Now We Are Six

For the album by Steeleye Span, see Now We Are Six (album).

1st edition cover (Methuen)

Now We Are Six is a book of thirty-five children's verses by A. A. Milne, with illustrations by E. H. Shepard. It was first published in 1927 including poems such as "King John's Christmas", "Binker" and "Pinkle Purr". Eleven of the poems in the collection are accompanied by illustrations featuring Winnie-the-Pooh. These include: "The Charcoal Burner", "Us Two", "The Engineer", "Furry Bear", "Knight-in-armour", "The Friend", "The Morning Walk", "Waiting at the Window", "Forgotten", "In the Dark" and "The End".

It was parodied with the (2003) book Now We Are Sixty.

The cognitive psychologist George Miller has argued that the poem "In the Dark" was inspired by crib talk.

Around 1930, the soprano Mimi Crawford (details unknown) recorded several of the poems, set to music. On the 78rpm shellac record (HMV B2678) the following can be heard: "Sneezles", "The Friend", "The Emperor's Rhyme" and "Furry Bear". The music is by Harold Fraser-Simson (1872–1944) who also composed the music for Toad of Toad Hall in 1929.

See also

• When We Were Very Young, another book of poetry by A. A. Milne
• Now We Are Six at Wikiquote