The Real Winnie: A One-of-a-Kind Bear

by Val Shushkewich

The story of Winnie, the real Canadian bear that captured the heart of Christopher, son of A.A. Milne, and became immortalized in the Winnie the Pooh stories, is told against the backdrop of the First World War. In August 1914, a Canadian soldier and veterinarian named Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, en route to a training camp in Quebec, purchased a black bear cub in White River, Ontario, which he named Winnipeg.

First a regimental mascot for Canadians training for wartime service, Winnie then became a star attraction at the London Zoo, and ultimately inspired one of the best-loved characters in children's literature. For those many generations of readers who adored Winnie the Pooh, and for those intrigued by the unique stories embedded in Canadian history, this book is a feast of information about a one-of-a-kind bear set during a poignant period of world history.

Today Winnie "lives on" at the London Zoo, in White River and in Winnipeg. Her remarkable legacy is celebrated in many ways -- from statues and plaques to festivals and museum galleries.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, History, Canada

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2004

Reviews

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canada is barely credited for what she brings to the world. “Winnie-The-Pooh” is not a fictional personage, made-up by an Englishman. The urgent fact to convey is that mammals love each other fiercely past adulthood. They are never inferior or edible, therefore I abhor hunting. Let a formidable bear teach everyone this! If you kill an adult animal, you might jeopardize the survival of their children!

Here is the true story. Black bear twins were born in White River, Ontario in January 2014. A hunter murdered their Mother and one of the twins died too. This person at least felt ashamed enough not to leave the remaining infant alone. At this new rest stop in the wilderness, Harry Colebourn’s train arrived: a veterinarian caring for horses on their way to fight the war in France. Harry took the cub and named her after our home city: “Winnipeg The Bear”. She grew-up with training troops and at the grimmest time, made the entire camp happy. She went to London Zoo for safekeeping. She became so very beloved, Harry let her retire there when the war ended.

Alexander Milne and his Son, Christopher Robin, loved visiting Winnie and wrote about her. She was portrayed in yellow to match Christopher’s teddybear. The name “Pooh” honours a real family swan that he had loved.

I believe our real black bear is unforgettable on her own. I do not like Winnie being confused with fiction. However, I appreciate that Alexander spread her name well past Canada and England. She was intelligent and loving, never “bumbling”.

“Black Beauty” warned the world that horses are not tools to wear out. With “The Real Winnie: A One-Of-A-Kind Bear”, 2003: Val Shushkewich helped a magnificent animal issue the wakeup call to never hunt potential Mothers. That means every animal!

[Caren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only recently learned (from a BBC news story) that the real bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh, housed at the London Zoo, had traveled to England from Canada at the start of World War I. The Canadian soldier, a veterinarian who tended the cavalry horses, saw the cub at a train station in Ontario, chained up by the hunter who had killed its mother. The soldier bought the cub from the hunter and named her Winnipeg, after his hometown. Winnie became the mascot of his unit and proceeded with them, by boat, to their training ground on Salisbury Plain. When the time approached to ship out to France and the battle zone, he left the cub at the zoo for safekeeping, always intending to come back for her. During the course of the war, the very tame cub became so popular with zoo visitors, at war's end the soldier agreed to leave her there after he returned to Canada. In the 1920s, Christopher Robin Milne, along with his father, visited Winnie and loved her so much, he changed the name of his teddy bear from Edward Bear to Winnie the Pooh. His father wrote down the bedtime stories about Winnie he told his young son and the rest is publishing history. Winnie must have been a very special bear.

**There is also a nice family movie, made in Canada, about this story called "A Bear Named Winnie".

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worldview - Universally Acceptable

Language - English

Setting:
Location - Canada, Britain
Time Period - WWI, 1914-1918

Review
The biography of Winnie the bear who inspired the story books. Written in a narrative style this book, while an interesting read would be better suited to slightly older students. The attention to detail makes this a fantastic resource for anyone wishing to learn more about WWI although it can be a little on the dry side. The author writes the story in a concise and clear voice, with a focus on the details of the history. It covers the life of Winnie from her meeting with Canadian military horse veterinarian, Harry Coleburn, her journey with the Canadian soldiers through military training both in Canada and England, and eventually her meeting with Christopher Robin, the real boy at the London Zoo.
The inclusion of photos and historical details inset as sidebars on the page help the reader to understand that Winnie was a real animal and the men who loved her were going to war.

Teacher Application
This book would be a great addition to WWI studies providing a needed positive story during this time period if a more intensive study was being done.
A wonderful resource to pull tidbits from while reading Winnie the Pooh with younger children. Although the text would be far beyond a small child’s comprehension, the pictures would be of great interest to them as there are photos of the real Christopher Robin playing with Winnie at the London Zoo.

Parental Warning
This is a story of WWI and as such might be disturbing to younger or more sensitive audiences. Although the book avoids entering a graphic realm, it does discuss the mustard gas attacks experienced by the Canadian soldiers at the Battle of Ypres before gas masks were standard issue.
Animals are used in war in this book and there is discussion of their being euthanized.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book that chronicles the life of the real life bear who inspired Winnie The Pooh as well as the person who cared for the bear and then donated her to the London Zoo, where A.A.Milne and his son, Christopher met and fell in love with her.
I enjoyed the small 2 to 3 paragraph biographies of important people in the story, as well as important places and historical facts. The photographs were well chosen as well. All in all, this is a very informative book about not only Winnie but Canada's involvement in World War One. It is written to appeal to any age, there are not any truly gory details, just facts such as the use of chlorine gas and that it made it hard to breathe, no descriptions of how truly horrifying it was. It is acceptable to younger ages in that way and is well researched enough to appeal to adults as well. It has an extensive bibliography for easy reference, and that makes it easy to find out more about certain people, battles or institutes.
I recommend this for anyone who likes Winnie The Pooh, any one who is into World War 1 history or Canadian history, or animal lovers.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been to/through White River, Ontario, Canada several times and have stopped to see the Winnie the Pooh statue.
This book was fascinating - telling how Winnipeg, Manitoba, and White River, Ontario, and London, England all have claims on Winnie.
What a bear!

[Janene Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was very interesting to read about the events of the war and the veterinarians work as well. The photographs and bits about the actual people were a wonderful bonus.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of a bear and her love of humans and them of her.

[Danielle Schulmeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable origin story for the worlds most beloved bear

[Michele Amsdill]

The story you never knew you needed to know!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that the story of the real-life bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh chronicled in this book would actually make a great movie, but I found the writing style to be extremely dry. But the pictures were a delightful addition, so that rounded out the rating to a 3.

[Cindy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew there was a "real" Winnie the Pooh. Love the photos of Harry & Winnie.