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Eye on the Wild Series
Written and photographed by Suzi Eszterhas
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2012
ISBN: 9781847802057
Nonfiction PB
Grades K-3
“Far away in the mountains of Alaska, in the middle of winter, two baby brown bears are born. It is so cold outside that they spend the first few months of their lives tucked away in a warm and cozy den, fast asleep next to Mom.”
Professional wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas has filled Brown Bear with an up-close look at brown bears, often called grizzly bears. The book begins with the birth of the cubs and traces their lives for the next two years as they learn to live on their own with their mother. The narrative text provides excellent details about their lives and explains the bears’ activities without anthropomorphizing them in any way. By the arrival of spring following the young bears’ third birthday, the young venture out on their own.
The writing is descriptive and well-done, and the photography is fantastic. The pictures show the bears in their natural setting engaged in activities that develop naturally and the up-close photos are amazing, showing them in their own environment.
This is a terrific book to illustrate life cycles. It shows the bears in their natural habitat and could lead to a discussion of omnivores. It would be a good read-aloud and is full of fascinating facts about these animals. The final page provides more brown bear facts. This book is a fun read and I absolutely loved it. Other Eye on the Wild books in this series are about cheetahs, gorillas, and lions.
Activity
Look up information about polar bears and black bears. Create a way to compare the three different kinds of bears. You may want to include size information, young, food habits, and anything else you can learn. Present your information in an interesting way.
National Geographic has more information about brown bears.
Learn about polar bears here.
National Geographic has information about black bears here.
Take a look at the author’s new work on lions here.
National Science Standard: growth and development of organisms; social interactions
Book provided by the publisher.
that bear is just too cute! Thanks for sharing this book.