Finding Winnie - Book Review

1.      Bibliography

Mattick, Lindsay. 2015. FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS BEAR. Ill. By Sophie Blackall. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316324908

2.      Plot Summary

This picture book is the true story behind our all-time favorite bear, Winnie-the-Poo.  The author, Lindsay Mattick, is actually the great granddaughter of Harry Colebourn, and is telling this bedtime story to her son.  Mattick goes on to tell how Winnie was found and bought at a train station and named after Winnipeg, Colebourn’s home.  Colebourn was working in the army and Winnie joined him.  After many travels with the army, Colebourn made the difficult decision to take Winnie to the London Zoo where he met a young boy named Christopher Robin Milne.  Christopher was allowed to enter the bear cage and play with Winnie who he referred to as Winnie-the-Poo. Christopher Robin’s father then began to write adventures of his son and his favorite bear leading the reader to understand how the Winnie-the-Poo collection began.  The story ends with explaining what happened to Harry Colebourn and shows a collection of family photographs of Winnie and Colebourn.

3.      Critical Analysis

Lindsay Mattick presents a true story that is very appealing to children by setting the stage of “story time”.  Children of all ages get excited about a “bed time story” so to begin a true story in this style was brilliant.  Mattick invites instant connections to readers by explaining Harry is homesick and looking for ways to distract himself.  Animal lovers will appreciate his love and care for the bear even if they do not immediately make the connection of who the bear is in our literature history.  Mattick allows the reader to understand the bond between Harry and Winnie in learning of all the adventures and places they traveled together.  The deep love Harry has for Winnie is revealed when he makes the difficult decision to take him to the London Zoo which shows he is doing what is best for the bear and not for his own selfish desires.  Right when reads are filled with sadness that Winnie is left at the zoo, they are excited to hear “where one story ends another begins”.  Learning who Winnie actually is in our literature history is exciting for readers. 

Sophie Blackall artfully illustrates this true story picture book with believable scenes from the past.  Blackall use of soft neutrals in army scenes make the reader realize how serious and gloomy the soldiers felt while serving.  More vibrant colors appear on pages where the mood changes. 

4.      Review Excerpt(s)

The Caldecott Award 2016

Caldecott Medal Committee Chair –“…Blackall offers a tour-de-force of visual storytelling.”

5.      Connections

*Gather a collection of Winnie-the-Poo stories for students.  Students will encouraged to read a book and make connections to our true story.

*Pair with another text for Veterans Day to celebrate and appreciate their service to our country.