It’s party time in Pooh Corner, California.An...

It’s party time in Pooh Corner, California.

An after-school party celebrating--one day early--the birthday of A. A. Milne will begin at 3:45 p.m. today at Monrovia Public Library on Myrtle Avenue.

Milne, of course, is creator of the potbellied bear Winnie the Pooh and his friends. The essayist, dramatist, novelist and writer for children was born Jan. 18, 1882, in London.

When he was 12, Milne’s teacher at the Westminster school said he had done “ill, showing little or no ambition.” The result, Milne wrote years later, was that he “turned (his) face to the lighter

side of life, and abandoned work,” becoming a successful writer of children’s books.

At today’s party, Pooh, Eeyore the donkey, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit and Christopher Robin will come alive in a series of stories drawn from Milne’s own life and that of his son, Christopher.

Children 5 to 11 are invited to bring their teddy bears and listen to Pooh music, play Pooh games, and eat honey cookies, children’s librarian Melinda Steep said.

Steep will read “How Eeyore Lost His Tail: How Pooh Found One.” Afterward, the children will pin the tail on a paper donkey.