A Bear's Life

July 10, 2017
This well-designed companion to Wolf Island features Read’s exquisite photographs of black bears, grizzlies, and rare spirit bears—black bears born with white fur—as they eat, sleep, travel, and play over the course of a year in British Columbia’s verdant Great Bear Rainforest. Amid photos that showcase various adult bears, as well as cubs with their mothers, McAllister vividly describes ursine behaviors and the ecology of their habitat: “The Great Bear Rainforest’s long, jagged coastline has many rivers and streams. Bears get some of their food from these streams, especially in the fall when the salmon return.” It’s a captivating and intimately photographed look at the lives of wild bears. Ages 5–8.

July 1, 2017

K-Gr 3-Read examines the life cycle of a number of bear species that call the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia home. McAllister's stunning photographs reveal the beauty and magnificence of the area; young readers will be drawn to the full-page photos. The book imparts basic facts about bear habitat, diet, and family life. Read emphasizes how much time it takes for cubs to learn survival skills from their mom and the importance of a balanced ecosystem. An eagle, a wolf, and a deer make guest appearances. McAllister's close-up images of the creatures and the forest radiate with energy and atmosphere, in large part because of the clean layout, which lets them shine. Occasionally the information could be a bit more specific; for example, the text references the "spirit bear" but doesn't mention its many other names (Kermode bear or moskgm'ol). VERDICT A title sure to be enjoyed over and over again. An easy pick for nonfiction animal collections.-Denise Moore, formerly at O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2017
A nature photographer shares his images of young bearhood in the Great Bear Rainforest. Appropriately, McAllister's name comes first on the cover and title page. The heart of this album is his photography: two beautiful landscapes showing the pristine Great Bear Rainforest bookend many, many close-ups of bears. There are grizzly bears, black bears, and the one-in-10 black bear with white fur that is called a spirit bear. Aimed at young readers and listeners, the simple text focuses on the lives of bear cubs and their parents, finding food--plant shoots and berries, barnacles and other seashore treats, salmon--napping, exploring, and playing. Most spreads include a full-page photo (or one crossing the fold) and one or two smaller ones plus a paragraph or two. There's no attempt to explain the location of this pristine coastal wilderness in British Columbia, which the author and photographer have described in such books for older readers as The Salmon Bears (2010) and other titles. There is, though, a nod to the indigenous human inhabitants with a summary of the Raven tale explaining the existence of the white bears. There's also an intriguing description of bear fishing styles: grabbing, scooping, pinning, crushing. An appropriate companion to Wolf Island (2017) to nourish the sense of wonder. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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