Bears: Stunning Photographs of All the World's Species

by Tom Jackson

With full captions explaining how the species hunts and feeds, rears its cubs and migrates, Bears is a brilliant examination in 150 outstanding color photographs of this fascinating animal.

There are eight species of bears that roam the world today; from the polar bears of the Arctic, the grizzlies of Yellowstone, and the black bears that prowl America's eastern woodlands, to the giant panda, the sun bear of Asia, and the Andean bear of South America. In this beautifully photographed book, you’ll discover how bears survive in the cold winter climates – they eat a massive amount of food so they can live off body fat during the winter when food is scarce. How do bears hunt? They are not the bloodthirsty predators that are often portrayed in cartoons and movies, they actually eat more plants than animals. Bears features a variety of bears from around the world, The Florida black bear, Himalayan black bear, Grizzly bear, Kodiak bear, Atlas bear, Polar bear and many more. It is an introduction to an animal that has fascinated and terrified people throughout history.

224 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2020

About the author

"I'm a non-fiction author and project editor (plus I do a bit of journalism). I'm available for project development, writing, project management and I also work as a packager. Click on the links above to see examples of my work.

But first some background: Over the last 20 years, I've written books, magazine and newspaper articles, for online and for television. I get to write about a wide range of subjects, everything from axolotls to zoroastrianism. However, my specialties are natural history, technology and all things scientific. I've worked on projects with Brian May, Patrick Moore, Marcus de Sautoy and Carol Vorderman and for major international publishers, such as Dorling Kindersley, National Geographic, Scholastic, Hachette, Facts on File and BBC Magazines.

I spend my days finding fun ways of communicating all kinds of facts, new and old, to every age group and reading ability. I live in Bristol, England, with my wife and three children. I studied zoology at Bristol University and have had spells working at the zoos in Jersey and Surrey. I used to be something of a conservationist, which included planting trees in Somerset, surveying Vietnamese jungle and rescuing buffaloes from drought-ridden Zimbabwe. Writing jobs have also taken me to the Galápagos Islands, the Amazon rainforest, the coral reefs of Indonesia and the Sahara Desert. Nowadays, I can be found mainly in the attic."
~http://tomjackson.weebly.com/

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Bears by Tom Jackson.

Bears explains types of bears, habitats, family and cubs. Each section has a brief introduction followed by amazing photographs. I enjoyed learning a little bit more about bears.

I am a big fan of bears and loved seeing all of these amazing photographs. There is a variety of photographs of different kinds of bears. My favorite sections were the family section seeing the cute bear families and the cubs seeing all of the young bears.

Thank you NetGalley and Amber Books for Bears.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears is an exquisite book filled with a wealth of knowledge on one of the most majestic yet reclusive of all the creatures in the entirety of the natural world. It is split into four distinct sections: Types of Bear; Habitats; Family; and Cubs and is topped and tailed by introduction and picture credits sections respectively. The section entitled ’Types of Bear’ explores the eight distinct species and where in the world each live accompanied by stunning full-colour photographs ranging from smaller offset ones to those covering an entire page; all are exquisite. We begin with the Sun Bear and information included is alternate names, diet, quirks particular to that species, size and appearance, and more. We then go through a trove of fascinating details on the American Black Bear, Brown Bear, Forest/Andean Bear, Polar Bear, Asian Black Bear, Giant Panda and Sloth Bear.

The ’Habitats’ section explores where on the globe each of these bears can be found in more detail as well as the deeply concerning Issue of loss of habitats due to climate change, deforestation and other social and political issues. The ’Family’ chapter discusses breeding, hunting and feeding and of course has the most adorable photos of bear cubs with their mothers I've ever seen, and the final section on ’Cubs' explores how little ones learn and thrive in the wild learning all the skills they will need to survive. A delightful collection of over 150 photographs of bears in their natural environments, this is the perfect coffee table book or gift for the animal lover in your life. It's a beautifully put together nonfiction title. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Amber Books for an ARC.

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what an amazing book. Absolutely stunning pictures, this book is an absolutely beautiful study of bear photography. A great coffee book, with a wonderful collection of pictures and information. Also fabulous to see the bear in another day light than a killing machine.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Bears is a stunning photography book all about the beautiful but reclusive animal we are all drawn to either by Teddy bears or by real life in some form or another.
This book not only shows visually beautiful photography of these amazing bears but also gives a wealth of knowledge and information across the pages too.
This book is bound to give the reader at least one snippet of information they didn't know about about bears.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning photos, this book is an absolutely beautiful study of bear photography. It is nicely broken up into chapters about types of different bears etc but the main focus and reason for the book is the photos which I cannot overemphasise how beautiful this is, and the last set are of cubs. Just simply stunning, a highly recommended book to bear and nature lovers


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigh. I just LOVE Tom Jackson's animal books. The pictures he compiles are GORGEOUS and the facts are really interesting and I ALWAYS learn something from his books, including this one.

