“Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh,”
by Sally M. Walker, illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss.
Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2015, 32 pages, K-3.
A.A. Milne was a famous English journalist in the early decades of the 20th century. His son, Christopher Robbin, became one of the main characters in the famous Winnie-the-Pooh book series. One of the most famous pictures in children’s literature is that of Christopher Robbin coming down the stairs holding the paw of Winnie-the-Pooh. Milne’s home became the site of the Winnie-the-Pooh series with the backyard and trees serving as places of adventure for Christopher Robbin.
But where did the Winnie-the-Pooh come from? Sally Walker tells the fascinating story of the real animal in the book: “Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the Pooh.”
As World War I broke out, British citizens throughout the Empire enlisted in the army. In Canada, there was a patriotic fervor to join the military. In the Province of Manitoba, many young men eagerly joined the war effort. Since so much of the army moved by horse-drawn vehicles, the military stood in dire need of veterinarians. Dr. Harry Colebourn joined the veterinary corps in 1914.
On the way to advanced training, Dr. Colebourn saw a man sitting at a train station with a baby bear. Quickly getting off of the train, he found the man would sell the bear for $20. He rapidly paid the money and picked the cub up as the train was about to leave. As the train moved down the tracks, his commander asked why he had bought the baby bear. Colebourn told him he had named the cub Winnipeg, after the provincial capital, and the bear was to be the company’s mascot. The commander agreed when Dr. Colebourn said he would feed and care for the bear.
The cub’s name was soon shortened to Winnie and Dr. Colebourn continually fed him sweetened milk and other tasty foods. Winnie became quite tame and insisted on being held by Dr. Colebourn and slept each night under his cot. But as time passed, Winnie grew and the Canadians were sent to the Western Front in France. Before leaving, Dr. Colebourn arranged to have Winnie transferred to the London Zoo. Though Winnie ran after Dr. Colebourn when the doctor was leaving, he soon became very happy at the zoo. He was so tame and pleasant that children rode on his back and petted him.
One day a famous writer named A.A. Milne brought his young son, Christopher Robbin, to the zoo and the child was immediately drawn to Winnie. In the next days, A.A. Milne began to use his considerable literary skills to entertain the young boy. What stories did he write?
What kind of adventures did Christopher Robbin and Winnie have? When did his bear get the name Pooh? Did Dr. Colebourn return and take Winnie back to Canada? Why was Winnie so attractive to everyone? If bears seem scary to most people why did everyone want to pet Winnie? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh” by Sally Walker.
This is a delightful book about Winnie-the-Pooh. The photographs of Dr. Colebourn and the Milne family add to the story. Christopher Robbin’s haircut is identical to the drawings in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. I hope your get a chance to read this enjoyable book with the younger members of your family. They will love it and so will you.
