Children's Book and Media Review

Volume 37 Issue 9 September 2016 Article 15

2016

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

Abigail Packard

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BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Packard, Abigail (2016) ": The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear," Children's Book and Media Review: Vol. 37 : Iss. 9 , Article 15. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cbmr/vol37/iss9/15

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Children's Book and Media Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Packard: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear Book Review

Title: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear Author: Lindsay Mattick Illustrator: Sophie Blackall Reviewer: Abigail Packard Publisher: Little, Brown and Compansy Publication Year: 2015 ISBN: 9780316324908 Number of Pages: 56 Interest Level: Primary Rating: Outstanding Review Finding Winnie is the true story of , a veterinarian from Canada, and his bear (or Winnie for short). Harry bought Winnie from a trapper while on his way to work at as a vet during WWI. He brought Winnie along with him across the Atlantic Ocean to remind him and the other Canadian soldiers of their home. Once he was called upon to join the fighting in France, he left Winnie at the to keep her safe. There, a little boy named Milne visited and befriended her and even named his own stuffed bear after her, Winnie-the-Pooh. His father, Alan Alexander Milne wrote about the boy and his friendship with the bear and that is how Winnie-the- Pooh became the most beloved bear in the world.

This story was exemplary. Mattick frames the story within a bedtime tale that she tells her young son, Cole. The language is witty and fun and very easy to follow. Blackall’s illustrations are soft and colorful; her depictions of Winnie are adorable. The story ends by stating that all of it was true as some of the best stories often are. There are lots of fun photographs of the characters at the end which reiterate the reality of this story. A touching story, or rather stories since there are two that mesh together about Captain Colebourn and the Milnes, showing that our stories in real life are memorable, beautiful, and intricately woven together.

Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2016 1