Pooh, the beloved protagonist of A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, also serves as the main character in Benjamin Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh.Pooh is the exemplar of the Taoist principles explained in the work. Pooh’s simple and intuitive approach to uncertainty and even crisis is examined in light of Taoist thought.

Valued by friends for his calm and happy demeanor, Pooh repeatedly demonstrates that solutions are often at hand and apparent to those who avoid overthinking. Pooh may not be the brightest or the fastest in the group, but his methods bring superior results.

Rabbit is described as clever, and he is likely more intelligent than Pooh.As Pooh explains to Piglet, however, this cleverness keeps Rabbit from understanding things. Rabbit must consider all the angles, which makes him slow to act. Despite—or perhaps because of—his thorough consideration,he is unable to recognize simple and efficient solutions.

Like Rabbit, Owl’s brain often hampers his efforts. Owl is educated, scholarly, and somewhat arrogant, yet the complexity he attempts to impose on situations often obscures the obvious.