In the original Winnie the Pooh the illustrations are done by E. H. Shephard but there are versions of the story books that were produced under the Walt Disney trademark that were illustrated by John Kurtz. I remember reading these versions along with the originals as a child and I think I loved these drawings almost as much as Shephard’s.

                The illustrations of John Kurtz hold the same soft feeling of E. H. Shephard’s which I think is an important feature of illustrations for Winne the Pooh. The stories themselves are generally light hearted and fun so having the illustrations match that helps with telling the story in my opinion.

                One thing that stood out to me from the illustrations in the original stories is that they are much more detailed. They encapsulate not only the characters but also the scene around it. There are few pages that show only the character. Although I enjoyed the character only illustrations of E. H. Shephard, having the picture of the whole scene helps to create the mood and convincing characters.

                In one of the stories, Winnie the Pooh and The Honey Tree, we are introduced to almost all of the characters in the Winnie the Pooh universe. Through the illustrations of Kurtz in this story you get to see the personalities of each of the characters. During the story our main character Pooh gets stuck in Rabbits door after eating a very big lunch.

                You can see the expression on Rabbit’s face and can feel the disappointment that he has. On another page there are multiple characters shown and their attempts to help Pooh bide his time in the door hole. You can see in the expressions of Christopher Robin and Kanga the care and love they have for Pooh. On the other panels of the pages you can see owl looking inquisitive and thoughtful, which is very in line with his character, and Eeyore wears a gloomy expression on his face that is a constant for him.

                These illustrations not only give a good character description, but they also paint the picture of what is happening in the story and help to move it forward. Overall, I think that John Kurtz’s illustrations for the Winnie the Pooh stories do have a different look, but they still convey the same child likeness and innocence.

Works Cited

Campbell, J. (n.d.). Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. Toronto: Scholastic.