Let Them Be Eaten By Bears: A Fearless Guide to Taking Our Kids Into the Great Outdoors

by Peter Brown Hoffmeister

Get ready to go out and play…

Based on the author’s acclaimed Integrated Outdoor Program, Let Them Be Eaten by Bears is Peter Hoffmeister’s inspiring guide to helping kids enjoy nature and appreciate the great outdoors. Drawing from his personal and professional background as an educator, guide, writer, and father, and focusing on fun rather than fear, Hoffmeister offers an approachable, fun reintroduction to hiking, camping, and all-around exploring that will help parents and kids alike feel empowered and capable.

Whether you’re a veteran outdoorsperson, a first-time hiker, or anything in between, get ready to put on your sneakers, turn off your video games, and rediscover the simple, powerful joy of going out to play.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Nature, Education, Outdoors, Travel, Adult

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2013

About the author

Author also writes under Pedro Hoffmeister

Pedro Hoffmeister's new novel, American Afterlife, is a thriller with Crooked Lane Books (distributed by Penguin Random House).
Writing under the name Peter Brown Hoffmeister, Hoffmeister's previous novels have earned places on Year-End "Best Of" lists for 2016 and 2017 by The American Library Association, VOYA, and Bank Street, and starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, VOYA, and The Bulletin.
Hoffmeister is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Too Shattered For Mending, This Is The Part Where You Laugh, and Graphic The Valley. He has also written the memoir The End of Boys, the nonfiction text Let Them Be Eaten By Bears, and a new collection of essays titled Confessions Of The Last Man On Earth Without A Cell Phone.
A former troubled teen, Hoffmeister was expelled from three high schools, lived for a short while in a Greyhound bus station, was remanded to a recovery and parole program, and completed a wilderness experience for troubled teens. He now runs the Integrated Outdoor Program and represents Ridgemont Outfitters as an outdoor athlete and climbs for Elevation Bouldering.
He lives with his wife and daughters in Eugene, Oregon.

Reviews

[Asilef · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my god I hated this book. So very much.
I really only write these goodreads reviews for myself, so I can remember how I felt about books, but just in case someone is reading my review before the book, let me help save you some time.
- This book isn't for parents looking to take their kids into nature more often. It is an advice book for professional nature guides (is that what Hoffmeister's intention was? I don't know, but that's the way it ended up coming across.).
- You can read the chapter titles and headlines within chapters, nothing more!, and you will know just as much had you read every single word.

Here is a handful of examples to show why I hated this book:
Chapter 4 is all about packing light. Don't go out and buy unnecessary equipment, don't bring more than the bare essentials. Then at the end of the chapter is a list of 5 ridiculous things (portable toilet, portable deep fryer, outdoor blender, electric marshmallow toaster, special dog tent) to bring camping.

Peter Brown Hoffmeister is a pompous, holier-than-thou jackhole. The entire book is written specifically to stroke his ego and let the world know how much better he is than every other human being in existence.
At one point, he even takes a dig at the NYC parents from the movie Babies because they (get ready to clutch your pearls!) go to an INDOORS mommy and me playgroup!!! Can you imagine the horrendous life those people are setting up for their child?? THEY WERE INSIDE!

I also couldn't stand Hoffmeister's writing style. Example:
"I'm sure that they whiled away hours telling each other stories. Maybe scary stories. Maybe love stories. Or even story jokes."
If you are writing a book (and yes, I admit this is just a personal pet peeve), don't use sentence fragments. It's a BOOK, not some comments on a blog.

Chapter 8 tells a story of a student who chased vicodin with vodka on a hiking trip. But what happened to him? What was the moral of that story? LOL silly me, there's no moral. Not even an ending! Pete just wanted us to know some kid drank some vodka and he knows an instructor named Sonja.
Really.

One thing that caught my eye was a section entitled For Example, Taking Drugs To Sleep When Outside because hey, maybe the next time I go camping I'll want to take some Tylenol PM to fall asleep. Pete says don't do that! But...he doesn't say why not, and doesn't give any useful info on natural ways to fall asleep.

