Finding Winnie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Finding Winnie tells the true story of the bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh. The book begins with a little boy named Cole asking his mother to tell him a story. The story begins by telling of a veterinarian in Winnipeg named Harry Coleburn. One day, Harry had to give up being a local veterinarian and went to care for the soldiers' horses in World War I. When he disembarked from his train with the other soldiers, he saw a trapper with a bear cub. He knew he shouldn't, but Coleburn bought the bear from that man. His colonel was at first opposed to it for safety reasons, but warmed up fairly quickly to the bear. Coleburn named the bear Winnipeg. It was later shortened to Winnie. Eventually, Coleburn was going to be shipped to the front line of the war, so he had to give Winnie to the zoo. This was the end of Coleburn's story, but it let to another story. The story of A.A. Milne and his son, the real Christopher Robin.

This is very touching book that contains a very soft illustration style. Cole, the child in the book, interrupts his mom's story from time-to-time, and it reminds one a bit of A.A. Milne's writing style. At the end of the book are actual pictures of Coleburn, Winnie, and Christopher Robin. There is also a family tree, which reveals that Cole is the great great-grandson of Harry Coleburn. This ties the whole story together and puts a neat little bow on it. If you are a fan of Winnie the Pooh, and really who isn't, you'll want to check out this book.

This book was provided to me for free by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!