Tao Of Pooh

A great introduction to Taoism, through one of my childhood favorites!

I got this book for my Teenage daughter one year for Christmas and she loved it and enjoyed reading it!

This book explains Taoism in simple terms using Winnie the Pooh. It sounds corny but it works. Anyone looking for an introduction to Taoism, or even a simpler and kinder and doable way to live life will love this book. I’ve given several copies to friends.

Over the years, before I started reviewing books, I have read 3 books by Benjamin Hoff--The Tao of Pooh, The Te of Piglet, and The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley and enjoyed each of them. Every now and then, some books are so good that I just have to read them again. That is the case with The Tao of Pooh.Among other things, Hoff is an exceptionally talented author. I am amazed that he was able to explain the basics of Taoism via A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh characters. I have read hundreds of self-help books and numerous books on Taoism, but none explain the basic tenets as much as this one does and besides, Pooh makes me laugh out loud!Benjamin uses Eeyour, Piglet, Rabbit, the Owl, Pooh, Tigger, Kanga, Roo and Christopher Robin brilliantly in the nine chapters of this 157-page explanation of the concepts of Taoism as a "particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life." It is a lesson in awareness as in taking the time to really see, listen, smell, taste, touch and feel nature just as it is.He translates, simplifies and explains ancient Taoism and stories in terms we can understand how this way of life can be used in everyday life though Milne's humorous characters.This book has been translated in many languages--Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, German, Spanish and more--and is also sold in a set with The Te of Piglet.I thoroughly appreciate this short wisdom book and bet you will too!Enjoy!

great perspective

The Tao of Pooh is an excellent read and, though it seems simplistic at times in terms of language and level of explanation, is able to effectively communicate one of the core messages of Taoism by the writing style alone: simplicity. The basics. The essentials.The story of how I came across this book alone is worthy of mention. Years ago, I had printed out online articles about bodybuilding, had read them and had stored them away. After graduating from college last month, I felt the need of going through my old stuff back home to clean the place out when I came upon the articles. One of the articles, called “The Recovery Battlefield” made mention of stress and life views and referenced this book, The Tao of Pooh, as something to read on the subject of life management. Though I used to read a few pages of the Tao te Ching daily when younger, I decided to give this book a whirl thanks to the suggestion of a bodybuilding article! I thoroughly enjoyed it and many of the messages still struck me as timelessly true: the busy bee, inner nature, seeing and accepting things as they are, and so forth. The author writes about these concepts in a way that is understandable and, at the same time, very thoughtful.As a kid watching Winnie the Pooh and reading the books, I really had no idea that the show and books touched on such deep life lessons. Though I feel the actual connection with Taoism is open to interpretation, the main concepts relating to Taoism and to Pooh touch on many of the same chords.The only issue I had with the book is its negative portrayal of other thought systems. Though one of Taoism’s main points (according to the author, even) is to accept things for how they are, Benjamin Hoff is very critical of such bodies of thought as “the thinker” and “the calculator.” There are faults to every type of person… that is what makes us human. Being a little more open-minded and accepting would have made the author and this book a 5-star read.

Good

I had to read this book for my IB Theory of Knowledge class. It has truly given me a fresh perspective on life.The most interesting thing about this adorable book is the connections he makes between us and all the characters of Winnie the Pooh: Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Pooh, Tiger, and Owl. According to him, the majority of the time we want to be efficient Rabbit or learned Owl.But is this really what we want? Or are we merely conforming to society and the prestige marked behind these characteristics?Us IB kids are stereotypically known for always being on the run- running but never knowing where we're going half the time. This is really not far from the truth. In this generation, the focus for all high-achieving high school students is usually to enter a prestigious college. But the probelm is, most of us never have any idea what we want from our lives let alone what major to decide on. This book is so relevant because it takes the time to bring up all the choices that most of us are making so lightly or beliving we have none.In The Tao of Pooh, Pooh emerges as the unlikely hero and truly the wisest of them all. It has given me a new outlook on the world and the meaning of our actions and choices.Another little bonus is a raise in optimism. =]