SO IN CONCLUSION, it was pointless drivel. Instead of wasting your time with Let Them Be Eaten By Bears, just take your kids to the park and play with them. Easy!

PS- I'm not really sure why, but people seem fascinated with the amount of ~time and effort~ I put into this review. Let me help save you some of your own time and effort asking about it by answering right here:
Ten minutes. That's 10. And the only reason it took so long is because the goodreads app doesn't automatically capitalize letters and insert apostrophes like everything else on my phone :(
PPS: It took maybe a minute to write these post-scripts.
Happy reading!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book because A) the title is awesome and B) it's marketed and described on the back cover as "a simple, practical reintroduction to hiking, camping and all-around exploring." However, this book is really more of a cross between a description of how to do extreme outdoor activities (like camping in the snow in a shelter you made yourself) and a memoir of the author's Integrated Outdoor Program class that he teaches at an Oregon high school. I found very little actual advice for the average parent looking to spend more time outdoors with their kids. The little of it there was was mostly obvious advice like pack light and be safe.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to venture a guess that misaligned expectations are at the root of at least some of the dissatisfied reviews of this book. On the other hand, I loved this, largely in part because the book wasn't just the guide with lists and dry how-tos that I was expecting. I actually engaged with the ideas, suggestions, anecdotes, examples, some lists, and some humor, and the book was much more enjoyable than I anticipated.

While much of the book describes extreme outdoor adventures that I will never attempt, these stories served as inspiration for me to start with something small and manageable. I'm not ready to take my kids backpacking through the wilderness or riding the rapids, but going outside to chase fireflies, watch stars, go car camping, and just generally appreciate the outdoors; those are all doable goals. The immediate result of reading this also led me to think of all the local, free places we could go to run around, take our bikes, and enjoy ourselves.

Beyond the whole outdoors, I found several bits that resonated with me. He discusses the importance of failure, of taking risks, of squashing stereotypes, of focusing on the process instead of the destination, and of always looking to grow as a person. None of these topics seemed trite to me viewed through his lens of outdoor activity.

Every so often I did get a bit of a preachy vibe, but overall I found his style to be simply enthusiastic and encouraging. Plus, the title is catchy :)

[S. Garland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is simultaneously good and throw-against-the-wall awful.

I have a one month old baby (currently snoozing off his latest milk coma on my lap) and I bought this book for one very specific reason: my husband and I are outdoors people, and we don't want to have to choose between the outdoors and our child. We want him to enjoy nature, but we don't want to have to take a 5-year hiatus until he's "old enough." Also, the title, hilarious.

We were confident enough with our own camping skills to reserve a spot at a site we've previously visited (and during the "off season"), and have aired out our gear for a preliminary backyard camping trip. My hope when reading the book was that I would get some tips and tricks from someone experienced enough to get their knowledge published.

The primary issue with this book is its confused audience. The first chapter pretty clearly states this is written for parents who think they have to choose between the outdoors and their children--not so. Ah yes, preaching to the choir--but how do I prevent it?!

The book immediately derails into convincing the reader that nature is good and something about no child left behind and blah blah TV is bad. Oh, and did he mention he's qualified to write this book? He did? At the start of every chapter? Well, he'll be the first to admit he's not! Save it for the Introduction, or paragraph 1 of chapter 1. Don't be so eager to give your reader buyer's remorse before they hit chapter 4.

This book would have been great if it acknowledged the four audiences that it flips around talking to:

1) currently active outdoors people hoping to not give up what they love
2) former outdoors people who made the choice to give it up and are now unsure how to reintroduce it
3) people who apparently don't know how to camp, but either want/need to be convinced nature is good for their kids
4) people who want to run an outdoors program with a large group of children

It would have greatly helped the reader (and, frankly, the author) if the book was seperated by the age of the child entering the woods. If I have a five year old, the ship has sailed about bringing a pack n play with my four month old. If I have a five year old, activities and concerns are different vs a five month old or fifteen year old.

