A diary entry, written over a century ago… in many ways, this is where everything began. This photograph is a page from my great grandfather Harry Colebourn’s 1914 diary where he wrote a simple note to describe what he did on August 24th, 1914. “Left Port Arthur, 7am, On train, bought bear, $20”. He would name that bear, his pet, ‘Winnipeg’, ‘Winnie’ for short, an action that would go on to inspire the world’s most famous bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. Harry, who had emigrated from Britain to Canada was part of the Canadian Army Veterinarian Corps, en route to WW1 to look after the cavalry units.

“Could you tell me a story?” Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always felt incredibly lucky to have such a personal connection to Winnie-the-Pooh by AA Milne. And so, about 10 years ago it occurred to me that one day, I might have my own child and would need to share this incredible family story with him or her. I decided that writing a picture book would be the perfect way to do just that. My book Finding Winnie (illustrated by Sophie Blackall) begins with my own son Cole, asking me to tell him a true story… one about a bear…

A unique friendship begins… Before Harry enlisted as a soldier in the first world war, he was a trained veterinarian who loved animals. After he purchased Winnie, he brought her across the Atlantic to the army camps on the Salisbury Plain where she lived with him and his fellow soldiers for four months before being sent to the front lines in France. Winnie was well known as an excellent navigator and she entertained the soldiers with her friendly and playful nature.

One of the most amazing things about writing Finding Winnie has been watching archival photographs from our family collection become the inspiration for my illustrator Sophie Blackall’s incredible illustrations. One of my favourite scenes is this one, which shows how Winnie was a source of joy for Harry’s regiment in a time of uncertainty. You can see more of our family’s archive here.

And here is Sophie Blackall’s gorgeous illustration for Finding Winnie, inspired by the previous picture. Lovely isn’t it?

Recognising that the front lines were no place for a young bear (or any bear for that matter), Harry made a fateful decision. On 9 December 1914, he borrowed a car from a fellow officer and drove Winnie from the Salisbury Plain to the London Zoo. He asked the zoo if they could look after her until the war was over. While Harry fully intended to bring her home with him at the end of the war, no one anticipated how long the war would last. After four years at the London Zoo it was clear to Harry that Winnie had found a new home.

Sometimes you have to let one story end so another can begin… at London Zoo, Winnie met thousands of visitors. But one visitor in particular would change the course of children’s literature forever. Author AA Milne and his son Christopher Robin were frequent visitors to the zoo. Christopher Robin, like many children, loved Winnie because of her exceptionally friendly nature. He decided to rename his stuffed bear from Edward to Winnie and his father took inspiration from Winnie, and his other stuffed animals, writing stories about their adventures in the wood behind his home.

A very special bear… Winnie was a star attraction at the London Zoo, where she lived for over 20 years – a long life for black bear. Her unique nature was written about frequently in articles and even in her obituary. In particular, the zookeeper Ernest Scales wrote that Winnie was “the only bear they ever trusted entirely,” letting children, like Christopher Robin, go right inside her enclosure and even ride on her back.

You never know the impact one small loving gesture can have… Finding Winnie was written for my son Cole (here we are together!), which is short for Colebourn, after my great grandfather. As I wrote in the dedication to Cole, I wanted him to keep this story close to him to always remind him and other children around the world, the unexpected impact that one small, loving gesture can have.

A reminder to be curious…

Finding Winnie is also a reminder that our family histories – our personal histories - are mines worthy of excavation and discovery. I hope that reading the ‘story behind the story’ of the world’s most famous bear inspires people around the world to be curious about their own ancestors, to ask questions and ultimately to learn about the stories that helped shape who they are.

Lindsay Mattick’s Finding Winnie, illustrated by Sophie Blackall and published by Hachette, is available to buy at the Guardian bookshop. And news just in: Paul Bright, Jeanne Willis, Kate Saunders and Brian Sibley are busy writing The Best Bear in All the World, the official sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. The anthology sequel will publish next October in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the first publication of Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926!