MANSFIELD — Chris Hershberger described his latest book as “Cobra Kai meets Winnie-the-Pooh.”
The president and CEO of Black Belt Pro Fitness, Hershberger is passionate about martial arts training. So when A.A. Milne’s classic stuffed bear entered the public domain last year, Hershberger saw it as a chance to get young children interested in the sport.
“I had just written Jr. Black Belts. That was my first children’s book,” he said. “I thought, ‘What better way to connect with kids, as far as getting them interested in martial arts, than using a beloved character like Winnie-the-Pooh?'”
Hershberger described “Winnie and Friends: Black Belt Bound” as an exciting adventure story designed for readers ages 5 to 11. The book follows Winnie and the other residents of the Hundred Acre Wood as they embark on a journey to become martial arts masters.
After experiencing something mysterious pushing him into a stream, Winnie becomes determined to protect himself from future challenges and bullies. Owl reveals he’s a master black belt and begins training the gang.
Some friends are more enthusiastic than others.
“I was trying to keep the characters’ general personality traits from the original series,” he said. “I didn’t want to turn Eeyore into a master ninja or something because it doesn’t go with the character.”
The book was illustrated by Eric Spayde, who partnered with Hershberger on his first children’s book.
Hershberger, who went through about 20 versions of the book, praised Spayde’s skill and flexibility.
“He’s so talented,” he said. “I can give him like four sentences and he puts it into an illustration for me.”
Spayde is a 2021 Mansfield Senior High graduate attending Tarrant County College in Texas. He’s working towards an associate degree in visual arts and hopes to eventually earn a bachelor of fine arts.
“The design stage for Winnie and Friends was probably the longest part of making this book,” Spayde said.
He turned to the original illustrations for inspiration, but tried to add a modern spin to the final product.
“I used the original book illustrations as the basis for the scenery and designs while trying to bring more life and personality into the characters themselves,” he said. “Since they are well-known characters, there was a long learning curve with this book as I wanted to represent them in the best way I could.”
Hershberger hopes young readers will learn life lessons along with the characters. While Eeyore discovers the importance of never giving up and trying your best, Rabbit gets carried away and learns the value of self-control.
Spayde said the book’s main messages are the importance of hard work and keeping the ultimate goal in mind.
“I think we can easily get lost in just doing the minimum,” he said. “Learning to follow through is a lesson not always taught these days, so I hope this fun little book can help teach at least one person the importance of that.”
The book also contains anti-bullying themes, something Hershberger tries to instill in his own martial arts training.
“Martial arts is a tool for kids to learn self-control, but also to protect themselves. And it’s not always physical,” he said. “When you learn self-control, you learn to try your best not to allow people to control your emotions. Because if they’re controlling your emotions, then they’re getting reactions out of you that they want so they can further escalate a situation.
“In the martial arts, you learn how to control your own emotions, and you learn how to physically protect yourself when necessary, as a last-case scenario.”
One notable character missing from the story is Tigger. Winnie-the-Pooh was published in 1926 and entered the public domain on Jan. 1, 2022.
Tigger was not in the first A.A. Milne book. He was introduced two years later in “The House on Pooh Corner,” so he won’t enter the public domain until 2024.
Hershberger plans to feature him in later books. He said “Winnie and Friends” will likely become a 10-book series. The second book is slated for release in June.
“I have some ideas that haven’t really fleshed out completely, but in ’24, when (Tigger) is able to be introduced, I have a couple of different storylines,” he said.
While A.A. Milne’s original story is in the public domain, Disney’s adaptation of the character is still protected.
That’s why Hershberger’s lead bear also won’t be wearing the familiar red t-shirt or going by “Winnie the Pooh.”
“You can’t just have Winnie-the-Pooh without the hyphens. That’s the only way you can write it because Disney has a lock on ‘Winnie the Pooh’ the phrase,” Hershberger said.
“I did a lot of research. It probably took me about three months of just making sure I wasn’t going to get a cease-and-desist from Disney.”
“Winnie and Friends: Black Belt Bound” is available for sale on Black Belt Pro Fitness‘ website and Amazon. Local pickup is available through the Black Belt’s website.