I gave the book a two because it was irreparably unfocused and cluttered. However, it contained a few gems I think even an experienced outdoors person needs to hear about taking their child[ren] of any age into the woods: pacing, repetition, and respect.

The advice of doing a trial run in your backyard (to give confidence to both yourself and your kids), hike pacing when considering distance, and some ideas about learning opportunities (nature observations, compass/map skills, etc) it was all great. I just wish more of the book was this information.

Despite wanting to hack about 70% of this book away, I think if it were more focused and better organized it could probably stand to be longer or multiple books written to the various audiences/age groups.

Hoffmeister, book version 2...consider it. As a fellow Oregonian, backpacker, and technical writer, I implore you get an editor who can convince you to cut the fluff and help you organize all your knowledge better. I might even buy it again. As it stands...I wouldn't recommend it to a newbie or junkie.

[Dejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A fun read. And motivating. Kept thinking of the possibilities i have to spend time in nature and helped me make some plans. There are some really good ideas and advice on handling a group in nature. And personal experience examples were probably the best part.
Biggest downside is the book is targeted for US audiences. So even when advising the reader to go anywhere and listing random places, none of these places are outside the US. I wanna feel included, Peter. Continents would've been fine examples too.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am confused about the negative reviews of this book.. Get your kids outside, let them explore, and hey.. Here are some things you can do to help keep your family safe. What is wrong with that?

For anyone thinking of reading this book.. I personally thought his stories were interesting and kept me reading. In fact my family was just in mammoth and we used several tips from this book.

If I hadn't read it, I probably would not have packed knit caps for a day at the lake in the summer time, but because of this book, I take them almost everywhere. Sure enough, we were on the other side of the lake, the weather changed, and it rained on us, and they kept my kids warm, along with their extra pair of dry shoes I put on them after playing in the creek. Good read.

Soak in the stuff you like, leave what you don't. I am giving it four stars just because there were a few chapters that didn't apply to me right now, but maybe I will use them in the future. Overall great book.

[Karen Duvall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The humor was great and I loved the ideas that were brought forward to getting not just kids, but whole families and even communities outside. In an age where we are consumed by electronics, it's more than fine to put them down and enjoy what's outside and around you. This book is a keeper for me.

[Nari · Rating 2 out of 5]

In fairness, I skimmed through 75% of this book. Although well intentioned, the author lost sight of his audience multiple times throughout the book. If he had broken it up into more uniform parts, it would have been easier to digest.

His target audience fell into one of these groups:
1. New parents wanting to share a love of nature with their kids
2. Nature guides
3. Extreme outdoors explorers.

The fun, is that you never which audience he’s talking to at any point in the book.

I learned to skip the intro to each chapter because it was some “hey I’m awesomely counterculture, look at me” story that only remotely related to the chapter heading. Also, the Vicodin and vodka story was as useless as other reviews depict.

Much of his book dealt with outdoor scenarios far more extreme than anything I’ll encounter. Despite his promise that this is a book for parents who want to be more outdoorsy, I found little in this book to pull me in that direction.

There is some good in this book.
- I admire the confidence in his daughters from so many meaningful experiences outdoors
- I admire his passion for being outdoors and wanting to see that same love revive in our modern, tech-driven society
- I like his ideas of starting small, slowing down, letting the child take the lead & being OK with failure.

[J.R. Dodson · Rating 1 out of 5]

An anecdotal and rambling take on getting kids outside, with a surprising lack of focus on the children the book is supposed to be about. With so many other much more useful and insightful books out there on this topic, this adds nothing to the conversation.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author works with kids in high school and is father to two small girls. Thus he has tons of relevant experience to teach parents how to get kids outside. Some of the book seemed more geared toward adults taking large groups of kids outside, but there were tons of great advice for parents wanting to get their kids into nature more. It was worth the read and has given me many new ideas to use with my kids like the rainy day walk we took today!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the book for me.

It's hard to write books encouraging people to be better versions of themselves, because the danger is coming off smug and alienating your audience. Not everyone is good at being a cheerleader or sweetly encouraging.

