LSSL 5360: Module 1 -- Picture Books

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

 by Lindsay Mattick

                                      

1)    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mattick, Lindsay.  2015.  FINDING WINNIE:  THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS BEAR.  Ill. by Sophie Blackall.  New York:  Little, Brown and Company.  ISBN 9780316394703

2)    PLOT SUMMARY

Finding Winnie is a true story of a bear that changed many lives, and was the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.  Lindsay Mattick, Harry Colebourn’s great-granddaughter, shares with her son Cole how a bear named Winnie made an impact on several lives.  Harry Colebourn discovered a bear at a train station on his way to war.  He bought the bear and embarked on an incredible journey with Winnie.  They went all throughout Canada, traveled by boat to England, and when it came time to officially go to war he left Winnie in the care of the London Zoo.  It was there at the London Zoo, that Christopher Robin first saw Winnie, embarked on his own friendship with her, and was the inspiration for his father’s Winnie the Pooh books.  Winnie is a remarkable story about friendship, and has been passed down all the way from Harry to his great, great grandson Cole.

3)    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Finding Winnie is an exceptional true story of friendship, and how the smallest of gestures can have the biggest impact.  The author shares with readers a piece of her family history that went on to create a childhood character beloved by many.  Mattick immediately has readers hooked on Winnie and Harry’s story, and intrigued to discover what they will encounter next on their journey together.  She does a great job of interweaving two phenomenal stories together, and how one bear made an impact on so many.  She includes questions that her son has as she tells the story, which allows for discussion with students and to open up a platform for them to ask their own questions.  The story is told with beautiful illustrations by Blackall that allow the reader to vividly picture the aspects of the journey of Winnie and Harry.  This would be a perfect book to teach various art techniques, and how the illustrator brought the story to life.  When I read this story to my nephew he was focused on the illustrations as I read, and in particular wanted to know what the grouping of rocks was and the plane in the corner.  This lead to a discussion on Stonehenge, and the evolution of design of airplanes; which is great discussion from a historical aspect.  Another great teaching point with Finding Winnie, is that it’s a true story and primary sources are included in the back of the book.  My nephew was fascinated by the pictures and information included in the back, and couldn’t believe that it was in fact a true story.  Finding Winnie is an extraordinary story that can be enjoyed by all.

4)    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Publisher Weekly’s Review:  “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.”  (Reviewed 7/20/2015)

Booklist 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 story—the 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.” (Reviewed 9/1/2015)

5)    CONNECTIONS

v This is a great book if you are teaching primary sources.

v Other similar stories:

Milne, A. A.  THE COMPLETE TALE OF WINNIE-THE-POOH  ISBN 9780525457237

Applegate, Katherine.  IVAN:  THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF THE SHOPPING MALL GORILLA  ISBN 0544252306