Sally Walker is the author of the ALA Notable Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917. She is also the author of Written in Bone, Fossil Fish Found Alive, and Secrets of a Civil War Submarine, which was awarded a Sibert Medal. She lives in Illinois.

Jonathan Voss was a portrait artist and graphic designer before becoming a children’s book illustrator. He lives in North Carolina with his family. This is his first book.

Who could care for a bear?

When Harry Colebourn saw a baby bear for sale at the train station, he knew he could care for it. Harry was a veterinarian. But he was also a soldier in training for World War I.

Harry named the bear Winnie, short for Winnipeg, his company’s home town, and he brought her along to the training camp in England. Winnie followed Harry everywhere and slept under his cot every night. Before long, she became the regiment’s much-loved mascot.

But who could care for the bear when Harry had to go to the battleground in France? Harry found just the right place for Winnie while he was away—the London Zoo. There a little boy named Christopher Robin came along and played with Winnie—he could care for this bear too!

Sally Walker’s heartwarming story, paired with Jonathan Voss’s evocative illustrations, brings to life the story of the real bear who inspired Winnie the Pooh.

 Praise for Blizzard of Glass:

An ALA Notable Children’s Book

* "Riveting." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Why haven't children heard this story before?" —The New York Times Book Review

"[Walker's] consummate gifts as a storyteller . . . breathe life into the tale." —The Horn Book

"This tragic but well-told story belongs in most collections." —School Library Journal