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Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner)
(OverDrive Read)

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Average Rating
Published:
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 2015
Format:
OverDrive Read
Status:
Checked Out
Description
A #1 New York Times Bestseller and Winner of the Caldecott Medal about the remarkable true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
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.
Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie. And she was a girl!
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Street Date:
10/20/2015
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780316388023
Accelerated Reader:
LG
Level 3.4, 0.5 Points
Lexile code:
AD: Adult Directed
Lexile measure:
590
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Lindsay Mattick. (2015). Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Lindsay Mattick. 2015. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Lindsay Mattick, Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2015.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Lindsay Mattick. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2015.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Grouped Work ID:
25670e06-ccf0-cf68-4f5d-2fe1285d0b36
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Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jan 20, 2016 03:23:35
Date Updated:
Mar 28, 2023 05:26:48
Last Metadata Check:
Mar 24, 2024 07:46:10
Last Metadata Change:
Oct 26, 2023 13:16:21
Last Availability Check:
Mar 24, 2024 07:46:18
Last Availability Change:
Mar 21, 2024 05:21:08
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Mar 27, 2024 21:06:23

OverDrive Product Record

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Finding Winnie
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      • fileAs: Mattick, Lindsay
      • bioText: Lindsay Mattick, Harry Colebourn's great-granddaughter, is the vice-president of an award-winning public relations firm. Based in Toronto, she has shared Harry and Winnie's story around the world.
        Sophie Blackall is the illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including Finding Winnie and Hello Lighthouse as well as a number of beloved novels, including the series Ivy and Bean and The Witches of Benevento. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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title
Finding Winnie
fullDescription
A #1 New York Times Bestseller and Winner of the Caldecott Medal about the remarkable true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
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.
Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie. And she was a girl!
gradeLevels
      • value: Grade 2
      • value: Grade 3
reviews
      • premium: False
      • source: A New York Times Notable Children's Book of the Year
      • content: A New York Times Notable Children's Book of the Year
      • premium: False
      • source: Horn Book, starred review
      • content: The sum total is as captivating as it is informative, transforming a personal family story into something universally resonant.
      • premium: False
      • source: Booklist, starred review
      • content: Little ones who love Milne's classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear's real-life origins.
      • premium: False
      • source: School Library Journal, starred review
      • content: 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.
      • premium: False
      • source: Publishers Weekly, starred review
      • content: 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.
      • premium: False
      • source: New York Times Book Review
      • content: Gorgeously illustrated...[a] delightful telling
      • premium: False
      • source: School Library Connection
      • content: [An] inspiring text...Blackall's breathtaking watercolor illustrations demand to be examined up close, and Winnie's face is as expressive as the humans'.
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        Starred review from July 20, 2015
        Mattick is the great-granddaughter of Capt. Harry Colebourn, the Canadian veterinarian who set all things Winnie-the-Pooh in motion: while en route to join his unit during WWI, Harry rescued an orphaned bear cub from a trapper (it cost him $20) and named her Winnipeg (Winnie for short), after his hometown. She accompanied Harry to England and became the mascot of the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade. Knowing Winnie couldn’t follow him to France, Harry arranged for a new home for her at London Zoo, where a boy named Christopher Robin discovered her, and the rest is literary history. Framed as a bedtime story that Mattick tells her toddler son, Cole (who interjects questions such as “Is twenty dollars a lot?”), the book strikes a lovely, understated tone of wonder and family pride. It also suits Blackall (A Fine Dessert) to a T. While her work usually has a strong streak of fantasy, or at least ethereal otherworldliness, she proves that she’s equally imaginative at chronicling straight-on reality, too. Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator’s agent: Nancy Gallt, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency.

      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        July 15, 2015
        A mother tells a true bedtime story about the bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh's name. Mom tells little Cole about Harry, a veterinarian in Winnipeg "about a hundred years before you were born." En route to his World War I muster, Harry buys a bear cub from a trapper and names her Winnipeg "so we'll never be far from home." Winnie travels overseas with the Canadian soldiers to training in England, but when they ship out to France for actual combat, Harry leaves her at the London Zoo. "That's the end of Harry and Winnie's story," but another section begins, about a boy named Christopher Robin Milne who plays with Winnie at the London Zoo. Christopher Robin names his stuffed bear Winnie-the-Pooh after her, and his father-A.A. Milne, of course-takes the name and runs with it. Mattick's prose has a storyteller's rhythm and features the occasional flourish (repeating "his heart made up his mind"); Blackall's watercolor-and-ink illustrations have a peaceful stillness that's welcome in a book that, though not about combat, concerns the trappings of war. A photo album includes snapshots of Winnie with her soldiers and with Christopher Robin. The piece has something of a split personality, and the Winnie-the-Pooh angle comes so late it seems almost an afterthought. Beautiful but bifurcated, with the two stories in one making it a challenge to determine the audience. (photo album) (Picture book. 5-8)

        COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: School Library Journal
      • content:

        Starred review from August 1, 2015

        K-Gr 3-This sweet tale of the black bear that inspired the legendary children's book character Winnie-the-Pooh will resonate with readers. In the framing story, a mother tells her son, Cole, a bedtime tale about how veterinarian Harry Colebourn, a young Canadian soldier on his way to train and fight in Europe during World War I, stumbled upon a baby black bear that he bought off a trapper at a train depot. Colebourn named the bear Winnie, short for Winnipeg, a gentle reminder of his hometown, and took the bear with him to England. Winnie quickly became the mascot of his unit. But when the time came to ship out to France for combat, Colebourn left his beloved pet in the capable hands of the London Zoo. Later, Milne and his son, Christopher Robin, visited the London Zoo and Christopher Robin took an immediate shine to Winnie, developing an unusually strong bond with the animal and even playing with her in her enclosure. The boy imagined all sorts of adventures for Winnie, which became the basis for the now-famous stories written by Milne. Washes of muted colors convey a cozy cheeriness that imbues the book with warmth and comfort, while occasional interjections from young Cole add to the fun. Blackall's characters are rosy-cheeked and expressive, while Winnie is curious and whimsical. 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. VERDICT Children everywhere will enjoy this tale for years. A must-have.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

        Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Booklist
      • content:

        Starred review from September 1, 2015
        Grades K-2 *Starred Review* Mattick's family ties to Winnie-the-Pooh form the backbone of her cozy debut. Framed as Mattick telling a bedtime story to her young son, Cole, her tale begins in 1914 in Canada, when veterinarian Harry Colebourn, her own great-grandfather, sets off to join the war in Europe. A fateful whistle-stop encounter with a gentle bear cub begins the historic friendship, when Colebourn buys the cub for 20 dollars. Though officers in Colebourn's division were initially aghast that he would bring a wild animal along, they were quickly won over by her irrepressible charm (and appetite), and the bear, named Winnipeg after their hometown, became the division's mascot. Winnie accompanied the soldiers all the way to England, where Colebourn eventually took Winnie to the London Zoo. There Christopher Robin met Winnie and the rest is literary history. Blackall's warm, beautiful gouache-and-ink illustrations capture an impressive depth of feeling, even in relatively simplified faces. The visuals not only complement the fablelike cadences of Mattick's text but also include subtle details that enrich the storythe opening pages, for instance, recall a storybook forest before melting into the surroundings of Cole's bedroom, where he hears the story of Colebourn and Winnie. Little ones who love A. A. Milne's classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear's real-life origins.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        Starred review from September 1, 2015
        A little boy named Cole curls in the crook of his mother's arm and asks for a story; she spins him two. The first one tells of a veterinarian, Harry Colebourn, who buys a baby bear at a train station on his way from Winnipeg to the WWI European Theater. He calls her Winnie, and the two become deeply attached, until Harry ships out to France, regretfully depositing Winnie at the London Zoo. There the second story begins, wherein a little boy named Christopher Robin Milne befriends Winnie, playing with her in her enclosure and inspiring his father to write some most beloved children's tales. The end of the second story closes the loop by bringing us back to the little boy in his bedroom: Harry Colebourn was Cole's great-great-grandfather, for whom he is named, and our stories are true. Mattick, who's the storytelling mother in this book, embellishes her family's tale with especially evocative and playful language ( The train rolled right through dinner and over the sunset and around ten o'clock and into a nap and out the next day ), matched by the period warmth of Blackall's still, balanced, and carefully composed images. The sum total is as captivating as it is informative, transforming a personal family story into something universally resonant. A facsimile photo album at the back features photos and records documenting both stories' landmark events. thom barthelmess

        (Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

popularity
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subjects
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shortDescription
A #1 New York Times Bestseller and Winner of the Caldecott Medal about the remarkable true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
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.
Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie. And she was a girl!
sortTitle
Finding Winnie The True Story of the Worlds Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner)
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awards
      • source: Association for Library Service to Children
      • value: Caldecott Medal
      • source: Association for Library Service to Children
      • value: Notable Children's Books
subtitle
The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (Caldecott Medal Winner)
publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
atos
3.4
bisacCodes
      • code: JNF003020
      • description: Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Bears
      • code: JNF007030
      • description: Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Literary
      • code: JNF016000
      • description: Juvenile Nonfiction / Curiosities & Wonders