The Brainstorm 56: Books for K-12 classrooms

In honor of the Caldecott being awarded this past Monday, a Brainstorm featuring the winner and two books that could be used with it (or on their own).

Picture Book Resources

Finding Winne: the True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, ill. by Sophie Blackall

A biographical picture book about Harry Coleburn, the bear he bought and named Winnipeg (Winnie for short), their adventures during WWI, Winnie's eventual placement at the London Zoo, and a little boy named Christopher Robin who fell in love with Winnie at the zoo.

There is another picture book biography of Coleburn, Christopher Robin, and Winnie (see next book in this blog post). This one is more sentimental in both text tone and art style. It is written by the great-granddaughter of Harry Coleburn so it has a tiny amount of more personal details. The story is written as if Mattick is telling her son a bedtime story about a man first (Harry) and then a boy (Christopher Robin), and at the end she reveals the relationship of herself and her son to Harry. There are real pictures in the back of the book of artifacts of Harry's as well as photographs of Harry, Winnie, and Christopher Robin. I like both books for their own merits. I like the succinct way Winnie conveys the story. I like the personal interest spin that this book puts on the tale. I like the illustrations in both books, but I may like Blackall's a tiny bit more. If asked to choose just one version of the story to read I think I'd pick this one if I had more time, but the other if time was short (but it'd be a really close call).

Activity Tie-ins:

• Current Events: This book has appeared in several news articles this week since it just won the Caldecott Medal on Monday.
• Caldecott Medal: Discuss the requirements for the Caldecott Medal winners, the history of the award, and ask students why they think this book won the award. (For requirements and history, click here.)
• WWI: This is a happier story from WWI, and how it affected history. If Harry hadn't brought Winnie with him to England during the war, there may never have been a Winnie-the-Pooh.
• Canadians: Looking for a story of a famous Canadian? Here’s one who often falls under the radar.
• Further Research: There’s more information out there about Winnie. Winnie eventually ended up in the London Zoo, which is where she met Christopher Robin. The London Zoo has several resources on her including a 2 min video. Go to the ZLS website and type in Winnie-the-Pooh in their search box for the website. 
• Veterinarians: It’s not often a veterinarian stars in a biographical picture book. This gives a peek into the occupation’s roll in WWI.
• Bears: If you’re studying bears. Winnie is a captivating real bear of history.
• A.A. Milne: This story highlights much of the inspiration for a well-loved children’s literature character. If you’re studying Milne, this book not only provides background, but real pictures of the author, his son, and his inspiration.

Winnie: the True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker, ill. by Jonathan D. Voss
Tells the story of the veterinarian, Harry Coleburn, enlisted in the Canadian army in WWI to care for horses who made a bear cub part of his troop. He named the bear Winnipeg after the troop's hometown, and they called the cub Winnie for short. Winnie was trained very well and loved by many. Eventually the mascot traveled with the Canadian soldiers to England, but when they were moved to the front lines of France, Harry decided to leave Winnie at the London Zoo for safety. Winnie adapted so well to the zoo, Harry left the bear there. Because Winnie was so tame, the keepers at the zoo let children pet, feed, and even ride Winnie. One of the children who became enamored with the friendly bear was a little boy named Christopher Robin. He loved Winnie so much he renamed his teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, and his father wrote stories about the toy bear's adventures.

This book is just the perfect length. All the essential details are included, but it still remains a fairly quick read. The illustrations are charming, and there are real photographs of Harry, Winnie and Christopher Robin on the end papers. There's also an author's note with more historic details for those who want them.

Activity Tie-ins:

• (Obviously many of the tie-ins for Finding Winnie apply to this book as well.)
• Compare/Contrast: There are some subtle differences between this tale of Harry and Finding Winnie in tone or the way they tell certain parts of the story. Obviously, the illustration style is different too. A great opportunity to do a Venn diagram exercise.
• Seeming Historic Discrepancies & Artistic License: This book has the man at the station asking for $20 and in Finding Winnie Harry offers the man $20. It’s a great opportunity to talk about why history books may have subtle differences. This one’s even better because we know why there are two different interpretations. The back of Finding Winnie includes the ledger where Harry records paying $20 for Winnie but it has no further details. Walker decided that meant the man asked for $20. Mattick decided her great-grandfather offered $20. Is either one wrong based on the recorded information? Does it really matter which way it happened? Which author do you think might have some further inside information about what really happened and why?

A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Dessert by Emily Jenkins, ill. by Sophie Blackall
Readers watch as four families in 1710, 1810, 1910 and 2010 make blackberry fool. The methods of getting the ingredients, whisking the cream and cooling the treat vary over time along with the dress and location of the families, but the basic treat and enjoyment of it remain the same.

A fantastic book for looking at how food preparation has changed over time and also the ways it has remained the same. I liked the diversity of the families included. The first is a British family, the second a slave family in the South, the third a middle class Boston family, and the fourth a Hispanic-American family in California who have quite the diverse group of friends over for the meal featured. And you absolutely HAVE to read the author and illustrator's notes in the back of this book. It's a beautiful book in illustration style that is also rich in education and entertainment aspects.

Activity Tie-ins:

• Illustrations & the Caldecott: Blackall had two books eligible for the Caldecott this year. Obviously, Finding Winnie was one. This was the other one. Many people thought she should win the award for this book. Have students look at both books and debate why they think Finding Winnie won the award instead of this one. Which book would they have picked for the Caldecott and why?
• History: A great picture book for classes covering 1710, 1810, or 1910. You get a picture of some everyday activities from each time period.
• Compare/Contrast Various Time Periods: There are definite patterns in this book that will aid a compare/contrast of time periods. What stayed the same and what changed as times changed? Which periods were most alike and which the most different?
• Class Cooking: If you’re looking for a book to tie in with a food prep activity in class, this would be an easy dessert to make. You just need blackberries, cream, sugar, and vanilla. If you want to make things interesting, you could pick which time period to replicate in the food preparation.
• Art & Research: Blackall provides an excellent note on all the research she did for this book to make it authentic. Art classes could use this as inspiration and a launching pad for an art project that requires research.