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Title details for Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick - Available

Finding Winnie

The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

by Lindsay Mattick
Sophie Blackall
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie. And she was a girl! 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. Here is the remarkable true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 1, 2016

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781501923609
      • File size: 6969 KB
      • Duration: 00:14:31

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 590
    • Text Difficulty: 2-3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrating a Caldecott Medal-winning book is both an honor and a challenge. Erin Moon rises to the occasion. She is the gentle mother telling a family story to her young son, Cole; she is the wondrous young son himself, incredulous that he might be related to this amazing person; she is the off-to-war and ready for adventure young Canadian soldier; and she is the storytelling father who takes his son to see a bear at the London Zoo. Listeners will treasure this story of the orphaned bear cub who travels from Winnipeg to London with veterinarian Harry Colburn and his army division bound for WWI and then becomes a much visited, loved, and inspirational bear to one Alan Alexander Milne and his son, Christopher Robin. And, of course, young (and old) listeners will pore over Sophie Blackall's award- winning illustrations. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      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.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:590
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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