Winnie's Great War
Lindsay Mattick and Josh Greenhut, illustrated Sophie Blackall
Here is a heartwarming imagining of the real journey undertaken by the extraordinary bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh. From her early days with her mama in the Canadian forest, to her remarkable travels with the Veterinary Corps across the country and overseas, and all the way to the London Zoo where she met Christopher Robin Milne and inspired the creation of the world's most famous bear, Winnie is on a great war adventure.
This beautifully told story is a triumphant blending of deep research and magnificent imagination. Infused with Sophie Blackall's irresistible renderings of an endearing bear, the book is also woven through with entries from Captain Harry Colebourn's real wartime diaries and contains a selection of artifacts from the Colebourn Family Archives. The result is a one-of-a-kind exploration into the realities of war, the meaning of courage, and the indelible power of friendship, all told through the historic adventures of one extraordinary bear. (From Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Winnie's Great War was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text.
- 12 Canadian books to read to commemorate Remembrance Day
- 13 Canadian middle-grade books to watch for this fall
- The true tale of Winnie the Pooh, an unlikely First World War legacy
- 90 weird and wonderful facts about Winnie-the-Pooh
- Here are the 2020 Silver Birch Fiction Award finalists
From the book
In the middle of the Woods was a tree, and at the bottom of the tree was a hole, and out of the hole poked a big black pad of a nose, which sniffed the air to see whether anyone as around. It smelled like a fine spring day, like the earth was growing.
Next came two great paws, followed by a pair of knowing eyes and a broad bushy back you could ride on. And just like that, a fully grown black bear stumped from her den under the tree.
After taking a moment to lumber around, Mama gave a wide yawn. "Come out, dear."
A tiny cub crept from the hollow. She perked her ears and raised her nose and spun round in wonder. "Our den is inside a tree?"
There she was: your Bear.
From Winnie's Great War by Lindsay Mattick and Josh Greenhut, with illustrations by Sophie Blackall ©2018. Published by Little, Brown Books.
More about Winnie-the-Pooh
