Benjamin Hoff's foreward, biography and afterward paint a picture of an incredibly gifted little girl, but even his glowing bio does not prepare you for the depth and beauty of Opal's writing. Her view of the world, the wonderful names she gives the trees and creatures around her, her "angel mother" and "angel father", and her general view of life are the most awe inspiring I have ever read. If you are a nature lover, this is a must read.

This is a beautifully illustrated, easy to read translation of the ancient Tao te Ching. I have never before read such a pure interpretation of ancient Chinese wisdom. Just reading it filled me with peace and understanding of human life in the great mysterious web of life. Such wisdom should not be missed! Please reprint this insightful, timeless masterpiece!

I was alternately enthralled and appalled by Opal Whiteley's life story. Her "explores" into the beauty and hardships of nature, as she so intelligently and sensitively recorded them at age 6, helped reconnect me to the magic of childhood. But nearly every diary entry also revealed the cruelty and coarseness forced upon this gifted child by her immediate family. My heart broke, time and again, over the complete lack of understanding she received--throughout the years. Hers was a life of promise laid waste by the dull and perhaps malicious minds that surrounded her at nearly every stage.

I hope that Hoff's second-hand information was accurate, and that before she died, Opal indeed knew about his book and was pleased

If you love nature and children, you will love this book. Opal's connection with nature is absolutely amazing and the events of her life, riveting. As a naturalist, I found Opal's diary to be inspiring and enchanting. Although mentally ill, Opal was gifted as a naturalist and an interpreter of nature. I highly recommend this book.

We all owe Benjamin Hoff a debt of gratitude for discovering this book. If he didn't work so hard to recapture these words in print a very unique voice would have been lost to us... Also this book acts as a beautiful addition to his books on Taoism... For, in a way, here is Taoism in action. For we see the beauty of nature and the world through the eyes of this child. And isn't that something all Taoists strive for?

I highly recommend this book. I hope you purchase it and keep the memory and the stories of Opal alive.

After reading this 158 page book filled with old friends of my childhood; Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Pooh and other western world friends, six times for my school required reading, I regret to inform that this story does not uphold the Taosim aspect of this book. I believe it was a good idea for Benjamin Hoff to write a novella based on A.A. Milne's childhood stories of Winnie the Pooh, but I was let down on how he explained Taoism. In his attempt to explain this teaching of China, he managed to insult many other lifestyles and ways of living. In this book I learned that people should basically meditate all day long and not live in houses, not use cars, and not partake in activities that many people of the world are involved in such as jogging or eating at a fast food place once in a while. I was also enlightened by the fact that basically things happen to Pooh for no reason whatsoever, and also that everything proved by modern science is false and can basically be interpreted as "We don't know". There were some rich teachings of Taosim in the Tao of Pooh, such as the painting of the Vinegar Testers and how that related to Bhuddism, Taoism, and Confucianism, but overall I think Benjamin Hoff should have left the book to that instead of showing how the other practices in life are inferior the Taosim. In my opinion, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Pooh, Christopher Robin, Kanga, Roo and Tigger are representatives of the various people in the world and their different backgrounds and personalities, and we should all repect and learn from each other inspite of our various walks of life, instead of believing that one school of thought, Taoism, is more superior than other beliefs, which is the feeling Benjamin Hoff imposed on me when I read the Tao of Pooh. I think I'll stick to my wise and knowledgeable Uncle Alan for information on Taosim.

Let's face it - Taoism is difficult for Western minds to understand. For me, it exemplifies the difference between simple and easy. Taoism is so basic and simple in its concepts, that it can be nearly impossible for a busy Western brain to accept. Well, whether you are looking for an introduction to Taoism or well along your own path, this book is an indispensable addition to your library.

The idea here is simple - Benjamin Hoff uses these perfect Pooh stories to explain the fundamental concepts of Taoist belief. Whether he is pointing out our contradictory beliefs or educating us on finding our paths, he does so with humor and compassion, always smart and simple. One of my favorite examples of our silly Western contradictions is where he talks about time-saving devices. In Western culture, we are constantly surrounded with time-saving devices, from alarm clocks to microwaves to computers to cell phones... yet we rarely have enough time. Then what happens when you go to a place where there are no time-saving devices? All of a sudden you have all the time in the world!

Have you read from the Tao Te Ching? I have spent hours contemplating one tiny passage before it even started to sink into my thick skull. What a difference it is to have Pooh and his crew as your guides! Hoff brings new meaning and understanding to these texts, creating a strong foundation for you to continue along your way. I have recommended this book to friends in all walks of life and with varying degrees of education and I always have received a more than enthusiastic reaction.

