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Baby Bears and How They Grow
Children's book on the maturation of bear cubs, illustrated by photographs.
34 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 21, 2020
A local SPCA had a $5 fill a bag event and this was one of the books I got. The pictures are adorable! Just look at the cover; I want to eat that bear up. Bears are my favorite animals so can you get any better than a book full of baby bears? They are just too cute.
It was cute learning that when there's danger black bear cubs quickly climb trees and go up high in the branches. Their mom watched out for them and calls to them when it's safe.
It's amazing that Polar bears can swim 100 miles without stopping.
It was interesting that brown bear gather in groups along rivers to hunt fish but other than this they stay alone most of the time. The biggest and strongest bears get the best places to fish.
It's interesting that he wrote that bears have been a symbol of power and invincibility through the ages. There are plenty of stories of people encountering ferocious bears but bears are lovable when portrayed as a teddy bear or Smokey the bear.
Bears are distant relatives of dogs and he said to examine your dog's head and teeth structure and study this book for similarities.
People feel a kinship with them when they sit or stand up. I've noticed that's when they look like people!
It was a nice learning lesson that a bear's paw shows adaptation to its environment. Polar bears have long thick fur that insulates their paws on the ice. The pads are rough to provide traction. Black bears have curved claws so they can climb the trees in the wooded areas they live in, to avoid enemies or find food.
Bears usually stay away from each other and rarely fight except when competing for food or mates or moms defending their cubs. If threatened black bears go up a tree. Grizzlies live in more remote, open areas so they're more likely to stand and fight.
The problems I had were that it didn't really fully cover the subject. It felt like he was just explaining what was happening in the pictures, making captains for what the bears were doing. We managed to learn things based on what the photographers captured. It didn't go in order and would bounce around between life stages. Polar bears started out as young bears without being born or raised; they were first shown outside the den, grown to a pretty good size already. We missed their earlier stages. I wish it all had gone in order.
And this book only featured three species of bear. Black, brown and polar. But he mentioned sloth bears, Malayan sun bears, spectacled bears, and Asiatic black bears. You shouldn't mention species that are not featured. They don't matter because we don't even know what they look like! How hard was it to include one photo of each of the other types?
Also, at one point a picture showed a man holding a (white) polar bear cub. He's in the snow outside of a snow den. Yet the captain said he's holding a black bear cub. Who made that mistake?!
The age of the book really showed because the only threats listed to polar bears are "May be threatened by increased industrial development and a rising human population." No mention of global warming and ice melting! I couldn't believe it. This definitely needs a new edition to inform readers with up-to-date information.
It was cute learning that when there's danger black bear cubs quickly climb trees and go up high in the branches. Their mom watched out for them and calls to them when it's safe.
It's amazing that Polar bears can swim 100 miles without stopping.
It was interesting that brown bear gather in groups along rivers to hunt fish but other than this they stay alone most of the time. The biggest and strongest bears get the best places to fish.
It's interesting that he wrote that bears have been a symbol of power and invincibility through the ages. There are plenty of stories of people encountering ferocious bears but bears are lovable when portrayed as a teddy bear or Smokey the bear.
Bears are distant relatives of dogs and he said to examine your dog's head and teeth structure and study this book for similarities.
People feel a kinship with them when they sit or stand up. I've noticed that's when they look like people!
It was a nice learning lesson that a bear's paw shows adaptation to its environment. Polar bears have long thick fur that insulates their paws on the ice. The pads are rough to provide traction. Black bears have curved claws so they can climb the trees in the wooded areas they live in, to avoid enemies or find food.
Bears usually stay away from each other and rarely fight except when competing for food or mates or moms defending their cubs. If threatened black bears go up a tree. Grizzlies live in more remote, open areas so they're more likely to stand and fight.
