Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh
by Sally Walker
illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss

When veterinarian and army soldier Harry Colebourn saw a baby bear at a train station, he immediately bought the orphaned bear hoping to care for it and give it a better life.   He didn't know then that the young bear, named Winnepeg after the  army company's hometown in Canada, would go on to be one of the famous bears in literature! 

Before Winnepeg, nicknamed "Winnie", became the inspiration for the fictional Winnie-the-Pooh stories, she traveled with Harry during his time in the army during World War I, until Harry had to go to France.   It was then he made the decision to find Winnie a new home in the London Zoo, where she would later be seen by a young boy so fascinated by her that his father, author A.A. Milne, would use the friendly bear as the inspiration one of his most famous characters!

I enjoyed learning about the history behind Winnie-the-Pooh as I'm sure many readers will when they read this excellent tale about the inspiration behind the famous bear.   This short book will work well for independent reading or as a read-aloud.  

Author's website: http://www.sallymwalker.com/index.html
Illustrator's website: http://www.jonathandvoss.com/