Fireside Reading of Winnie-the-Pooh

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review by Chloe Allmand

Dreamscape Media’s Fireside Reading of Winnie-the-Pooh*, read by actor and writer Gildart Jackson, is a delightful presentation of the classic children’s book, and an asset to home and public library collections. From a cozy armchair beside a fireplace, Jackson invites viewers to join him as he reads A. A. Milne’s unabridged 1924 text, ten chapters in all.

Jackson also provides an introduction to the story and the famous bear, as well as how Christopher Robin came to name him Winnie the Pooh.* Reminiscent of the warmth of Mr. Rogers, the delight of Bob Ross, and the serenity of Monty Don, Jackson is a storyteller we all want to hear from.

Jackson does justice to Milne’s beloved characters through his masterful capturing of each unique voice: Eeyore morosely sighs, Rabbit nasally snarks and stresses, Owl loftily pontificates. Jackson’s rapid-fire switching between Piglet’s anxious squeak and Pooh’s soft grumble in their volleying dialogue (perhaps especially in “Chapter 5: In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump”) will have viewers of all ages in hysterics.

It is Jackson’s splendid voice acting and narration that makes it (almost) forgivable that he does not fulfill one sacred storytime duty: turning the book around to share the illustrations by E. H. Shepard. That said, children could be encouraged to follow along with a copy of the text as Jackson reads, allowing them to enjoy Shepard’s illustrations, as well as further, immerse themselves in the text.

Throughout the chapters, Jackson does hold up sheets of paper showing the characters’ various notes to each other (featuring Christopher Robin’s inventive spelling), and viewers see one rendering of Pooh Bear by Shepard on each new chapter’s title card. Children will also enjoy spotting the book’s characters as stuffed animals, who join Jackson in his armchair.

Librarians, teachers, and parents shouldn’t be daunted by the film’s three-hour, twenty-two-minute run time; the film is clearly demarcated into the ten separate chapters. Most of the chapters are contained stories, so viewers can watch one at a time, in or out of order, making the film ideal for a storytime series or other library programming.

Whether viewers have been joining Jackson for fireside readings since he began them via Youtube and Instagram during COVID lockdowns or are only now discovering the heartwarming series, Fireside Reading of Winnie-the-Pooh is sure to delight its audiences.

Jackson brings viewers through A. A. Milne’s classic story with all the joy and poignancy that has made Winnie-the-Pooh so enduringly beloved for nearly 100 years, making this rendering of the story a charming addition to any library collection.

Learn more about Dreamscape Media's expansion of the Fireside Reading series.
Discover more titles for your film collection in our list of children's movies. 

What public library shelves would this title be on?

Dreamscape Media’s Fireside Reading of Winnie-the-Pooh belongs in any public or school library, particularly in children’s and classics collections.

What subjects or college majors would benefit from the content covered in this film?

English Literature, Children’s Literature, Elementary Education, and Library Sciences college majors would benefit from Fireside Reading of Winnie-the-Pooh in the classroom, as it provides an outstanding example of how to bring children’s literature to life through classic storytime programming.

Would this film be suitable for an outdoor screening?

Fireside Reading of Winnie-the-Pooh would make a wonderful installment in an outdoor screening series. An outdoor setting would allow viewers to feel immersed in the Hundred Acre Wood, and the chapter by chapter structure of the film lends itself to being shown over the course of multiple days or weeks.

Original publication: Video Librarian, Chloe Allmand, April 21, 2022