The story of honey-loving Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends will have been a staple of many a child's bookshelf for decades.But, 80 years after the book was first published, there's a new girl in town (or should we say, in the woods) as Lottie the Otter makes her first appearance.
In Return To The Hundred Acre Wood, the first authorised adventure since 1928, "feisty" Lottie is only the second female character to grace the pages of the well-loved stories.
A spokesman for Egmont Publishing said of the new addition: "Lottie has her own very definite ideas about how things should be done.
"She believes that one must always follow the correct etiquette. It not, she's sure to let you know about it."
With the kind and motherly Kanga the only other female to make an appearance in the adventures, Lottie brings with her a more modern female attitude to the children's tale.
Of course, bouncy Tigger, sad Eeyore, Piglet and Christopher Robin will all be toddling along for the ten short stories due to be released on Monday.
David Benedictus, who was given the unenviable task of creating the new book, told the Daily Mail: "It's an honour to have created this new adventure for Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, and it seemed only right that they have a new friend to enjoy such an adventure with."Lottie the Otter truly embodies Winnie-the-Pooh's values of friendship and adventure seen throughout Milne's work, thus making the perfect companion for everyone's favourite bear."
With adult fans of everyone's favourite bear expected to flock to book stores for a copy, let's hope a whole new generation manage to get a look-in too.
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