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Summer With the Bears: Six Seasons in the North Woods
In the animal-loving tradition of James Herriot, this delightful story explores the relationship between man and one of natures smartest, most interesting, and sensitive creatures -- the black bear -- and how this experience enriched two peoples lives. Poignant and entertaining, and enhanced by photos that reveal a unique and amazing friendship, Summers with the Bears is a fascinating chronicle of what happens when humans and wild animals cross the boundaries into each others world.
- GenresAnimalsNonfiction
178 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 7, 2018
I believe I would have liked this book better if I liked bears. The main thing that struck me is that the couple who lived around bears knew that you should never feed them, never let them get used to people, but they didn’t listen, and even said that this was a wrong view. No, it isn’t. Friendly bears get killed every year or sent deeper into the woods because they are bothering campers. Still, by the time I was finished with the book I found I loved the stories, and the bear called Little Bit, as much as I could love a bear.
Unlike some animal stories that I have read where a person will befriend an animal, this one is about many animals. I prefer getting to know one animal, but I can understand that due to the situation that they were in, living in the wilderness of Minnesota, bears came stopping by for food all the time, and so some cubs became family members, others were just fed, and Patti and Jack just kept a respectful distance from them.
I kept waiting for one of them, the man and wife who were feeding the bears, to get hurt, mauled, or killed. Jack was finally bitten by a bear that smelled another bear on him, but as soon as the bear realized what he had done, he backed off. Little Bit saw Patti in the garden one time, and an unknown bear was approaching her without her realizing it, so Little Bit, grown now, took off after that bear. That isn’t unusual for an animal to protect a friend. I had a cat in my youth, who upon seeing that our dog was fighting with another dog, ran into the middle of the fight and stopped it, chasing the other dog off. A screaming cat with claws can be scary.
The bears that came to their home often chased each other off, but even bears were afraid of other bears. I remember how Little Bit, as a young mother, was afraid of one such bear that came into the yard. Jack and Patti chased it off, and then when they found Little Bit she was “sitting with her back against the old white spruce tree, holding her frightened cub in her lap with both paws wrapped around him.” Bears know more about NOT being around other bears than some people.
When I read the book, “Bear in the Back Seat,” the ranger who wrote this fun loving and scary book, said that some people, when seeing wild animals want to get a closer look. I felt that urge myself when my husband and I were in Yellowstone a few years back. I saw a bear eating an elk with two wolves were nearby. I wanted to walk down the valley and up the hill to get a better view, but I knew better, as in, no one else in the crowd of onlookers were trying to get a closer view. Actually, I knew better than that, but the urge was there. While that was the most exciting part of our trip to Yellowstone, I had dreaded driving through the park just because it had bears, and I couldn’t wait to leave.
Unlike some animal stories that I have read where a person will befriend an animal, this one is about many animals. I prefer getting to know one animal, but I can understand that due to the situation that they were in, living in the wilderness of Minnesota, bears came stopping by for food all the time, and so some cubs became family members, others were just fed, and Patti and Jack just kept a respectful distance from them.
I kept waiting for one of them, the man and wife who were feeding the bears, to get hurt, mauled, or killed. Jack was finally bitten by a bear that smelled another bear on him, but as soon as the bear realized what he had done, he backed off. Little Bit saw Patti in the garden one time, and an unknown bear was approaching her without her realizing it, so Little Bit, grown now, took off after that bear. That isn’t unusual for an animal to protect a friend. I had a cat in my youth, who upon seeing that our dog was fighting with another dog, ran into the middle of the fight and stopped it, chasing the other dog off. A screaming cat with claws can be scary.
The bears that came to their home often chased each other off, but even bears were afraid of other bears. I remember how Little Bit, as a young mother, was afraid of one such bear that came into the yard. Jack and Patti chased it off, and then when they found Little Bit she was “sitting with her back against the old white spruce tree, holding her frightened cub in her lap with both paws wrapped around him.” Bears know more about NOT being around other bears than some people.
When I read the book, “Bear in the Back Seat,” the ranger who wrote this fun loving and scary book, said that some people, when seeing wild animals want to get a closer look. I felt that urge myself when my husband and I were in Yellowstone a few years back. I saw a bear eating an elk with two wolves were nearby. I wanted to walk down the valley and up the hill to get a better view, but I knew better, as in, no one else in the crowd of onlookers were trying to get a closer view. Actually, I knew better than that, but the urge was there. While that was the most exciting part of our trip to Yellowstone, I had dreaded driving through the park just because it had bears, and I couldn’t wait to leave.
