Sophie Blackall

Have you ever heard of Milkwood? Oh, it's a beautiful place in upstate New York.

It's a barn that Sophie Blackall has redone, and she hosts a ton of workshops for writers, illustrators, editors, art directors.

And I was there for a workshop for... dog salati and cecilia cruz i hope i'm saying their names right um forgive me if i did not and so we were drawing one minute um for each drawing and at some point like these characters came up um these twins that are kind of like mischievous i i have no idea i i don't feel like i conceived them i think it was from the images that they showed us and the prompts that they gave us and i'm like But I want to follow them and let them tell me what they're here for.

And so, yeah, a lot of times it's like, I don't know, surprises.

For understanding Christopher Robin, The Enchanted Places by Christopher Milne, his memoir of growing up as a real boy in the books, honest, funny, and at times painful, it's the best companion to everything we talked about today.

For understanding The Bear Behind the Name, Finding Winnie by Lindsay Maddock, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, a beautiful picture book about Harry Colburn and the real Winnipeg, written by his great-granddaughter, perfect for reading with a child, and sneakily moving for adults.

For Pooh as Philosophy, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, a popular and charming introduction to Taoist ideas seen through the Hundred Acre Wood.

If you want a sequel, return to The Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus, an authorized follow-up published in 2009 for readers who can't bear to say goodbye.