For me, the Toa of Pooh is as much a place as it is a book. I can read a chapter and suddenly find myself in a more relaxed space, maybe a little higher up where I can get a little more of the big picture. I hope it can do the same for you.

I was recently introduced to taoism through the music of John Cage. The book is written as if for a child, but the terminology and philosophy put forth is far to introspective and mature for young children to handle. It is a gentle lesson on life and priority management. The author explains taoist beliefs though a conversation with Pooh and Piglet and the rest of them, as well as through short stories about their adventures. The book comes across astonishingly light for such seemingly serious subject matter. Large text and simple illustrations only add to the book's levity, but at the end, you're left feeling peaceful and refreshed. "The Tao of Pooh" is ripe for repeat readings, whenever you feel like you need to relax. While Eeeore frets...and Piglet hesitates...and Rabbit calculates...and owl pontificates...

Pooh just is.

"The Tao of Pooh" has been called "the book most often recommended to explain Taoist principles." Hoff's fame offered a bully pulpit, and after a decade he made use of it. He wrote a companion book, "The Te of Piglet," about the way of the small, weak, childlike, feminine, sensitive, virtuous, modest, yielding, and fluid. At least, I think that's what it's about. There's little in here about either Piglet or Te (pronounced DEHr or DUHr). Instead, it's a diatribe against heavy industry, business, government (especially the Forest Service), pesticides, doctors, the military, feminists, conservatives, realists, Western culture, mainstream Americans, critics, and all the other "Eeyores" of the world. Yes, Hoff criticises critics (and shows himself to be an Eeyore). Very disappointing.

The dialog with Piglet and the others is there, though with a depressing and negative spin. (Inexplicably, Piglet has hired a thief as a bodyguard. And Eeyore isn't just gloomy, he's a mean SOB.) The original Pooh stories are there, though crudely intercut in very large chunks. The original Pooh illustrations are there. The funky capitalization is there. Quotations from Taoist philosophers are there in abundance. In fact, it's a rather long book -- almost twice as long as the first one. There are long explanatory sections about the history of Taoism and Confucianism, and smatterings of Taoist principles. The book just doesn't lift one's spirits. Instead of selling Taoism, it's an environmentalist rant. Hoff even claims that our generation will see the collapse of business/civilization as we know it, to be replaced by a new age of environmental consciousness.

Not that there aren't useful insights here, of course. One of my favorites: "A successful individual appears to succeed because he is Aggressive -- he chases after things and gets them. Chances are his positive attitude attracts those things to him and creates opportunities for success to happen. But chances are onlookers see Aggression succeeding, rather than Attitude. So that's what they imitate. And, since aggression attracts more aggression, the want-to-be-successful turn business into Busyness, creating an atmosphere of increasing combativeness and negativity in which relatively few are likely to be successful -- and even fewer are likely to be happy." Hoff recommends instead that we follow the way of Gandhi, "the greatest Piglet of all time."

Taoists have historically been critics of hierarchical, rule-based Confucian governments and practices, and they have always supported the underdog. But Taoists have also been scientists, artists, philosophers, healers, and intellectuals of all sorts. I'd rather read about their positive beliefs than about the negatives of everyone else. And I'd like to see it done with more humor. To quote Hoff, "Eeyores, in other words, are Whiners. They believe the negative but not the positive and are so obsessed with What's Wrong that the Good Things in Life pass them by unnoticed. Are they the ones, then, to give us an accurate account of what life is about? If the universe were governed by the Eeyore Attitude, the whole thing would have collapsed eons ago."

You wouldn't think the same author wrote these two books.

... approach it carefully.

One reviewer gave an excellent reason to enjoy this book: he was feeling very down and small and put upon, and Hoff's rants helped to give him an ally and make him feel not quite so insignificant. If you would like to own this companion to "The Tao of Pooh," I suggest that you purchase it when you're in such a mood, or better yet, check it out from the library.

As other reviewers of written, there's much more ranting than philosophy in this book. In "Tao of Pooh," I felt like I was being taught Taoist philosophy from a new perspective. That's what I naturally thought that I was getting into with the "Te of Piglet." Nope. Hoff flirts with the idea briefly, but instead uses Piglet as a soap box to attack the Eyores of the world. Interestingly enough, he eventually seems to realize what he's doing, and so does Piglet (who he spends more time having fictional conversations with than he does quoting the dear character). And Piglet eventually takes him to task for it.

