Review by Booklist Review
Talk about a chance encounter. Harry Colebourn of the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps happened to notice a man sitting at a train stop with a six-month-old bear. Curious, he accepted the man's $20 offer to buy the orphaned animal, and before Harry's train trip was over, he'd named it Winnie. As Harry continued his work of training war horses, Winnie followed him everywhere, nuzzling horses and crawling inside Harry's clothes to play hide-and-seek biscuits. When time came to ship out to England, Winnie came, too, and marched with the soldiers at their camp. It was only when the troops were sent to the battlefield that Harry turned Winnie over to the London Zoo, where she became famous for her gentle nature. This story is so intrinsically appealing and delightful that the final act comes as a bonus surprise: author A. A. Milne saw the bear and was inspired to create Winnie-the-Pooh. Beautifully illustrated with humanistic, old-fashioned washes, Walker's true tale is a low-key heart warmer about an unexpected interspecies bond.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Walker (Freedom Song) provides a concise, affecting account of the story behind the bear that sparked the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh. The heart of the story is the relationship between Winnie (short for Winnipeg) and Harry Colebourn, a WWII Canadian Veterinary Corps soldier who impulsively bought the young orphaned bear at an Ontario train station. Making a memorable debut, Voss highlights Winnie's playful personality, as well as the close bond between her and Colebourn (an especially sweet sequence shows Winnie digging through the soldier's uniform as they play her favorite game, "hide-and-seek biscuits"). Subtle sepia tones give the nostalgic pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations the feel of period photographs (actual period photos are also included). When Colebourn ships out to care for wounded horses in France, he finds her a new home at the London Zoo. This bittersweet separation has a gratifying resolution: Winnie easily adjusts to life among the other bears and makes friends with young zoo visitors-including the son of A.A. Milne, whose books made Winnie a celebrity in her lifetime. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Catherine Drayton, Inkwell Management. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-2-Readers will be captivated by this picture book account of the bear who inspired the "Winnie-the-Pooh" series. Walker tells the story of Harry Colebourn, a World War I soldier who came upon a man selling a baby bear at a train station (he had shot the cub's mother) and decided to adopt the animal. A veterinarian, Colebourn quickly became attached to the little bear he named Winnie (short for Winnipeg, Manitoba, Colebourn's company's hometown), who accompanied the soldier to a training camp in Quebec and became a favorite of the entire regiment. Winnie even went with the company to England when more soldiers were needed across the Atlantic. When Colebourn was sent into battle, he took Winnie to the London Zoo, where she was so gentle and tame that zookeepers sometimes let children ride on her back. There, Milne's young son, Christopher Robin, met her and fell in love, motivating Milne to pen the "Winnie-the-Pooh" books. Sweet, realistic illustrations, rendered in watercolor with pen and ink, lend the work an old-fashioned air, while a simple but gentle narrative provides readers with a sense of the emotional connection between Winnie and Colebourn. Back matter offers brief material on Colebourn, Winnie, black bears in general, and Milne's writings, as well as photographs of Winnie and Christopher Robin. Children will enjoy this interesting insight into the real story behind a beloved bear they already know so well.-April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A real bear plays a part in Winnie-the-Pooh's origin story: at the London Zoo, a bear named Winnie made such a strong impression on young Christopher Milne that he renamed his stuffed bear in her honor. This is Winnie's story. When Canadian military veterinarian Harry Coleburn saw a black bear cub for sale on a train-station platform, he bought her on a whim, naming her Winnipeg after his regiment's hometown. The bear became Harry's constant companion and the regiment's mascot. As she grew, she remained gentle and affectionate with everyone but was particularly attached to Harry, traveling with him to England. When Harry was deployed to the front in France, he made the difficult decision to give her to the London Zoo. Unsurprisingly, she became a favorite with the zoo's staff, who realized she was tame enough to allow children to meet her up close and even feed her. Walker's short, descriptive text provides the essentials of the story, and Voss's watercolor illustrations portray the unusual situation with a mix of realism and humor. Endpapers display photos of Harry, the real Winnie, and Christopher and A. A. Milne; an author's note, sources, and websites are also included. lolly robinson (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A soldier's pet becomes famous.During a short stop on a train ride across Canada during World War I, veterinarian-turned-soldier Harry Colebourn buys an orphaned bear cub he sees at a station. He names her Winnipeg for his company's hometown; it's quickly shortened to Winnie. He and his fellow soldiers take her along to England and keep her as a pet until the company leaves to fight in France. Harry finds her a home at the London Zoo, where she entertains generations of children, including young Christopher Robin, who renames his bear after her. Though she mentions A.A. Milne's book, Walker's narrative focuses on the bear. Opening and closing spreads of black-and-white photographs attest to the story's truth; the misty edges of Voss' ink-and-watercolor illustrations, from vignettes to full-page spreads, suggest its place in history. Readers see the appealing bear clinging to Harry as a young cub, climbing all over him in a game of "hide-and-seek-biscuits," looking at them apprehensively over Harry's shoulder during the ride to the zoo, and, fully grown, being hugged and ridden by children. An author's note expands on Harry's story and adds some facts on black bears and Milne's children's books. Ideal for Winnie-the-Pooh fans, this clear, straightforward biography reveals the bear behind the tale. (sources, websites) (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
