In Which Piglet Does a Very Grand Thing explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Friendship and Loyalty

  Pooh and Piglet visit all their friends on a windy day, showing care and loyalty.

• Kindness and Selflessness

  Piglet agrees to be hoisted through the letterbox to get help, a selfless act.

Characters to notice

• Winnie-the-Pooh

  Invents a plan to rescue everyone by hoisting Piglet through the letterbox.

• Piglet

  Volunteers (reluctantly) to be hoisted up to the letterbox to escape and fetch help.

• Eeyore

  Visited by Pooh and Piglet; his house is still standing, much to his disappointment.

• Rabbit

  Visited by Pooh and Piglet; dismisses their Thursday wishes as unimportant.

• Owl

  His house is blown down by the wind; he explains dorsal muscles and helps with the escape plan.

• Christopher Robin

  Visited by Pooh and Piglet; they stay until nearly teatime.

Key passages

• “What I think,' said Pooh, 'is I think we'll go to Pooh Corner and see Eeyore, because perhaps his house has been blown down, and perhaps he'd like us to build it again.'”

  Pooh suggests they visit Eeyore in case his house has been destroyed by the wind and he needs help rebuilding.

  Shows Pooh's thoughtful and helpful nature.

• “We'll go because it's Thursday,' he said, 'and we'll go to wish everybody a Very Happy Thursday.'”

  Pooh decides they will visit everyone just because it's Thursday, to wish them a happy day.

  Highlights Pooh's simple and joyful approach to friendship.

• “Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?' 'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh after careful thought.”

  Piglet worries about a tree falling on them, and Pooh calmly suggests it might not.

  Illustrates Pooh's optimistic and reassuring perspective.

• “If it was the wind,' said Owl, considering the matter, 'then it wasn't Pooh's fault. No blame can be attached to him.'”

  Owl decides that since the wind caused the damage, Pooh is not to blame.

  Shows Owl's sense of fairness, even if misguided.

• “You tied a piece of string to Piglet, and you flew up to the letterbox with the other end in your beak, and you pushed it through the wire and brought it down to the floor, and you and Pooh pulled hard at this end, and Piglet went slowly up at the other end.”

  Pooh explains his plan: tie string to Piglet, Owl flies it through the letterbox, then they pull Piglet up.

  Demonstrates Pooh's creative problem-solving.