Kanga, Roo, and Tigger were
all late arrivals to the Forest, newcomers
is probably a better expression, and for some reason they jumped and bounced
about, and ended up living in one place. They seemed to live on a
diet of Medicines and Sandwiches. Like Pooh, they were actual
toys belonging to Christopher Milne. Both Kanga and Tigger
were later arrivals, presents from, his parents.
They were carefully chosen not just for the delight they might give to
their new owner, but also for their literary possibilities. And,
to confuse matters, in Mr. Milne's original draft, Kanga was a he, not
a she. Luckily, an editor picked the problem up and sorted it all
out before the book was published.
Kanga was foremost a mother. They went into Kanga's house,
Kanga immediately noticed that Tigger, in spite of his outgoing boisterous
ways, needed as much kindness as Roo. Kanga gave him some breakfast
and gave him a place to stay.
ATTRIBUTES OF MOTHERHOOD
(as displayed by Kanga, Mother
of Roo):
| 1. General Remarks. Kanga runs
faster than any of Us, even Me. |
| 2. Makes sure you have sandwiches
("watercress sandwiches for Roo, and a packet of extract-of-malt
sandwiches for Tigger") |
| 3. Tells you what to do (that
is, "to have a nice long morning in the Forest and not get into mischief") |
| 4. Gives baths (with lots of
soap) |
| 5. Knows how to play a joke. |
Nobody seemed to know where they came from, but there they were in the
Forest: Kanga and Baby Roo. The animals didn't like finding a Strange
Animal among them. An animal of whom they have never even heard before!
An animal who carries her family about with her in her pocket!
The animals
planned to capture Baby Roo, While they were planning, Rabbit wrote these
things about Kanga.
PLAN TO CAPTURE BABY ROO
| 1.
General Remarks. Kanga runs faster than any of Us, even Me. |
| 2. More General Remarks. Kanga
never takes her eye off Baby Roo, except when he's safely buttoned up in
her pocket. |
| 3. Therefore. If we are
to capture Baby Roo, we must get a Long Start, because Kanga runs faster
than any of Us, even Me. (See 1.) |
| 4. A Thought. If Roo had jumped
out of Kanga's pocket and Piglet had jumped in, Kanga wouldn't know the
difference, because Piglet is a Very Small Animal. |
| 5. Like Roo. |
| 6. But Kanga would have to be
looking the other way first, so as not to see Piglet jumping in. |
| 7. See 2. |
| 8. Another Thought. But if Pooh
was talking to her very excitedly, she might look the other way for a moment. |
| 9. And then I could run away
with Roo. |
| 10. Quickly. |
| 11. And Kanga wouldn't discover
the difference until Afterwards. |
They carried
out this plan. Kanga treated Piglet just like Roo while Roo had fun
playing with Rabbit. In the end, all the animals in the forest decided
they quite liked Kanga and Roo..
|
