Searching for Blue Bears

In northern Minnesota, a backyard bear is a common summer event - a reason to stop washing the dishes and follow along at a safe distance to watch those giant paws scoop seeds out of neighborhood bird feeders or tip over a trash can or two. The black bear of this book wandered into an alley shared by the author ad illustrator, and found its way into this book. It is joined by the author's grandson, Jordan, who is happy to learn about black bear habits, but wonders where all the blue bears are that Grandma keeps talking about. He finds them when Grandma invites him to go berry picking. Children love finding the blue bears hidden on each page, and they'll learn about black bear behavior from the story and the factual pages at the back of the book provided by the North American Bear Center.

Dawn DeWitt lives near the Superior National Forest, home of thousands of black bears and at least that many bear stories. Her early years were spent in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia where catching crawdads, sprinting over rail fences and climbing tall maple trees were everyday joys.