November 21, 2011
Summers With The Bears: My Review
Summers With The Bears was about a couple that moved back to Minnesota. They find out they have bears as neighbors and are very worried at first. Then they meet a bear whom they will call Little Bit. She is but a yearling at first. Patti (the wife) spends time each day with Little Bit, sitting next to her as she feeds. Then, one day, she brings the news to Jack that "I actually touched her today!" This is very exciting news and starts a friendship that will last the whole life of Little Bit. Little Bit then brings home other yearlings and they spend the day wrestling and romping around the yard. This was a very touching book and one of my absolute favorites. On a scale from one to ten I rate this ten for overall animal-human relationship. I loved this book.
Summers With The Bears was about a couple that moved back to Minnesota. They find out they have bears as neighbors and are very worried at first. Then they meet a bear whom they will call Little Bit. She is but a yearling at first. Patti (the wife) spends time each day with Little Bit, sitting next to her as she feeds. Then, one day, she brings the news to Jack that "I actually touched her today!" This is very exciting news and starts a friendship that will last the whole life of Little Bit. Little Bit then brings home other yearlings and they spend the day wrestling and romping around the yard. This was a very touching book and one of my absolute favorites. On a scale from one to ten I rate this ten for overall animal-human relationship. I loved this book.
October 11, 2014
I loved this quick read. A newspaperman and his wife had the pleasure of getting a close up peek into the lives of bears that visited their wooded home.
The author’s vivid account of the relationship between he, his wife and the bears makes this a fun read. Like, they would leave boxfuls of sunflower seeds out on their deck for the bears to enjoy. The bears would paw at their sliding glass door to let them know they arrived. The cubs would scoot up trees when scared and bears played together on their lawn.
An enjoyable read for the animal and nature lover.
The author’s vivid account of the relationship between he, his wife and the bears makes this a fun read. Like, they would leave boxfuls of sunflower seeds out on their deck for the bears to enjoy. The bears would paw at their sliding glass door to let them know they arrived. The cubs would scoot up trees when scared and bears played together on their lawn.
An enjoyable read for the animal and nature lover.
October 23, 2020
This book was fun. You got to know the bears and we’re happy and sad then happy again. I have a cabin near Grand Marais and I know the places mentioned in the book. It was a taste of summer for me, too. However, I’ve only seen 3 bears at my cabin.
July 9, 2023
Found this gem in a wonderful used bookstore while on vacation up north. If you love bears, this is the book for you…full of laughs, unexpected heartfelt moments and up close observations of these wondrous creatures.
March 16, 2018
This book warmed my whole heart! I highly recommend reading this if you are an animal lover like I am- it won’t disappoint! ❤️
May 3, 2018
Don't feed the bears. Or the chipmunks. Or the birds.
April 11, 2023
Going to go live in the forest and be one with the bears now.
January 9, 2023
selten hab ich so einen packenden und wunderschönen Bericht gelesen. Ich hab mich verliebt in die Bären und gleichzeitig wurde mir mein Herz gebrochen.
February 11, 2017
Readable; interesting.
September 18, 2024
Simply put: amazing. I'm pushing this on everyone, because you know you want to read about how an ordinary couple formed lifelong friendships with a couple of wild yearling black bears who then hung out on their deck, liked to be fed by hand, and brought their cubs back and everything. It's mind-boggling. If you need me, I'll be over here, marveling with dropped jaw at how especially gentle Little Bit was.
August 28, 2018
A very simple memoir that describes some touching and rather rare human-bear interactions. Becklund does not try to educate or lecture the reader - he makes it very clear that they are not trained researchers, biologists, or anything other than friendly folk who appreciate bears and other wild creatures. He's not long on details, either. I read the entire book in 2 sittings and enjoyed it very much. The text is sprinkled with photos of the bears and their hosts.
November 23, 2025
This is a well written story of one family’s (mostly just the author) experience of living in the north woods in Minnesota and the wildlife that they interacted with during six summers where one bear decided to befriend them.
See my full review here:
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com...
Or
https://youtu.be/BIx-73REYi4?si=lbsEQ...
See my full review here:
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com...
Or
https://youtu.be/BIx-73REYi4?si=lbsEQ...
January 21, 2008
This is an amazing book. It's hard to believe, and when I tell people about the story, they don't believe it. Read the book, and you'll be a believer too!
November 22, 2014
Loved it!
January 18, 2015
Amazing story. Grand Marias is where we plan on retiring and the book made me anxious to get there.
May 2, 2015
Pretty repetitive. Overall, boring.
June 15, 2016
Dry writing. Morally unforgivable act.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews