The Return of Pooh

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JANUARY 10, 2009
The Return of Pooh
By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG

Even Eeyore might crack a smile about this.

The troubled book industry, in need of titles that will pull readers into the stores, will get a much-needed jolt this fall when the first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" and "The House at Pooh Corner" is published Oct. 5 under the title "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood."

Mr. Milne died in 1956. The author of the new book is David Benedictus, who produced two successful audiobooks based on Mr. Milne's famous children's titles. Mr. Benedictus, who lives in London, said that after an earlier offer to write a sequel was rebuffed, he heard back from the Milne estate about 2½ years ago. "People will be highly suspicious, but I hope they'll think I didn't do a bad job," said Mr. Benedictus.

Barnes & Noble Had Weak HolidayMore Media & Marketing newsThe work, illustrated by Mark Burgess, is being published in the U.S. by Dutton Children's Books, an imprint of Pearson PLC's Penguin Young Readers Group (USA). Don Weisberg, president of Penguin Young Readers Group, said he expects the title to be a "huge seller for a long, long time." The initial print run will be in excess of 100,000.

The biggest challenge will be meeting literary expectations, said New York literary agent Laurence Kirshbaum. In 1991, as head of Warner Books, Mr. Kirshbaum published Alexandra Ripley's "Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone with the Wind.'" The book was a major best-seller. "What we found was that the customers didn't care at all about the reviews," said Mr. Kirshbaum. "They're excited to see the series extended."

In an interview, Michael Brown, a trustee for the Pooh Properties Trust, noted that sequel rights had been retained by Mr. Milne's estate. "Why now? There was no magic in the date," said Mr. Brown about the coming sequel. "It's been on my mind for a while. We thought David had a wonderful feel for the material. No doubt some will say it's not as good as the original, but it's very good, and we're pleased with it."

Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at jeffrey.trachtenberg@wsj.com