Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh is perfectly delightful! Until recently, most admirers of A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories thought that Milne created the stories based on his son’s stuffed lovie, Edward Bear. But, in fact, it is so much more lovely than that!

In 1914, Army Veterinarian, Harry Colebourn, was on a train traveling through Ontario, Canada when he saw a man sitting at the train station with a bear cub. Harry bought the cub from the man for $20 and named her Winnipeg after his company’s hometown. Winnie, as she came to be called, quickly became a mascot for the entire section.

When the soldiers traveled from Canada to England, Winnie stayed with them, climbing trees, nuzzling horses, and being a source of joy for all in the company.

When the soldiers were deployed to France, however, Colebourn made the hard decision to keep Winnie safe by putting her in the London Zoo in the brand new Mappin Terraces, built just for bears, with zookeepers who knew “exactly how to care for a bear.” Colebourn intended to return to the zoo and bring Winnie home with him to Winnipeg when the war was over.

Winnie made fast friends with the other bears and was the most gentle bear the zoo had ever had. In fact, she was so trustworthy that the zookeepers let children play with Winnie and ride on her back. When the war was over, Colebourn realized that the zoo was the best place for Winnie. She was happy and healthy, and her life was predictable.

Many years later, a little boy and his author father visited the zoo. And, you can guess the rest!

The writing and the illustration in this story pair perfectly with each other and match the spirit of the story. This is a must-have for all Winnie-the-Pooh fans. It would be a very gentle introduction to WWI for young children. The endpapers and afterward are filled with photos and details for the curious.

Don’t miss another charming picture book on the same theme, here!