The Amazing True Story Behind FINDING WINNIE by Lindsay Mattick

Love fairy tales and mythology?
Fans of mermaids, dragons, unicorns, and other mythical creatures?
Enjoy when a beloved classic tale is retold?
A Twist in the Tail Thursdays features all this and more!

O P E N I N G   L I N E:

COULD YOU TELL ME A STORY? asked Cole.
"It's awfully late." It was long past dark, and time to be asleep.
"What kind of story?"
"You know. A true story. One about a Bear."
We cuddle up close.
"I'll do my best," I said.
  

(pgs. 1-2, US Hardcover Edition)

I started reviewing FINDING WINNIE: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear in January after it won the 2016 Caldecott Award. AND THEN I LEFT IT IN DRAFT MODE. I don't know why. Possibly because I just can't do justice to this amazing picture book, which deservedly won its award.

You guys, I TEARED UP reading this book. I had NO CLUE that the beloved character Winnie the Pooh was based on a real bear. I had no clue that his name was short for Winnipeg, Canada (A place where one of my dearest friends lives). I had no clue that this was a true tale of war. Even Christopher Robin is a real person! I just...
 I HAD NO CLUE.

This book taught me so much history, and it was such a joy to read. I love the way there are real pictures at the end of the Winnie and of Harry Colebourn. I'm obsessed with the fact that this book was written by Harry Colebourn's great granddaughter...and she is telling the story to HER son, Cole, who was named after his great great grandfather. I LOVE THIS CONNECTION. I love it so much!!! That alone makes me tear up, tbh.

There's an amazing video on YouTube where Lindsay Mattick talks about her inspiration in writing this true story, as well as several gorgeous pictures of Winnie and Harry:

YouTube Link

The story is complex enough that older kids aged 5-8 will still be intrigued by it, even though "it's a picture book." It's about a bear, which will intrigue younger children as well. Plus, it will excite anyone who has ever loved the tales of Winnie the Pooh, be it through the original by A.A. Milne or the Disney version. There is seriously something in this picture book for everyone, and it transcends age barriers in a way that very few picture books can do.

If you're still looking for a great gift for a child, or if you're a history buff, or if you're a huge Winnie the Pooh fan---or giving a child the original stories as a gift--please consider picking up FINDING WINNIE: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear. It's a precious story that will remain in your heart long after the last page is turned!

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  FINDING WINNIE: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

Author: Lindsay Mattick
Illustrator: Sophie Blackall

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Received: Borrowed

SUMMARY:

Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie.

In 1914, Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian on his way to tend horses in World War I, followed his heart and rescued a baby bear. He named her Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, and he took the bear to war.

Harry Colebourn's real-life great-granddaughter tells the true story of a remarkable friendship and an even more remarkable journey--from the fields of Canada to a convoy across the ocean to an army base in England...

And finally to the London Zoo, where Winnie made another new friend: a real boy named Christopher Robin.

Here is the remarkable true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.