Authorship in Action: Learning from Pooh—Misunderstanding and Humor in Contemporary Picture Books
Presenter Bio
Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters is a Full Professor, acclaimed Canadian children’s author, and a celebrated performer, and playwright, recognized for her significant contributions to arts-based pedagogies, literacy, children’s literature, and equitable education. Currently teaching drama-in-education, dance-in-education, and language arts to teacher candidates at Brock University in the Faculty of Education, she holds degrees from UBC, OISE/UT, Brock University, and the National Theatre School, specializing in literacy education, teacher education, and the arts.
Session
Pooh’s Enduring Appeal
Start Date
10-7-2026 1:45 PM
End Date
10-7-2026 3:00 PM
Abstract
Misunderstanding lies at the heart of Winnie-the-Pooh’s enduring appeal. Moving through the world with gentle misinterpretations, Pooh embodies a form of childlike logic that produces both quiet humor and subtle social complication. This presentation explores misunderstanding not as a deficit, but as a productive narrative and emotional space—one that generates pleasure, invites curiosity, and fosters connection. Drawing on close readings of Winnie-the-Pooh (Milne, 1926) alongside contemporary picture book authorship practices, this session considers how the tradition of “feeling small and misunderstood” evolves in recent humorous picture books. Focusing on picture books I have authored, What If I’m Not a Cat? (Winters & Collier, 2023) and Jeffrey and Sloth (Winters & Hodson, 2007), alongside other contemporary humorous texts, this presentation examines how misunderstanding operates across both identity and relational contexts. In What If I’m Not a Cat?, uncertainty about self becomes a source of humor and emotional vulnerability, while in Jeffrey and Sloth, contrast between characters generates comedic tension and connection. In both texts, child readers are positioned as perceptive interpreters—often recognizing truths that characters have yet to fully understand—creating dramatic irony that is both humorous and empowering. Through this dynamic, misunderstanding becomes not only a source of pleasure, but also a pathway toward self-awareness, empathy, and relational growth. At the same time, contemporary works extend Pooh’s legacy through performativity, pacing, and embodied storytelling. Where Pooh’s world unfolds with quiet reflection, modern picture books often incorporate rhythm, repetition, and physical engagement, transforming misunderstanding into an active, shared experience between text, performer, and audience. This shift reflects broader changes in how stories are read, shared, and enacted in classrooms, homes, and community spaces. Ultimately, this presentation argues that misunderstanding in children’s literature offers both pleasures and problems: it delights through humor and imaginative play while also opening space for deeper questions of identity, belonging, and perception. Tracing a line from Pooh’s gentle confusions to the more dynamic, identity-centered misunderstandings of contemporary picture books, this session highlights how being “small and misunderstood” remains a vital and evolving narrative mode that continues to honor children’s ways of knowing while expanding the possibilities of what those ways can mean.
Authorship in Action: Learning from Pooh—Misunderstanding and Humor in Contemporary Picture Books
Misunderstanding lies at the heart of Winnie-the-Pooh’s enduring appeal. Moving through the world with gentle misinterpretations, Pooh embodies a form of childlike logic that produces both quiet humor and subtle social complication. This presentation explores misunderstanding not as a deficit, but as a productive narrative and emotional space—one that generates pleasure, invites curiosity, and fosters connection. Drawing on close readings of Winnie-the-Pooh (Milne, 1926) alongside contemporary picture book authorship practices, this session considers how the tradition of “feeling small and misunderstood” evolves in recent humorous picture books. Focusing on picture books I have authored, What If I’m Not a Cat? (Winters & Collier, 2023) and Jeffrey and Sloth (Winters & Hodson, 2007), alongside other contemporary humorous texts, this presentation examines how misunderstanding operates across both identity and relational contexts. In What If I’m Not a Cat?, uncertainty about self becomes a source of humor and emotional vulnerability, while in Jeffrey and Sloth, contrast between characters generates comedic tension and connection. In both texts, child readers are positioned as perceptive interpreters—often recognizing truths that characters have yet to fully understand—creating dramatic irony that is both humorous and empowering. Through this dynamic, misunderstanding becomes not only a source of pleasure, but also a pathway toward self-awareness, empathy, and relational growth. At the same time, contemporary works extend Pooh’s legacy through performativity, pacing, and embodied storytelling. Where Pooh’s world unfolds with quiet reflection, modern picture books often incorporate rhythm, repetition, and physical engagement, transforming misunderstanding into an active, shared experience between text, performer, and audience. This shift reflects broader changes in how stories are read, shared, and enacted in classrooms, homes, and community spaces. Ultimately, this presentation argues that misunderstanding in children’s literature offers both pleasures and problems: it delights through humor and imaginative play while also opening space for deeper questions of identity, belonging, and perception. Tracing a line from Pooh’s gentle confusions to the more dynamic, identity-centered misunderstandings of contemporary picture books, this session highlights how being “small and misunderstood” remains a vital and evolving narrative mode that continues to honor children’s ways of knowing while expanding the possibilities of what those ways can mean.