Fiction Review of Finding Winnie

A. Bibliography:
     Mattick, Lindsay. (2015). Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear. Ill. by Sophie Blackall.  New York, NY: Little Brown and Company. ISBN: 9780316324908

B. Plot Summary:
Finding Winnie is the true story about how Winnie the Pooh came to be.  It begins with a mother sitting at bedtime with her son, Cole.  He requests to hear a bedtime story about a bear.  She begins telling the tale of a veterinarian named Harry Colebourn, who is on his way to care for the soldier's horses in the war. While on a train stop leaving Winnipeg, Harry stumbles upon a man and a baby bear.  Thinking that the man is a bear trapper, Harry decides to rescue the bear and carry him on his adventures with the soldiers.  Harry names the bear Winnie, after Winnipeg, so the soldiers will always feel close to home.  The Colonel and soldiers all grow close to Winnie as she was just as part of the army as them.  After some time, Harry makes a tough decision to bring Winnie to the London Zoo because he doesn't want her to go to the battle in France.

The story then transitions to a young boy who is struggling to find a name for his stuffed bear.  He travels with his father to the London Zoo where he meets Winnie.  He instantly feels a connection to Winnie and therefore names his stuffed bear Winnie the Pooh.  We then learn that they boy is the famous Christopher Robin from the Winnie the Pooh stories.  We're left with yet another surprise, the young boy Cole is named after Harry Colebourn, who turns out to be the mother's (Lindsay Mattick) great-grandfather.

C. Critical Analysis:
Children will pick up Finding Winnie in a heartbeat due to the cute bear on the cover.  When they learn that it is the true story of Winnie the Pooh, they won't want to put it down.  The storytelling from Lindsay Mattick is immaculate. There really are three different parts to the storytelling.  The interactions between the mother and son are fun, playful and heartwarming.  The discussion about veterinarian and vegetarian puts a smile on the reader's face.  The camaraderie between Harry Colebourn and the soldiers gives a nice spin to usual war stories.   Lastly, the relationship between Christopher Robin and Winnie gives the reader hope that hard decisions can work out for the better.  The three different scenarios keep the reader interested in the interwoven storyline.  The many surprises at the end of the book fill your heart with joy. The photo album at the end was an added bonus that really connects the reader to the story.  Finding Winnie is a book that instills the message of making responsible decisions when caring and rescuing animals.

Sophie Blackall's illustrations range from smooth, bold, subtle, earthy, delicate, and elaborate.  I found myself reading the words and then spending several minutes studying the illustrations.  The reader can feel the emotion between the characters in each illustration.  This Caldecott winner is a book that teachers, kids and parents will want to read over and over again.

D. Review Excerpts:
**Lolly Robinson of Horn Book states, "Then there is Finding Winnie. At the end of the book we learn that author Mattick is actually Harry Colebourn’s great-granddaughter, which probably gave her a leg up on finding primary source material. She structures her story in a way that allows the gaps in our knowledge of Harry and Winnie to become organic."
**SLJ states, "This sweet tale of the black bear that inspired the legendary children’s book character Winnie-the-Pooh will resonate with readers...A perfect melding of beautiful art with soulful, imaginative writing, this lovely story, penned by Colebourn’s great-great granddaughter, is ideal for sharing aloud or poring over individually."

E. Connections:
Students who enjoyed this story would be interested in the classic Winnie the Pooh picture book series by AA Milne, who surprisingly was Christopher Robin's father.  I never knew that!  Students interested in being a veterinarian will enjoy the discussions between the mother and son, as well the story of how well Harry Colebourn took care of horses and Winnie the bear.  A related text is Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie the Pooh by Sally M. Walker.