Bears

by Alex Hall

From huge polar bears to friendly pandas, there is so much to know about bears. This book will engage newly confident readers who are ready to learn independently with fun facts and provides learners a chance to test their knowledge. These books also feature full-color photos, a table of contents, a glossary, and an index.

24 pages, Library Binding

Published August 1, 2025

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Bears is a well illustrated and engaging look at a broad range of bears aimed at young readers (~6-9 years, Lexile 560L) in a series of books about animals and how they're classified. Released 1st Aug by Mackin on their North Star Editions imprint, it's 24 pages and is available in hardcover (library binding) and paperback formats.

Animals are fascinating, and this is cool introduction to bears of all kinds, full of info related in age-accessible language and abundantly illustrated with color photographs throughout. Small interesting facts are scattered throughout the book in colorful highlighted text boxes.

It's part of a set of books with volumes which feature a host of other animal families. The illustrations are clear and easy to understand/engage with. The author/publisher have also included an abbreviated glossary, index, and some discussion/quiz questions at the end.

Five stars. Age appropriate, colorful, engaging, and well illustrated throughout. It would be an excellent choice for public/school/or classroom library, home library, or gift giving.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book for anyone in grades 1st-3rd who is interested in animals. The author uses the right amount of words and pictures to keep a younger kid engaged. I think this could probably be used for the very curious kindergarten student, too, however they would need someone to read it to them. The facts are interesting and the book provides a good overview of the types of bears, some of their traits, and their habitats. Teachers will like that there is a section with three follow-up questions to check for comprehension. The idea of including a glossary is nice, but I think it could be expanded to include “trait,” “false thumb,” and a few more concepts from the book that might need a bit more explaining. I will admit I am a bit biased towards the topic of this book having helped with black bear rehabilitation.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I *never* see more than one book in any series from this publisher, but still hazarded a guess when reading the sharks volume of this set (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) that while it was beneficial for it to explain some basic concepts, such as habitat, adaptations, etc, the four books of the small series en masse would be repetitive, because they'd all be doing it. Lo and behold this is my second book in this set (what went wrong?!) and I was right.

But this is still fine, as an early guide to bears. Nearly all the main types are featured to some extent, we get to learn about their physiology and behaviour, and the photos are very well presented. I think somehow that there are fewer junior bear books than you might expect, considering their size and visual appeal, and risk to humans in some areas, and I partly thought that because this was so obviously a success.

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was highly effective, particularly due to its simplicity. The short sentences and easy-to-understand explanations make this book absolutely perfect for "younger" young readers, and they can start learning about different types of bears earlier! Additionally, I thought that the image choices were great because they added a visual element to the book that helps with the learning process. The author also chose to write about a variety of different bears, even ones that most people don't think of right away. Lastly, I would say that I learned a few new things from reading this book, so I know that little ones will learn a lot as well!

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extremely cute and pretty well rounded as far as diversity of facts! I'm an adult bear enthusiast but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I can imagine reading it to the children in my life, particularly watching them coo over the pictures and ask questions about all the different types represented. This is a great introduction to bears for little readers! I will be getting a copy for the bear loving babies in my family. I'm grateful for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest review !

[J Kromrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

An informative and visually appealing guide that is just the right length for young learners.

I found the format engaging, and I enjoyed the questions, index and glossary at the end of this guide.

I love that this book is peppered with entertaining quick facts (as an adult I learned numerous engaging trivia and facts about this unique animal).

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a great book as an overview and it covers a wide range of topics as a great introduction to bears.

I enjoyed that it had the life cycles through to the different bear species that live around the world - quite a lot was packed in to the pages.

It was easy to follow and understand and I loved the layout.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

[Joanne Hazeldine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both full of wonderful photos and packed full of information. Its easy layout would make it a perfect read for early readers. Overall a lovely book
#Bears #NetGalley

[Stella Marchione · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written with so many educational tidbits explaining all about bears. The illustrations are gorgeous!

[Marie Kenna-Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley, North Star Kids publishing, and the author for the e-ARC.

A cute book overall! I wish there had been a more comprehensive rundown of all the different types of bears relative to each category, but as a self-proclaimed bear afficionado, I still learned quite a bit from this book's 24 pages. Would buy for my kids!