Recently, I reviewed a delightful picture book about the true story behind Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally Walker. I love that book and think every fan of Winnie-the-Pooh would appreciate it. Shortly after discovering that book, I learned of this book by Lindsay Mattick (the great-great-granddaughter of Harry Colebourn) and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Like Winnie, Finding Winnie is absolutely charming. And, for older readers, there is a rich chapter book also by Mattick and Blackall.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear opens with a young boy asking his mother for a bedtime story about his stuffed bear. She tells him the story of Harry Colebourn, a Canadian veterinarian who truly loved serving animals.

In WWI, Dr. Colebourn enlisted in the Army Veterinary Corps to care for the horses and other animals in the army. As his unit was traveling by train from Winnipeg across to Ontario, he saw a man at a train station who had a bear cub. Dr. Colebourn purchased the cub for $20. He named her Winnie, after his home in Winnipeg.

Winnie became the mascot for Colebourn’s unit providing affection and entertainment. She was a good sailor and enjoyed the journey across the ocean to England. But, when Colebourn’s unit got their orders for deployment to France, the veternarian knew that it was too dangerous for Winnie to be at the front.

To keep her safe, Dr. Colebourn gave Winnie to the London zoo until he could collect her at the end of the war. There, Winnie was very happy. The zookeepers and visitors were overjoyed with her sweet and gentle temperament. She was so good with people that the zoo allowed children to go in her pen and play with her!

When the war was finally over, Dr. Colebourn realized that, as much as he wanted to take Winnie back to Canada with him, she was happy at the zoo. Keeping her health and happiness at the forefront of his mind, he decided to make her a permanent resident of the zoo.

When Winnie was eight-years-old, a little boy and his author father visited Winnie at the Zoo. Christoper Robin was so taken with Winnie that he decided to rename his teddy bear from Edward Bear to Winnie-the-Pooh. And the rest is history.

The two picture books about Winnie are both charming. Both provide something a little different. Both have endpapers with photos. Both tell the same basic story. Both have lovely illustration. If you could afford both, I would recommend having both in your home or library. I think Winnie is a bit sweeter, and I prefer the illustration. This one, however, is family account and has more details which I really enjoyed. I intend to review the chapter book as well. I suspect that my ultimate recommendation would be to have all three books, but if you were choosing, have the chapter book and Winnie as your picture book option.

I think any and all of these would be brilliant baby shower, baptism, or first birthday gifts. You could pair them with a stuffed Pooh bear. They would also be a lovely gift for an older sibling when a new baby is born.