Finding Winnie
Finding Winnie
By Lindsay Mattick
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Genre: Juvenile Non-Fiction
Curriculum Subject: Social Studies: Biographies, Folk Tales/Fairy Tales/Classics: Animals, Adventure: Animals
Grades: Pre-K-1st
Listen to Author & Illustrator Interview | Educator Guide
Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie.
In 1914, Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian on his way to tend horses in World War I, followed his heart and rescued a baby bear. He named her Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, and he took the bear to war.
Harry Colebourn’s real-life great-granddaughter tells the true story of a remarkable friendship and an even more remarkable journey–from the fields of Canada to a convoy across the ocean to an army base in England…
And finally to the London Zoo, where Winnie made another new friend: a real boy named Christopher Robin.
Here is the remarkable true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
PRAISE & ACCOLADES
Winner of the 2016 Randolph Caldecott Medal
★ “Little ones who love Milne’s classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear’s real-life origins.” — Booklist
★ “The sum total is as captivating as it is informative, transforming a personal family story into something universally resonant.” — The Horn Book
★ “The book strikes a lovely, understated tone of wonder and family pride…[Sophie Blackall] proves that she’s equally imaginative at chronicling straight-on reality too.” — Publishers Weekly
★ “A perfect melding of beautiful art with soulful, imaginative writing, this lovely story, penned by Colebourn’s great-great granddaughter, is ideal for sharing aloud or poring over individually.” — School Library Journal
“Written by one of the descendants of the veterinarian that started it all. Add in the luminous artwork of Sophie Blackall and you’ve got yourself a historical winner on your hands.” – A Fuse #8 Production