The Hums of Childhood: Nostalgic Evocations in A. A. Milne and H. Fraser-Simson’s The Hums of Pooh (1929)

Abstract: In 1929, Milne commissioned his neighbor, Harold Fraser-Simson, to adapt Pooh’s “hums” into a collection of seventeen songs for children, which included written introductions by Milne and illustrations by E. H. Shepard. The Hums of Pooh (1929) could be viewed solely as a viable commercial commodity; however, numerous scholars recognize that text is culturally entrenched in conterminous political valences. Instead of dismissing Hums as a musical adaptation of a popular children’s text, this article argues that the work is imperative in recontextualizing the pervasiveness of pastoralism in Britain’s conservative national ideology by exploring the authors’ contributions to First World War propaganda and children’s literature.