Children's Literature (ages 5-10); Fantasy; Comedy; Coming of Age; Postmodernism
We'll call this one "Children's Literature." It's tricky thing to define, but most commonly it's apparent from its intended audience. You guessed it—kids. We estimate that Milne is writing for 5 to7-year-olds. But children as old as 10 could love these characters just the same, especially once they start to get good at reading for themselves. Plus, the layers of narrative and the philosophical themes throughout have made this a favorite among adults, too.
Children's literature tends to have elements of other more specific genres, most commonly fantasy. Talking animals? Check. Exaggerated natural elements? Check. But the works of Winnie-the-Pooh also have strong ties to comedy (Slapstick? Dry wit? Wordplay? Check, check and check). Not to mention coming of age (check out "What's Up With the Ending?" for more). And all those narrative layers we mentioned? You guessed it: postmodernism. Which isn't so uncommon in children's literature these days. Yes, even mud-stained, paste-eating, tantrum-throwing kids can get all meta on you. It's like an entire generation of hipster graduate students. But in a good way.