hundred acre woods act as personifications of Taoist sayings and ideas. Rabbit the Bisy backson, Owl the out of touch academic, Piglet the frightened friend centered nervous being, Tigger as one would expect employs the role of the un-selfaware and over confident friend,  and Eeyore the ever pessimistic and discontented soul. But then there is Pooh the ever consistent, "Uncarved Block" and all understanding and ignorant soul who simply is.
     A number of Pooh and friends most well known stories are included in this book as illustrations of how to understand and live a more Taoist centered life. Childrens' stories often have morals and ideals built into them, but the way Hoff uses the stories of Pooh to illustrate Taoism come from an authentic and outside point of view. He has not created these tales, nor has he altered them he has simply found a way to project and glean new meanings from them. The author has fit Taoism into the life of Pooh simply because Taoism fits into Pooh's life, what could be more simple than that. An absolutely Western story, that of Winnie the Pooh becomes a beautiful way to at least begin to explain an absolutely Eastern tradition.
Benjamin Hoff has breached the gap and left his readers with a new take on Winnie the Pooh as an exemplar of Taoist thought.
All in all Winnie just is and Hoff explains this in elegant, playful and simple language.