I think that Hoff was desperate. Could he simply not find enough examples in the Pooh stories of Piglet's smallness being used for the betterment of the Wood? I discussed this book with some frieds, and mentioned how the author seemed to be really reaching in his villification of Eyore: in his fictional conversations, he has Eyore coming in to pester and depress everyone. What my friends reminded me of is that, in the original Pooh stories, the characters GO TO EYORE the majority of the time when there's need for tension between the characters, for a less than optomistic view of the world, and even for someone to rescue. Eyore is needed and loved *because* he is gloomy, not in spite of it.

And at the end, Piglet - small little Piglet who Hoff has misused in an effort to have his hissy fit (and, I presume, make his next car payment) - comes to Eyore's defense. And, for once, however briefly, Hoff is blessedly speechless.

The Te of Piglet,
Taoism as Described Through the Famous Lovable Character of Piglet

The Te of Piglet, written by Benjamin Hoff, is not your ordinary run of the mill novel. While most novels have a plot and a conflict, The Te of Piglet is educational in nature. The Te of Piglet continues to teach Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy, much like the book's predecessors, The Tao of Pooh.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a person who gets bored while reading straight information; I need the knowledge to be presented in an interesting and fascinating way. That is why I love The Te of Piglet. I can't think of a better way to talk about philosophy than through familiar lovable characters that we know from our childhood. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Hoff combined interaction with the characters, ancient stories, other philosophers and his own ideas. This allowed for the teachings of the beliefs of Taoism in a way that is easy to understand and interesting to read. I would highly suggest this book to anyone who either enjoys different, ancient philosophy or simply is a fan of Winnie the Pooh. This was a great read!

"The House On The Point" is a modern rewrite of the classic Hardy Boys adventure, "The House On The Cliff".
Reading it brings to mind the old axiom: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The original "The House On The Cliff" is one of the best of the Hardy Boys canon and can scarcely be improved on, yet the author tries - vainly.
For no reason at all, he changes the name of some of the major recurring characters in the series and has the Hardy Boys and their friends jive-talking in 40's slang.
The original outline for "The House On The Cliff" is available to any researcher at the NY Public Library. The author should have consulted that instead of attempting to "modernize" this classic story with his rather bizarre ideas.
Your best bet is to stick with the [original version of] "The House On The Cliff".

I have no idea what the author was trying to do here--other than jump on the HB nostalgia bandwagon that began rolling several decades ago when Leslie MacFarlaine wrote his fine book about being the ghostwriter for the HB series ("Ghost of the Hardy Boys"). But I could not get through the first ten pages of "House on the Point." Big deal. The Hardys get a little older. They now dig cars and hot music. Who cares. The original texts are what they are. Take 'em or leave 'em. They do NOT need to be improved, enlightened, brought "up to date" (their old-fashioned charm was what I liked most about them), deconstructed or corrected. Save your money and get one of the Applewood reissues of the original HB texts.

Hoff set out to rewrite a classic Hardy Boys tale (#2 in the series), fleshing out the plot and making the characters more real. He scaled down the plot of the original House on the Cliff to the bare bones and built up from there. He succeeded.

These are the Hardys as you've never seen them - real. These Hardys are not perfect (even Frank!). Joe jokes and teases more, Chet is known by the Bayport police as a prankster, Tony Prito has a NY accent and works in his father's produce business and Callie Shaw and Iola Morton actually help solve the case!

The biggest difference in this version of House on the Cliff is that the Hardys use step-by-step logic and 1940s methods to figure things out and solve problems along the way, just as their father would have taught them. When they dust for prints and pick locks, the reader is right there with them. No sleight of hand glossing over these things, the Hardys' methods are spelled out for the reader.

Callie & Iola are real girls. Iola makes Joe very nervous until she cries, thus making her human in his eyes. She's a smart-aleck. The boys talk over their plans with each other and the girls. The girls volunteer to talk to the house's owner under the guise of working on a project for school. While they're in the house, they figure out where the secret passageways are (because the windows aren't placed correctly inside the house), sketch various things (including a tire track that amazes Frank later in the story) and find an important clue that wasn't in the original book.

The story is infused with 1940s slang and music. The boys like cars and talk about them - Chet's coupe scrapes bottom going over the rutted roads, because he fixed it up as a low rider (lead sled) "to impress girls". Chet and Tony even talk about asking girls out on dates. The biggest change comes at the end of the book, but I won't ruin it for you. :-)

The book includes the re-written version of The House on the Cliff (renamed The House on the Point), an epilogue describing all the changes the author made to the original story, and an essay on the differences in American culture since 1947, the year in which the book was set.

Great attention to detail. Highly recommended!