Rabbit once again took charge when Kanga and Baby Roo arrived in the 100 Acre Wood. She was not happy about this "intruder" in the forest.
"Here--we--are," said Rabbit very slowly and carefully, all--of--us, and then, suddenly, we wake up one morning, and what do we find? We find a Strange Animal among us. An animal of whom we had never even heard before! An animal who carries her family about with her in her pocket! Suppose I carried my family about with me in my pocket, how many pockets should I want?"
"Sixteen," said Piglet.
"Seventeen, isn't it?" said Rabbit. "And one more for a handkerchief--that's eighteen. Eighteen pockets in one suit! I haven't time."
There was a long and thoughtful silence? . . and then Pooh, who had been frowning very hard for some minutes, said: "I make it fifteen."
"What?" said Rabbit.
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen what?"
"Your family."
"What about them?"
Pooh rubbed his nose and said that he thought Rabbit had been talking about his family."
While opinions differed amongst the forest animals, I think we should go with Rabbit's own opinion of 17 in her family.
Rabbit's solution for ridding the forest of Kanga and Baby Roo is delightful reading.