The problems I had were that it didn't really fully cover the subject. It felt like he was just explaining what was happening in the pictures, making captains for what the bears were doing. We managed to learn things based on what the photographers captured. It didn't go in order and would bounce around between life stages. Polar bears started out as young bears without being born or raised; they were first shown outside the den, grown to a pretty good size already. We missed their earlier stages. I wish it all had gone in order.
And this book only featured three species of bear. Black, brown and polar. But he mentioned sloth bears, Malayan sun bears, spectacled bears, and Asiatic black bears. You shouldn't mention species that are not featured. They don't matter because we don't even know what they look like! How hard was it to include one photo of each of the other types?
Also, at one point a picture showed a man holding a (white) polar bear cub. He's in the snow outside of a snow den. Yet the captain said he's holding a black bear cub. Who made that mistake?!
The age of the book really showed because the only threats listed to polar bears are "May be threatened by increased industrial development and a rising human population." No mention of global warming and ice melting! I couldn't believe it. This definitely needs a new edition to inform readers with up-to-date information.
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October 17, 2020Does anyone know what reading level The book is ?
February 19, 2025
A fun throwback to simpler times. One of my favorite books as a little kid.
March 10, 2017
My family had many titles from this National Geographic series when I was growing up, and it was a great way to learn facts about different kinds of animals and their environments. So when I saw this at Goodwill I just had to pick it up.
This is an introduction to bears, how they are born, and how they interact with their mothers and learn to find food as they grow up. We learn about black bears, polar bears, grizzly bears, and brown bears. There are some nice pictures of baby bears: climbing trees, learning to fish, and also one bear learning not to mess with a skunk!
It's informative and factual without being too wordy, and while this book was made in the 80s, the photos are still good quality.
This is an introduction to bears, how they are born, and how they interact with their mothers and learn to find food as they grow up. We learn about black bears, polar bears, grizzly bears, and brown bears. There are some nice pictures of baby bears: climbing trees, learning to fish, and also one bear learning not to mess with a skunk!
It's informative and factual without being too wordy, and while this book was made in the 80s, the photos are still good quality.
April 25, 2016
This is a great nonfiction detailing the events of a bears birth to their maturation and adaptation to life on their own. This book gives facts about both black bears and polar bears. It highlights important events in a bears life such as the salmon rush upstream.
This was a good, easy to understand informative book about bears. I liked how it had real life photographs. Kids really seem to be loving those now.
I could use this in my classroom to have out on the floor for free reading time. Kids seem to be gravitating towards nonfiction now. It would also be a good one to use in a science lesson on animals.
This was a good, easy to understand informative book about bears. I liked how it had real life photographs. Kids really seem to be loving those now.
I could use this in my classroom to have out on the floor for free reading time. Kids seem to be gravitating towards nonfiction now. It would also be a good one to use in a science lesson on animals.
August 19, 2011
The lure is that this book is heavily illustrated with photographs of bear cubs, and nothing is cuter than a bear cub. It is a very decent National Geographic Society publication on the maturation of cubs from birth until they day they leave their mothers. The book is for the young, but the text is reliable with the real pleasure coming from the pictures.
November 14, 2012
The photos are fantastic, and the book is high quality enough that the pages are not faded. The text is general enough that it will not be dated for a while, hopefully. Definitely look for this one if your child likes bears or nature!
December 5, 2013
Baby Bears and How They Grow is a very great informational book about many kinds of bears. It is a very great book for children in the 4th to 5th grade because of the wording that the author used. This book can also be used for children who are writing research papers on bears.
March 26, 2019
I had this as a kid. I remember it, even if I don't really remember it. Memory is weird. It's a nice little non-fiction book, and the whole series looks pretty nice. Probably for older children, but still nice.
November 12, 2016
My adult special needs son and I enjoyed reading this true to life book about several species of bears. Using actual photographs as the illustrations within the book. Teaching about baby bears and how long they stay with their mama's and what they do as they grow. Very informative book.
April 21, 2013
Many, many unique photographs. Fascinating!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews