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Module 1 Picture Books - FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BEAR - Written by Lindsay Mattick & Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

 


Review of Lindsay Mattick’s Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear 

*This review was written for a course through Sam Houston State University. 


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Mattick, Lindsay. (2015). Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. Ill. By Sophie Blackall. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 9780316324908  

This special book recounts the true story of the real bear behind A. A. Milne's famous and loved character, Winnie-the-Pooh. The story begins with Lindsay Mattick, the author, telling her son about her great-grandfather, a veterinarian named Harry Colebourn, who found an orphaned bear cub in Ontario, Canada during World War I. Colebourn adopts the cub, naming her Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg. He takes Winnie with him to the military camp but eventually makes the decision to leave her at the London Zoo, where she is safe. From that point on, Winnie becomes popular and loved by all who see her; she meets a young boy named Christopher Robin Milne; this relationship would inspire the creation of the stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. This true story touches on love, sacrifice, the legacy and importance of family, and relationships between humans and animals.    

 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS  

Mattick has a personal narrative voice and uses descriptive language and imagery to help readers visualize the three main settings of the story, including Ontario's wilderness, the WWI military camp, and the London Zoo, where Harry takes Winnie for safety. The historical context of the story helps the reader understand more about the unspoken experiences of the characters and the underlying tone of the time period. The audience is also better able to get to know the characters through the use of dialogue, which makes the story seem more real. The author uses rhythm and text, affecting the way the words sound when read aloud and give it a lyrical type of sound. The themes of sacrifice, love, and the legacy of family are subtly woven into the fabric of the story making them more profound as they are addressed.  


The text and illustrations work to tell the heart-warming story by placing the text of the story next to, under, or between large expansive illustrations, which help to draw the reader's attention in a certain way. The illustrations also give the perfect context for the story and help the pace of how to read the pages. As the illustrator, Sophie Blackall works with the text by visually working to capture specific moments in the story to help the reader visualize pivotal moments such as the first time Harry meets Winnie, time in the military camp, and moving to the zoo in London. The color palette is soft and welcoming and works with the emotional tone of the story. It is important to note the use of stark contrasting colors at certain points to focus on specific moments in the story.  


My oldest son, who is seven, is in first grade and learning to read with a two-year delay due to being deaf and having cochlear implants at the age of two. My second-born son is 3 years old and is about to have his fourth birthday. I had never read this book and the first night I read it to my children, I was surprised at the discussion it began, specifically with my oldest. Behavior and understanding the daily routine and life of a student is something we have consistently addressed due to my son's hearing loss. While my oldest son is intuitive and what would be considered a people watcher, he sometimes struggles regulating his emotions and fairness in comparison to others in his daily life. This book was humorous and opened doors of communication in ways that I, as a parent, did not know how to address. This was a reassuring story that made an impact on not only my children, but myself as a parent. 

 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2016 

Caldecott Medal, 2016 

Booklist starred (September 1, 2015 (Vol. 112, No. 1)): “Mattick’s family ties to Winnie-the-Pooh form the backbone of her cozy debut...little ones who love A. A. Milne’s classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear’s real-life origins.” 

Horn Book Guide starred (Spring 2016): “Mattick, the storytelling mother in this book, embellishes her family’s history with evocative, playful language, matched by the period warmth of Blackall’s carefully composed images.” 

Horn Book Magazine (September/October, 2015): “The sum total is as captivating as it is informative, transforming a personal family story into something universally resonant.” 

Kirkus Reviews (July 15, 2015): “Mattick’s prose has a storyteller’s rhythm and features the occasional flourish...Blackall’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations have a peaceful stillness that’s welcome in a book that, though not about combat, concerns the trappings of war.” 

Publishers Weekly (July 20, 2015): “Framed as a bedtime story that Mattick tells her toddler son...the book strikes a lovely, understated tone of wonder and family pride...she proves that she’s equally imaginative at chronicling straight-on reality, too.” 

School Library Journal (August 1, 2015): “This sweet tale of the black bear that inspired the legendary children’s book character Winnie-the-Pooh will resonate with readers.”  


5. CONNECTIONS  

  • Related Books - Other books for children to make connections with historical context, Winnie-the-Pooh, and other stories about animals and themes of love and friendship 

  • Stanley, Diane. GOLDIE: AND THE THREE BEARS. ISBN 061136115 

  • Milne, A. A.. THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER. ISBN 1405281286  

  • Williams, Margery. THE VELVETEEN RABBIT. ISBN 0448190834 

  • Enrichment Activities -  

  • Encourage children to research different bear species to help with research skills and general knowledge about bears and wildlife 

  • Discuss the bond between Harry Colebourn and Winnie. Ask children how animals provide companionship and comfort to humans? 

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