Sally Walker’s concise, finely crafted informational picture book about the bear that inspired A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh begins with Harry Colebourn, the Canadian veterinarian in World War I who purchased on orphaned bear cub. “Harry’s job was caring for horses that would be needed for battle. Winnie’s job was being Harry’s shadow.” Winnie was also a comfort and joy to horses and men alike, and provided plenty of entertaining moments, but Harry made the difficult decision to give her to the London Zoo when he was leaving for the front. Winnie was 11 when a young boy named Christopher Robin first saw her, and soon his father was spinning stories based on his son’s fascination with the bear. Walker’s account is short enough to easily incorporate into a storytime, with Jonathan Voss’s illustrations offering warm and engaging visual accompaniment, as do the wonderful photos on the endpapers. (Ages 4–8)