In Which Tigger Is Unbounced
- Pooh, Rabbit and Piglet are all sitting at Pooh's house.
- Rabbit is rambling on about something but Pooh couldn't tell you what, because he's busy paying attention to the wonderful sounds of the world around him.
- Milne (the writer) chimes into the actual conversation just in time for us to hear that Rabbit wants to teach Tigger a lesson for being so bouncy all the time (remember, he wasn't on the bridge at the end of the last chapter).
- Piglet is on board—he's always been nervous around Tigger.
- Pooh still isn't listening however, and he absentmindedly agrees to the lesson-teaching.
- Piglet kindly sums up the argument for Pooh so he can contribute to the lesson-planning. It boils down to this: Tigger is just too big and too bouncy.
- Pooh comes up with a poem in response, one that nicely defends Tigger, it's worth pointing out.
- It boils down to this: well, if Rabbit were bigger, Tigger's bounciness wouldn't matter.
- Basically, why should Tigger be the one to change? Why doesn't Rabbit just make himself less bounce-able?
- Rabbit comes up with a different plan. Take Tigger out in the woods.
- Leave him there.
- When they go to get him again he'll be humble, sad, small, different.
- Not even worth joking about; this is a terrible plan.
- They decide to take Tigger to the North Pole (remember the Expotition?)
- Pooh likes this part of the idea, because then Tigger will learn about one of the bear's great accomplishments.
- The next morning is cold and misty and miserable. The better for losing Tiggers, thinks Rabbit.
- They go to get Tigger at Kanga and Roo's house, and have to trick Kanga into not letting Roo come along. Losing Tiggers is no business for children, mind you, especially if those children are good Tigger friends and might ruin the plan.
- The four animals set off—three walking calmly along the path and one (guess who) running around in circles, hurrying up in front then running back, and engaging in all-around tom-foolery.
- They choose a moment, and when Tiger disappears ahead of them for the umpteenth time, Rabbit, Piglet and Pooh run and hide in the bushes away from the path.
- It's silent and foggy.
- They hear Tigger call to them, but don't answer, until they hear no more Tigger.
- So Rabbit proudly leads them along the way home.
- At least he thinks it's the way home.
- Piglet thinks it may be over that way a bit more.
- And Pooh shows that he can't tell his left from his right, literally. It's a funny bit. You should read it again.
- Rabbit keeps leading them, stopping every ten minutes to remember that they should be going a different way.
- Rabbit pretends to be confident, but Piglet starts to get nervous. He creeps up next to Pooh for security, since we all know nothing's more comforting than a big stuffed bear.
- Meanwhile, Tigger had waited for the others for just long enough before heading back home.
- Kanga greets him warmly, gives him some sweet sweet malt extract and sends him and Roo outdoors to collect fir cones.
- They play instead, and head back for dinner.
- It's then, at the end of the day, that Christopher Robin (the character) pokes his head in inquiring about Pooh. He hasn't seen him all day.
- Tigger tells CR about what happened and the two set off toward the North Pole to find the others.
- We return to Pooh and Piglet and Rabbit, who finally admit that they're lost (but don't take any responsibility, obviously).
- They've been walking in circles and keep stumbling across a sand pit, when really they're looking for home.
- So Pooh logically suggests that maybe they should start looking for the sand pit and they might stumble across home instead.
- Doesn't make much sense, but it was worth a shot. At the very least, it's a fitting mockery of Rabbit's sense of direction.
- Just to prove Pooh wrong, Rabbit wanders out into the mist on his own.
- Pooh then suggests anew plan. With Rabbit gone—more importantly, with Rabbit's incessant talking gone—Pooh can "hear" the twelve pots of honey calling to him from his cupboard, and that might lead them home.
- On they go, and sure enough Piglet soon begins to recognize where they are.
- No sooner than that do they run into CR!
- They return home, to honey and comfort, expecting that Tigger will find Rabbit on his own.
- Meanwhile, Tigger boisterously bounces throughout the forest in a way that the now sad, humble and small rabbit can hear.
- And the schemer is rescued by the schemee.