Winnie

Winnie

Picture book
It would probably be next to impossible to go through childhood
and parenting these days in America without enccountering Winnie the
Pooh, either A. A. Milne's original or Disney's commercialization.
But how well do you know that bear of very little brain? Do you
realize, for example, that there was a very real bruin who spent most
of his cubhood as a mascot for a Canadian vetinary regiment in World
War I? (Winnie is short for Winnipeg, their home town).
In Winnie, Sally Walker makes just about everyone's favorite
bear come alive from the day a soldier named Harry Colbourn saw him
through a train window and couldn't resist buying him, through his
stint serving as beloved mascot on two continents, and on to a day
when peril became too real and be was given to the London Zoo where he
would become a favorite of legions of children...including a very
young Christopher Robin who wanted a bedtime story about his new chum...
...the first of many.
Jonathan Voss' colorful and sometimes quite amusing
illustrations help bring this tender and quite unusual love story to
life. The book is a read aloud neither parent nor child will tire of.
On a personal note, Joey cat, whose self appointed duties include
checking out every object brought into the house, had quite a
challenge recently. Our dryer had broken and our washing machine was
on its last legs. Eugene was able to acquire practically new ones
from a work friend along with a vacuum cleaner and four kitchen
chairs. Joey must have found examination especially ardurous. When
he had explored to his satisfaction he settled down in top of the new
dryer for a well deserved nap.
A great big shout out goes out to the non human sentient beings who
bring so much joy to our lives and to all people who engage in the
bartering and passing on of useful goods.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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