Discovering Black Bears, Mom's Choice Awards Recipient - Softcover

Margaret Anderson; Nancy Field; Karen Stephenson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0941042375 ISBN 13: 9780941042376

Publisher: Dog-Eared Publications, 2007

Synopsis

Discovering Black Bears is a nature activity book that explores the natural history of the American black bear, its behavior and habitat. It also covers bear-human conflicts and how problems can be resolved. This engaging book, aimed at children of all ages, introduces the reader to real-life bear biologists, who have new insights into bear behavior. Discovering Black Bears has full color illustrations, a sheet of black bear stickers, and contains 20 activities designed to challenge children s minds.

About this title

About the Author

Margaret Anderson grew up in Scotland, where she graduated from Edinburgh University with honors in genetics. She worked as a biologist and statistician in England, Canada, and the United States. She now lives in Corvallis, Oregon with her husband Norman, an entomologist. She has written over twenty-five books both fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. O lla-piska: Tales of David Douglas is a finalist for the 2007 Oregon Book Award. Nancy Field has a B.S. in biology and science education from the Univ. of Wisconsin and a M.S. in wildlife biology from South Dakota State Univ. Since co-organizing the first Earth Day at South Dakota State University in 1970, she has aimed to help children develop a love for nature and an environmental ethic. She is the author of fifteen interactive nature books for children, several best sellers. Awards garnered by her various titles include Parents Choice Approval, Parents Media and the coveted Ben Franklin Award from the Publishers Marketing Association. She has taught at the junior high, senior high and several colleges, including Bellevue Community College, Bellevue, Wash, Western Oregon State College, Monmouth, Oregon and Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. She has taught college classes on the principles of biology and environmental education to future elementary teachers. She has three children and three grandchildren. She lives in Middleton, Wisconsin where her husband is a professor in forestry. Karen Stephenson s interest in biology started as a child, collecting insects with her father. She graduated from Reed College with a B.A. in biology and is at present studying pharmacy at Oregon State University. She lives in Corvallis, Oregon where she shares her love of natural history with her two young daughters, Fiona and Gillian. Discovering Black Bears is Karen s third book with Dog-Eared Publications.

Review

Discovering Black Bears is a consumable book featuring twenty activities and stories for young readers curious about black bears. From a page of black bear stickers, to a board game based on the life cycle of a black bear, to a matching game of famous bears in popular culture, to a simple crossword puzzle of bear words and much more, Discovering Black Bears offers a hands-on learning experience. Enthusiastically recommended for any child with a keen interest in these amazing creatures, and good for keeping kids amused during camping trips --Midwest Book Review

Discovering Black Bears is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom s Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book/product has been honored by this distinguished award. --Mom s Choice Awards --Mom s Choice Awards

Like counting rings on a tree stump, looking at a cross section of a black bear s tooth will reveal its age. A 200-pound black bear begins life at a mere _ of a pound, and can be brown, cinnamon, blue-gray, or even white. Children discover these remarkable facts about the North American mammal through short, descriptive passages and twenty accompanying activities, from codes and games to stickers and crossword puzzles. T Topics comprise anatomy, hibernation, cub care, communication, habitats, food, and differences among other bears, as well as bears in constellations, their importance in Native American history, trivia, and even a ghost story. The book profiles several wildlife biologists, such as Lynn Rogers from the Wildlife Research Institute and scat detective Sue Mansfield. Scientific equipment is explained, the different methods of tracking bears, and field research techniques. The book also emphasizes human s impact on black bears, and how to practice good conservation, especially when visiting bear country. The authors of this Discovering Nature Library title have written other books in the series, including Ancient Forests, a Parents Choice award winner, and Leapfrogging Through Wetlands, winner of Parents Choice and Parents Media awards and a Ben Franklin award in the category of science/environment. The illustrator, who has also contributed to several titles in the series, uses earth-toned paintings to show black bears in their natural environment. They not only depict black bears among the changing seasons, but in such various habitats as the northern woods and a southern swamp. Black-and-white sketches for children to color or for educators to reproduce are included. Discovering Black Bears can be used independently by upper elementary- and middle school-aged children or as a shared family, classroom, or group activity. No matter how it is enjoyed, children will lose their misconceptions of black bears as large teddy bears or ferocious creatures on the prowl, and see them as important members in an ecosystem that need protection. Angela Leepe --ForeWord Magazine

Like counting rings on a tree stump, looking at a cross section of a black bear s tooth will reveal its age. A 200-pound black bear begins life at a mere _ of a pound, and can be brown, cinnamon, blue-gray, or even white. Children discover these remarkable facts about the North American mammal through short, descriptive passages and twenty accompanying activities, from codes and games to stickers and crossword puzzles. T Topics comprise anatomy, hibernation, cub care, communication, habitats, food, and differences among other bears, as well as bears in constellations, their importance in Native American history, trivia, and even a ghost story. The book profiles several wildlife biologists, such as Lynn Rogers from the Wildlife Research Institute and scat detective Sue Mansfield. Scientific equipment is explained, the different methods of tracking bears, and field research techniques. The book also emphasizes human s impact on black bears, and how to practice good conservation, especially when visiting bear country. The authors of this Discovering Nature Library title have written other books in the series, including Ancient Forests, a Parents Choice award winner, and Leapfrogging Through Wetlands, winner of Parents Choice and Parents Media awards and a Ben Franklin award in the category of science/environment. The illustrator, who has also contributed to several titles in the series, uses earth-toned paintings to show black bears in their natural environment. They not only depict black bears among the changing seasons, but in such various habitats as the northern woods and a southern swamp. Black-and-white sketches for children to color or for educators to reproduce are included. Discovering Black Bears can be used independently by upper elementary- and middle school-aged children or as a shared family, classroom, or group activity. No matter how it is enjoyed, children will lose their misconceptions of black bears as large teddy bears or ferocious creatures on the prowl, and see them as important members in an ecosystem that need protection. Angela Leepe --ForeWord Magazine

Discovering Black Bears is a consumable book featuring twenty activities and stories for young readers curious about black bears. From a page of black bear stickers, to a board game based on the life cycle of a black bear, to a matching game of famous bears in popular culture, to a simple crossword puzzle of bear words and much more, Discovering Black Bears offers a hands-on learning experience. Enthusiastically recommended for any child with a keen interest in these amazing creatures, and good for keeping kids amused during camping trips --Midwest Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Dog-Eared Publications
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0941042375
• ISBN 13: 9780941042376
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Michael Maydak