Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-The-Pooh

Who could care for a bear?

When Harry Colebourn saw a baby bear for sale at the train station, he knew he could care for it. Harry was a veterinarian. But he was also a soldier in training for World War I.

Harry named the bear Winnie, short for Winnipeg, his company's home town, and he brought her along to the training camp in England. Winnie followed Harry everywhere and slept under his cot every night. Before long, she became the regiment's much-loved mascot.

But who could care for the bear when Harry had to go to the battleground in France? Harry found just the right place for Winnie while he was away -- the London Zoo. There a little boy named Christopher Robin came along and played with Winnie -- he could care for this bear too

Sally Walker's heartwarming story, paired with Jonathan Voss's evocative illustrations, brings to life the story of the real bear who inspired Winnie the Pooh.

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Published: 01/20/2015
Pages: 40
Weight: 0.7lbs
Size: 10.10h x 8.20w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780805097153
Age: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.4
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 171646 / Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-The-Pooh


Award: Buckaroo Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2014
School Library Journal 11/01/2014 pg. 132
Publishers Weekly 11/10/2014
Booklist 12/01/2014 pg. 37
Shelf Awareness 02/06/2015
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2015 pg. 127
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2015

About the Author

Sally M. Walker is the author of the ALA Notable Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917. She is also the author of Written in Bone, Fossil Fish Found Alive, and Secrets of a Civil War Submarine, which was awarded a Sibert Medal. She lives in Illinois.

Jonathan D. Voss was a portrait artist and graphic designer before becoming a children's book illustrator. He lives in North Carolina with his family. Winnie is his first book.