"So, you love bears? Fantastic! You have great taste. Bears are smart. Bears are curious. Bears are strong. And they can smell you coming from miles away."
A father gifts his daughter eight tickets to see the bears of the world. They pack their bear spotting kit with maps, a torch, water bottle, camera, warm clothes and most important of all the young girl takes along her teddy bear. She wants to find out which bear family he belongs to.
Arctic - travel by icebreaker - the polar bear fur white and pale and translucent.
Match - no - her teddy bear does not have white fur.
Alaska - travel by fast plane - the brown bear has brown fur with flecks of blond or black
Match - no - her teddy bear is not brown
Appalachian Mountains - you will need a trail pass - the black bear has short fur
Match - no - her teddy has a long black fur coat
Andes - travel by lama - the spectacled bear looks though she is wearing glasses
Match - no - he has no spectacles
Sri Lanka - take a jeep safari - the sloth bear has very long claws for digging up termites and ants
Match - no - her teddy does not have long claws
Borneo - canoe ride - the sun bear has a very long tongue
Match - no - as you have guessed her teddy bear does not have a long tongue
Tibet - another trail hike - meet the giant panda
Match - no - teddy does have a white face
So who does her teddy belong with? There is one more bear to meet - the Moon Bear from Japan, Korea, Siberia, Pakistan, Taiwan, and China.
On the final pages of this very enjoyable book, written for children aged 4+, there is a double spread explaining the animals that are NOT bears - the red panda; our koala; and a creature called a bearcat which I had not heard of. The bearcat is related to the civet and mongoose. He has a long tail for balancing in trees and white whiskers to help him feel his way around the forest at night. There is also a world map showing all the places the various bears are found. And a bear size chart. And finally some helpful information about staying safe if you are exploring an area where bears live.
This book is the perfect combination of a fiction narrative and nonfiction content. Unfortunately, it is another very expensive book - here in Australia it is listed at over AUS$40. It is published by Welbeck Children's Books from the UK [9781804535110]. If you ever see this book for a price you can afford it would be a good addition to a school library or perhaps you will see a copy to borrow from your own local or school library. Here is the webpage for the author Kate Peridot. Read the Kirkus review.
In your library head to the bear books in the nonfiction section [599.78]. Even though this is a fiction book I would read this one alongside Meet the Bears:
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