Nowadays, there is a feeling of wistfulness that often comes with rereading classic children’s books from the mid-nineteenth century until the first few decades of the twentieth. Children’s books published during this period are referred to as the “golden age” literature, a term coined by Roger Lancelyn Green in 1962 that refers to British children’s books that were published at this time (Hemmings 54). These books from the golden age are consumed with nostalgia since they symbolize a retrospective longing for a past not as it was, but as it might only have been. The idea of nostalgia was especially important to Milne in a post-war world. With the British empire laid bare following the First World War, it is speculated that Milne wrote his children’s books to examine and reconstruct the safe childhood space that was lost in the war.

Children’s literature expanded in the 19th century due to the genres’ imaginative ability to reflect childhood experiences and help engage children with leisure reading. Before the 19th century, works for children were linked to religion and learning literacy, as practicing the alphabet was believed to be an act of devotion. The market for children’s books then expanded and diversified by World War I, since children’s literature could be categorized into either fiction and non-fiction genres, much like adult books. Publishers took advantage of the new materials and technological advancements of book production that were available during the 19th and 20th centuries to reproduce illustrations or images and manufacture edition bindings. This allowed children’s books to be widely circulated and provide educational opportunities that went beyond the promotion of values of the established religion, ruling class, or dominant ethnic group. The increase in commercialization led to the institutionalization of books like Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories, as these stories instilled good reading habits among children and became a symbol of literacy.