I believe that Winnie the Pooh is a great philosopher and has much to tell us about love, life, friendship, differences, home, and loss. He constantly defines forever in a way that any small, large, young and/or old person can understand....as a concept you must define for yourself, just like love, life and loss, which no one can define for you.
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| Christopher Robin and Winnie |
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| A.A. Milne and his son, Christopher Robin |
So, in dedication to my personal passion for Winnie the Pooh and all his friends, here is an article about a new book by Lindsay Mattick on this wonderful world and it's creator, A. A. Milne.
Betsy Combier
New book chronicles real bear behind 'Winnie-the-Pooh'
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| Lindsay Mattick |
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LONDON — Lindsay Mattick's
great-grandfather was on his way to fight in World War I when he bought a bear
cub he named Winnie, inspiring author A.A. Milne to create the timeless character
Winnie-the-Pooh. Now, Mattick has written a new children's book chronicling the
real-life story behind the bear.
Mattick,
37, wanted to tell her young son the peculiar tale and wrote "Finding
Winnie: The Story of the Real Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh." The book
was published in November — just weeks before the 90th anniversary on Thursday
of the first time Milne used the name Winnie-the-Pooh in print.
"'Finding
Winnie' is a story that I have had in my head for a long time," Mattick
told The Associated Press with a warm smile that reveals her passion for this
very personal project. "I thought a picture book would be an amazing way
to share my incredible family story with my child."
The
family history goes like this: Her great-grandfather, Lt. Harry Colebourn of
Canada, bought an American black bear cub from a hunter while Colebourn was on
his way to fight in World War I in 1914. Colebourn, a veterinarian, raised the
female bear and named her after his home city, Winnipeg — or Winnie for short.
He took Winnie on the long journey by train and ship to his training camp in
England.
The
story came to light in the late 1980s, when another regiment was incorrectly
linked to the bear, which by then had been made famous by Milne's classic
childhood tales. Mattick's grandfather wanted to set the record straight.
"He
said, 'No, actually that was my Dad's bear, that was his pet,' and at that
point, he pulled out his father's diaries and photographs from the war, and
started to really share the story publicly," Mattick said.
She
is now retelling the story for a new generation. Taking inspiration from her
family's archive of photos of Colebourn and Winnie, Mattick teamed up with
illustrator Sophie Blackall to create historically accurate drawings that
capture the rare bond between the soldier and the bear cub.
But
a war zone is no place for a pet. So when Colebourn was sent to the front lines
in France, he left Winnie in the care of London Zoo.
Visitors
quickly saw that this bear was unusually gentle and kind — qualities later
reflected in Milne's writings. Children were even allowed into her enclosure,
something no zoo would consider today.
"She
became a star attraction," Mattick said. "She had a lot of visitors
because of her very friendly and well-trained nature."
Christopher Robin Milne, a young visitor who forged a friendship with the bear,
loved her so much that he re-christened his own teddy Winnie-the-Pooh. The name
"Pooh" comes from a swan also named by Christopher Robin.
The
boy's father, A.A. Milne, first published a story about a boy named Christopher
Robin and his stuffed bear Winnie-the-Pooh in the London Evening News on
Christmas Eve in 1925.
Winnie-the-Pooh
was first published as a book in October 1926 and A.A. Milne wrote several
other stories and poems about Christopher Robin and his bear's adventures. The
books and illustrations have been treasured by children — and their parents —
for generations.
Colebourn
survived the war. But, as he returned to Canada, he felt that Winnie was so
settled at the zoo that he left her there, where she remained a favorite with
visitors until her death in 1934.
___
"Finding
Winnie: The Story of the Real Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh" was
published last month by Orchard Books, Hachette Children's Group.
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