This book claims to be written for people who love the outdoors, but are unsure how to venture out into it again safely after they become parents and are responsible for those who are small, illogical, less strong, less resilient, and often less willing. As a parent, I do OK. My family hikes (often) and camps (not as often as I'd like). I read this specifically as a Girl Scout leader, leading a troop of urban 1st-3rd graders in central Ohio.

I do not felt like he treated me as a partner--someone who loves what he loves, and does (or at least has done) what he does--which is the audience he purports to be aiming to reach. Instead, I felt scolded for my concerns, scolded for taking too much, scolded for worrying about the small people in my lives.

In some ways, his advice is impractical for many. Go someplace beautiful. Go big, go grand--seek out national parks. OK. I do that with my family, and I aim to do that with my Scouts, but what about in the meantime? How do I get them there, and convince them to stick it out so they CAN get there? Splurge on a good coat--OK, I can with my own family, but many of my girls splurge on, you know, groceries.

I wanted to leave with practical skills--what's the best method you've found for teaching your unruly gang of giggly flibbertigibbets to use a pocketknife safely, what are some activities you can practice in your living room or school gym before you get outside?

This book clearly resonated with others, but it wasn't the right fit for me.

[Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Half of this was a manifesto about the awfulness of the modern lifestyle, and the importance of living more in nature. He spouts a lot of opinions. The tone is fairly genial, but the content in these sections is fully negative and not well researched.

(Y'all. If you have mental health issues that require medication, please don't feel like it's your fault for not spending enough time in nature. What in the world.)

The other half was tips and stories and encouragement. I learned some stuff, and I especially appreciated his many suggestions on how to start small if you're not outdoorsy but want to be.

Three stars for the friendly tone and the positive, helpful second halves of each chapter. One star for the (also friendly) sermons on how badly we're all doing at life.

[Gianina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parenting is hard. Maybe reading will make me better at it this year, who knows? This was a good book for me because I am one of the parents he describes who says things like remember when I didn't have 2 kids who don't listen to me and used to go on adventures haha. I set a goal to take fifty 1 mile hikes with my 4 and almost 2 year old this year. To some people who could do this in a month it may seem ridiculous, but for us this will be challenge. Let me be honest, leaving my house without trapping my kids in the stroller stresses me out. Letting them wander free in public, much less nature is gah. I liked the pratical application suggestion boxes throughout the chapters for example, ways to play with rocks or how to tell stories to a group. These pratical sugestions seem like no brainers but it is these little things that make the difference between dragging your complaining kids on a stressful outdoor excursion and creating an engaging experience. I will say the actual content of the chapters was a little confused in terms of audience and a lot material was nothing a little common sense couldn't tell you (pack light, wear appropriate clothes etc.) but overall an encouraging quick little read.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A nod towards letting go of the helicopter parent fears and venturing out into the world a bit at a time. As far as you are willing and able to be, and to bring your kids with you within reason. So the negative comments seem like they may be coming from people who did not read the whole book. Yes he talks about free climbing mountains. That is truly dangerous. He is certainly not suggesting you should ever attempt that extreme sport. He is merely telling ways he has had success building skills in his own outdoor classes and experiences. It is full of cautions and mistakes that he wishes you to learn from...
It all is pretty reasonable to me. But then I am a gardener and not afraid of working outside in the rain or getting bugs on my hat. I am city born and raised so these adventures do seem like adventures to me... but not terrifyingly so.
A good reminder of what nature has to offer and timely as well. Covid-19 has reminded us of the benefits of outdoor classrooms, open windows and tree shaded schoolyards. Maybe it is time to reissue this book in an updated version?

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ack this book is terrible. The author is a gym teacher who does nature trips. The two stars are because there are, scattered in there, some really good tips. However, the editor needed to be fired. Reading this is like reading what would happen if you gave a high school PE teacher a megaphone and said, OK, go off about all your pet peeves in the world. I started a list of "Topics this author goes off about, that he is almost certainly not qualified to do" which included:
- Neurobiology
- Pharmacology
- Medical education
and finally gave up keeping a list.

