Chapter 13: I Meet Winnie's Evil Twin Brother, the Wool Pooh

Frank M. Hohenberger, "'No swimming' sign fish pond," June 3, 1923.

Courtesy of Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Kenny, Byron, and Joey are going for a swim, and before they leave, Grandma Sands warns them about Collier's Landing.

That's where a whirlpool caused a neighborhood boy to drown a couple of years earlier. Kenny only half listens. After walking a little ways, Kenny, Joey, and Byron reach a sign pointing in two directions: "Public Swimming" one way, and Collier's Landing the other. Kenny tries convincing his siblings to follow the sign to Collier's Landing. Joey reminds Kenny about Grandma Sands' warning, then Byron reinforces the danger by making the "whirlpool" Grandma Sands mentioned a kind of monster (Winnie-the-Pooh's evil twin brother, "the Wool Pooh"). Kenny doesn't buy Byron's story and ends up going to Collier's Landing alone.

When Kenny reaches the lake, he is amazed by the sight of the cool, blue water. He ignores the second, newer warning sign at the water's edge and wades in. He nervously looks for evidence of a Wool Pooh but he sees none. All of a sudden, the rocks underneath him slide away.

Kenny's head is pulled under the water, and he makes a frightening discovery—the Wool Pooh is real! It is big, gray, and faceless, with square fingers and toes. It grabs Kenny and pulls him deeper into the water. Kenny tries to fight but knows he will not last much longer. He sees an angel in a pretty blue dress who looks just like Joey and who tells him to swim up one more time. Kenny surfaces and screams for help but is dragged back under by the Wool Pooh. Then, he sees Byron in the water next to him, struggling against the current. Byron fights the Wool Pooh off and drags Kenny to the shore.

Kenny vomits repeatedly and Byron shakes him out by his legs, until Kenny finally manages to speak and orders him to stop. Byron hugs Kenny tightly, shaking and sobbing as he kisses his head over and over.

Young People's Science Encyclopedia

D. A. B., Young People's Science Encyclopedia, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Children's Press, Inc., 1962), 1867.

Fact Check: Could a whirlpool really cause Kenny to drown?

What do we know?

Yes. Whirlpools can be deadly. They are formed by opposing currents in bodies of water. You can witness a small whirlpool when you drain a bathtub or sink. In large bodies of water like the fictional Collier's Landing, a downward pull from strong currents and unpredictable waves might prevent even a good swimmer from being able to rise to the surface, even in the absence of a whirlpool.

What is the evidence?

Primary source: D. A. B., "Whirlpool," in Young People's Science Encyclopedia, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Children’s Press, Inc., 1962), 1867.

"Whirlpool," in Young People's Science Encyclopedia.

D. A. B., Young People’s Science Encyclopedia, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Children’s Press, Inc., 1962), 1867.

Voices from the Field

"Magical Realism" by Wanda M. Brooks, a professor in the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University.

Photos & Multimedia

"Chapter 3 In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting and Nearly Catch a Woozle"

Ernest Howard Shepard, illustration, in Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne (New York, 1926; Project Gutenberg, January 3, 2022), 37, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098.

Writing Prompts

Opinion

Kenny found himself in a dangerous situation because he decided to ignore warnings about the whirlpool. Write your opinion about the following statement— “There’s one good thing about getting in trouble: It seems like you do it in steps.” Do you think this is true? Write an opinion piece supporting your point of view of this statement with reasons and information. Provide a concluding statement related to your opinion.

Informative/explanatory

Kenny could not see the “Wool Pooh” from the shore. Dangers in bodies of water are often invisible to the observer. Research either “whirlpool” or “ocean rip currents” and then define and discuss the characteristics and specific dangers related to your topic. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform the topic.

Narrative

The Fish That Got Away! Kenny tried to catch fish with his hands. Write a humorous story with this title. Use dialogue and vivid descriptions to show the responses of the characters to the situations and event sequences. Provide a surprising ending that follows from the narrated events.

Note: Wording in italics is from the Common Core Writing Standards, Grade 5. Sometimes paraphrased.