There are some picture books that are eminently readable. This is one that is just fun to read aloud, a heartwarming and gorgeously illustrated tale. It's told from the perspective of Lindsay Mattick, telling a story to her son Cole, about a famous bear and little boy from long ago.
![](/samples/Caldecott/winnie2.jpg)
Captain Harry Colebourn, a kind-hearted veterinarian from Winnipeg, sees a trapper at a train station with a young bear, separated from his mother. He buys the bear off the man for $20 and raises her as the army mascot. But when the war takes him to France, he must leave Winnie in the London Zoo—where a young boy named Christopher Robin will grow to love her as well.
![](/samples/Caldecott/winnie3.jpg)
This gorgeously illustrated Caldecott medal winner is ostensibly the story of Winnie, the bear that inspired Christopher Robin's Winnie-the-Pooh. But the true story belongs to Winnie's owner, Captain Harry Colebourn—who was author Lindsay Mattick's great-grandfather. Sophie Blackall's soft ink and watercolor drawings definitely deserved the medal. They are lush and give the story a fairy-tale air, from the train speeding down the Canadian countryside full of sleeping soldiers, to the wind blowing through Winnie's fur on a car ride to London. As far as gentle, feel good read-alouds go, this is one with a lot of heart (thanks to Mattick's close connection) that shouldn't be missed.
![](/samples/Caldecott/winnie1.jpg)
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
here.
Did you find this review helpful?