I'm assuming the guy is a better actual guide than lecturer/author. But the book was full of random asides (you should take up gardening?) and doesn't actually talk about the things he is qualified to talk about much - the actual nuts and bolts of outdoor activities with kids of different ages. As it went on, I couldn't look away because it became this obsessive hate read. What an asshole. And yet, a few good tips in there.

[Sarah Willing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend anyone read this, but especially those who are not familiar with the outdoors and those who have a desire to do more outdoors. He brings up so many points and tips for braving the wilderness and how it helps kids of all ages and even adults. Also made me realize how the No Child Left Behind Act needs to be reevaluated to better fit kids these days - in more of ways than one. But why are kids not being sent outside more? Whether at home or school, it's a necessity for their growth, development, stability, problem solving, spacial awareness, etc. I could go on - but overall this book was a quick read, witty with great stories for relatability.

[Hadley Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beginner's manual on how to get comfortable with kids out of doors..This is a good read for parents that are hesitant to bring their children outside or don't know what to do once they get out there. The book offer confidence building tools and practical suggestions.
I didn't find this read revolutionary for me (I'm already of this mind, so I suppose I didn't need much convincing) but the author's tone is upbeat, casual, and relatable. It is pleasant to read, written as if we were having a conversation.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, short, interesting read! I'm coming to this book in the summer with kids home from school....and so. much. electronics! This book did just what I hoped...convinced me to unplug more and head out to the outdoors. The author writes a lot about Yosemite and we live close. I found practical ideas, loftier outdoor goals and interesting experiences from the author who takes kids outdoors in groups in all kinds of weather. He also included a reading list at the end of the book that will spark new reading in the future. This book has something for everyone!

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the ideas Hoffmeister argues and I was definitely and encouraged to get outside with my kids. I've been making a conscious effort to enjoy the outdoors every single day and I see a monumental difference in myself and my kids as a result of my efforts. Sometimes the writing was a little redundant, conclusions were drawn too quickly, and I wanted more development on some of the stories. But overall, very important principles that are forgotten all too often.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I judged this book by it's cover and it's title, which is the entire reason I picked it up. While not a "must-read" it's definitely a good one. I enjoyed the statistics and the anecdotal stories, as well as the humor. A good light-hearted read which would encourage anyone to get outside a little more!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, especially for educators and Scout leaders who take kids out into the wild on a regular basis. Not necessarily a step by step guide and for most this will be intuitive and a refresher on knowledge already gained, but there are good sources and ideas in here for all age levels.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. My husband and I were both big hikers and campers before kids but then it petered out after kid #2 was born. We've already tried a number of small step suggestions with the kids with good results overall.

[Jenny Luera · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Partner Story: Tell a story back and forth, telling a scene for a few minutes, and then switching.
Fortunately/Unfortunately Group Story: One person starts the story by saying "Fortunately..." and gives one more sentence. The next person says "Unfortunately..." and gives another sentence

[Rachel Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

An encouraging book to getting your family outside, experiencing nature & pushing your limits. The author wrote a lot of personal stories & accomplishments; so part of the book just felt like you were reading his adventures.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overwhelmingly opinionated and arrogant in some spots (don't get me started on the prescription medication section 😤) but overall full of enough nuggets of essential wisdom and practical tips that it was worth the quick read.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good skimmable book. The stories of the author’s experience were what I most took away. The tips are good reminders for outdoors people and possibly good ideas for those starting from scratch.

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess, it's not a straightforward, step by step guide on how to open your door and step outside, but I think that could be said on a bumper sticker. Got some really good ideas, and was reminded of my own childhood reading about these adventures.

[Ava · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was some good advice in this book, but I couldn't get over the extremely bad writing and editing. It could’ve been a listicle with all of the chapter titles and headlines throughout the book, and I would’ve gathered all the information needed. The formatting was also very weird.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES!!! THIS!!! THIS! THIS...

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I thought it was marvelous.