Lindsay Mattick

Lindsay Mattick tells her young son Cole a family story about his great-great-grandfather. Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian serving in the Canadian Army, left his home in Winnipeg for training and eventual deployment to Europe to fight in the First World War. On the train east from Manitoba, there was a stop at White River, Ontario. On the platform Harry encountered a trapper with a black bear cub on a leash. Harry bought the cub and returned to his troop train. He named the bear Winnipeg to show more remind him of home. The tame bear was soon adopted as the mascot of Harry’s regiment and traveled overseas with them to England where she stayed with them until they departed for the trenches in France.

Knowing that the battlefield was no place for a small bear, Harry donated her to the London Zoo where she would be safe and receive proper care. Because she was a tame bear, visitors could visit with her inside her enclosure. When playwright A.A. Milne visited the zoo with his young son Christopher Robin, Winnie's enclosure was a favorite stop. “Christopher Robin would visit Winnie at the zoo, and then he would take his stuffed animals on all sorts of adventures in the wood behind his home.” He even named his own stuffed bear after her calling it Winnie-the-Pooh.

Mattick’s memoir of telling the story to her son is filled with caring and love between generations and species, and brilliantly illustrated by Blackwell whose illustrations “done in Chinese ink and watercolor on hot-press paper,” well deserve its 2016 Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. show less

A young mother, appealed to for a bedtime story, tells the tale of Harry Coleburn, a Canadian veterinarian who adopts an orphaned young bear cub on his way to serve in World War I. Named Winnie, in honor of Coleburn's hometown of Winnipeg, the cub soon becomes a beloved mascot for the entire regiment, settling admirably into military life, and lifting the spirits of all the men. Traveling with them across the sea to England, Winnie continues to grow. When Harry Coleburn discovers that he is show more soon to be sent to the front, he finds a home for Winnie at the London Zoo, where she will be safe. It is here that she is befriended by a young boy named Christopher Robin, who named his own stuffed bear Winnie-the-Pooh in her honor...

Awarded the Caldecott Medal last month, Finding Winnie is a lovely book, one that features both beautiful artwork and an engaging tale. Sophie Blackall captures her ursine heroine's appeal, depicting her charming expressions in many scenes. Her contentment, when sucking at a bottle, her affection, when looking at Coleburn, are all ably conveyed. My favorite scene, visually speaking, was the one in which Winnie and Coleburn rub foreheads in a poignant and loving moment, shortly before they are parted. A beautiful book, visually speaking, this is a book that is just as engaging textually. I liked the dual-narrative, in which the mother - author Lindsay Mattick, herself Harry Coleburn's great-granddaughter - tells the story to her young son, and thought his occasional interjections moved the story along, rather than interrupted it. I also found the text beautiful in its own right. Highly recommended to anyone looking for engaging tales of people and their animal friends, who are interested in the origins of Winnie-the-Pooh, or who admire Sophie Blackall's artwork. show less

This is a really neat picture book -- I love the pacing, the illustrations, the story. It's broken nicely into 3 parts, so you can enjoy them one at a time or all at once. It's a sweet story, and a crazy one, and satisfying that it connects to the origins of Winnie the Pooh on top of being a great story in its own right. I never imagined that someone could buy a bear and bring it to the front in WWI, or that child could make friends with a bear at the zoo and be allowed into the enclosure to show more play with it. A different time. show less

Isn't it sad when a book comes out and people just seem to be completely unaware of 1. its existence and 2. its level of amazingness? Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick is one of those hidden gems. I've mentioned before that if a book doesn't circulate it's offered to another branch in the hope that it might do better in a different location. That's how this book landed in my hands (it was also on my TRL). As the title suggests, this is the show more story of the bear named Winnie that spawned the Winnie-the-Pooh series by A.A. Milne. It's the heartwarming tale of a man who befriended a baby bear and their journeys together during the tumultous times of WWI. It's also the story about how this same bear met a little boy who would eventually spur entire generations to hug their teddy bears just a little bit tighter. Additionally, the back of the book contains a really lovely surprise that I don't want to spoil for ya'll. :-) I think this would make a wonderful bedtime read-aloud. You could also encourage your child to read this book aloud to their teddy bear. (Then take lots of photos of it.) Believe it or not, this exercise will help to strengthen your child's confidence in reading aloud to others (or to themselves). As for me, I can't wait for the opportunity to read this one in a storytime. XD 9/10 show less