Winnie the Pooh: The Great Heffalump Hunt by Giles Andreae

Egmont, 2017. ISBN 9781405278300
Piglet trotted happily beside his best friend Pooh.
Talking about nothing much as best friends often do.
When suddenly Pooh stopped and said, "I've got a Grand Idea".
"I'm going to catch a Heffalump. I've heard they live around here."
Giles Andreae of Giraffes Can't Dance fame has taken this wonderful and well-known adventure of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and reinterpreted into a delightful rhyme and pictorial experience. More than 90 years on from the first publication of the adventures of Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and Tigger inspired by a real-life bear Milne's stories are as enchanting and popular as ever so to have this one in a picture book version for our youngest readers is a treat indeed.
As well as providing a taste of the delights of what is in the original collection, it celebrates friendship, bravery and the imagination, even providing the basis for an inquiry project for beginners. Just what is a Heffalump, what does it look like, and what would be the best way to catch it? Each child could create their own version, design a suitable trap and bait and maybe even start to consider whether catching wild creatures is ever a good idea. Those a little older might even start to investigate the role of zoos and how they've changed, particularly given Winnie's origins.
Even though this is an adaptation of a classic, in its new form there are so many layers to explore that it is perfect as a standalone, and another generation will learn to love this lovable bear and his endearing friends.
Barbara Braxton