Oral Reading Record: Winnie the Bear (299 words) Student _______________________________ Date ___________________________ E SC E/msv SC/msv Winnie the Bear Winnie-the-Pooh is a bear loved by children all over the world. They like stories about Winnie and his friends, Piglet and Tigger. In the stories, Winnie looks like a happy stuffed bear. He loves honey and gets into trouble. But did you know Winnie was a real bear? And that real bear came from Canada! Winnie Finds a Friend The real Winnie was a female black bear born in 1914 near White River, Ontario. When Winnie was a cub, a trapper killed her mother. He did not know what to do with Winnie. One day, an animal doctor named Harry Colebourn came to White River. He saw the trapper sitting on a bench. He was holding the black bear cub on a leash. Harry liked the little bear at once. The trapper agreed to sell the cub for $20. Because Harry was from Winnipeg, he named the bear Winnie. 1 Winnie Goes to England Harry was in the army. When he had to go to England, he took Winnie along. Then Harry was sent to France, where the army was fighting. He gave Winnie to a zoo in London, England. That way, Winnie would be safe. At the Zoo Winnie lived at the zoo in London, England, for many years. She was a very gentle bear. She liked sweet foods. Children loved to watch her. In 1924, a boy named Christopher Robin liked to visit and feed Winnie. His father, A.A. Milne, was a writer. Winnie Becomes Famous As he watched Christopher Robin feed and talk to Winnie, Mr. Milne had an idea. He started writing a story. It was all about a bear who liked to eat sweet things and whose best friend was a boy. The story was called Winnie-the- Pooh! 2.