Finding Winnie facts for kids
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| Author | Lindsay Mattick |
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| Illustrator | Sophie Blackall |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers |
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Publication date
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October 2015 |
| Pages | 56 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0316324908 |
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear is a children's book published in 2015. It was written by Canadian author Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. This non-fiction book tells a true story. It's presented as a story Lindsay Mattick is telling to her son.
The book shares the amazing journey of Mattick's great-grandfather, Harry Colebourn. He was a soldier in World War I. On his way to war, he bought a bear cub. This bear later became the real-life inspiration for the famous character, Winnie-the-Pooh. Both the author and illustrator did a lot of research for the book. Finding Winnie received great reviews for its writing and pictures. It even won the important 2016 Caldecott Medal award.
The Story Behind the Book
The illustrator, Sophie Blackall, wasn't planning to take on new projects. However, she loved the idea of illustrating Finding Winnie. She felt a connection to the bear's story. Sophie Blackall moved to New York, much like Winnie the bear moved from Canada to Europe. She also loved Winnie-the-Pooh books. The first book she ever bought with her own money was a Winnie-the-Pooh story.
Author Lindsay Mattick grew up hearing stories about her great-grandfather. As an adult, she learned even more about him. She read his diaries from World War I. She realized he never knew his role in inspiring the famous bear. Mattick said, "The joy and love Harry found in adopting Winnie is in stark contrast to the realities of WWI." She wrote the book to explain her son Cole's name to him. The book's movie rights were bought even before it was published. Finding Winnie came out in October 2015. A longer, 144-page version, called Winnie's Great War, was released later. An audiobook version, read by Erin Moon, came out in April 2016.
Discovering Winnie's True Story
The book is told from the perspective of a mother. She is the author, Lindsay Mattick. She is telling her son a story about her great-grandfather. In 1914, Harry Colebourn was a veterinarian. He was also Mattick's great-grandfather. He was traveling by train across Canada. He was on his way to serve in World War I.
At a railway station in Winnipeg, he saw an orphaned female bear cub for sale. He bought her for $20. That's about $472 in today's money. He named the bear "Winnie" after his hometown of Winnipeg. At first, some soldiers were unsure about the bear. But Winnie soon became the mascot for Colebourn's army group. She even traveled with the soldiers to their training in England.
When the soldiers had to move to the war front in France, Colebourn found a safe home for Winnie. He took her to the London Zoo. There, Winnie became friends with a young boy named Christopher Robin. This friendship inspired Christopher Robin's father, A. A. Milne, to write the beloved stories of Winnie-the-Pooh. After the war ended, Colebourn returned home to Canada. He started his own family. At the end of the book, you can see real photos and documents. These show the true history behind the story.
Creating the Book's Look
Sophie Blackall used Chinese ink and watercolors to create the book's pictures. Her simple, warm illustrations fit perfectly with the story. The story itself feels a bit like a fable. Sophie Blackall spent a whole year drawing the pictures for the book. She did a lot of research to make sure every detail was correct. For example, she spent a week just drawing the map of the zoo. Blackall used a box of family memories from Lindsay Mattick. These items helped her capture the right feeling for the book.
Lindsay Mattick's "playful" writing style works well with Blackall's pictures. The way the story is told, as a mother telling her son, makes the book's theme of family even stronger. This style also reminds readers of A. A. Milne's original Winnie-the-Pooh books. In those stories, Christopher Robin is a key character. Mattick was very careful not to make up any conversations or change the true history. She based everything on her great-grandfather's diaries.