And yes, when discussing animals, he DOES have to mention that yes, we humans suck and are endangering the beautiful life on this planet, but he doesn't dwell on it and the primary focus is the amazing animal he is discussing on the page. So while you will end up disliking humanity intensely, it is only for a few moments and then the awe of the animal, in this case the bears, comes through.

I think I learned the most about pandas from this, though the polar bear is a WICKED SCARY hunter and I'm glad I'm not a seal in the Arctic, let me just put it that way. Polar bears can smell the seals THROUGH THE ICE and while they will wait by breathing holes for seals to pop their cute little head up to breathe and grab them then, the polar bears can ALSO BREAK THROUGH THE ICE to get to the seals under it!!! That's some horror-movie stuff right there!

I highly recommend ALL of his animal books, including this one on bears. 5, ohmygoodness I never realized how CUTE pandas are, stars!

My thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, is there anything better than animal pictures? Yes, pictures of animals in their native habitat. Jackson's book is filled cover to cover with amazing photographs of black bears, brown bears, sun bears, polar bears, and grizzlies just to name a few. There is a wealth of information found between the covers as well, but for me, it's all about the pictures. This would make a perfect gift for any budding naturalist, zoologist, or animal lover.

Thank you NetGalley and Amber Books for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was what I expected, having met with this publisher's succinctly titled and thoroughly pictorial animal books before now. We have a chunk of this book to survey the different species of true bear (including the giant panda), and then scattershot ones concerning their habitats and habits, and family life, which were fine but did jump willy-nilly from species to species in a most unstructured way. And as usual with these books, we close with the final chapter on the babies, for added cutesiness. The illustrations here are of the usual supreme standard, and in family friendly fashion show no mating, bloody hunting or killing of prey or anything else the usual nature documentary on TV might show. Short captions for the photos, which are generally the only text, are of the usual high standard too – some books in the series might be guilty of too much repetition, but this is not the case here. I still think the publisher is doing itself a disservice by giving books like this just a one-word title and leaving it at that – search for this specifically, without its kind-of subtitle, and you'll get fed up of scrolling past Goldilocks, for one thing. I hope I'm wrong, mind – any bear lover of pretty much any age would welcome this to browse.

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book by Amber again. The NG pdf files doesn't give it true justice in term of photography quality, slightly better on the NG apps, but I had the chance to put my hand on a physical copy of their recently and they are quite pretty in real life.

Mostly pictures book, their is so information, which is relevant, but the appeal is more about the photography. That one as some amazing picture of bear from various kinds and would please the bears and/or animal lovers. Bear are amazing creature and for having the chance to see a couple of those in real natural wild life in my life, they are both beautiful and kind of scary, even small black bear are kind of big so I can't imagine what its must be to go face to face with a polar bear or a grizzly.

[Kim Cabrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Bears are one of the most charismatic species on this planet and this book is chock full of them. There are photos of all the species of bears in their habitat. If you love bears, this is a book you should have.

The book is primarily composed of photos, some of them full page in size. All photos are in color. The images are spectacular and of the highest quality.

This book is not a field guide. It is a gallery of images with short snippets of text about the bears. The information is not exhaustive by any means, but it’s enough to get someone interested in learning more about bears.

I think it is suitable for all ages because a young reader can simply look at the photos, while an older reader can read the captions to them.

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn a little about bears, but mostly for those who want to see some super cute images of these fascinating creatures. My favorite section, of course, was the cubs. They are as adorable as you imagine them to be.

My only complaints seem minor given the overall quality of the book. As a biologist, I do feel I must mention these things though, for the sake of accuracy. There are a couple inaccuracies and old myths in the text.

For example:

On page 74, the text mentions that the bear pictured is braving the stings of bees to get at their nest. However, the nest shown is a bald-faced hornet nest. These are wasps and not bees.

On page 110, the text states that cubs are born when the mother bear is fast asleep. This is a very old myth. Mother bears do wake and care for their cubs during the hibernation phase. The old myth says that a mother bear goes to sleep in fall and wakes up in spring to find that she has cubs, but that is simply not true. Scientists have placed cameras inside the dens of mother bears with cubs and observed the active care that the mother bear provides to the babies, including licking them clean of snow, cleaning their fur, keeping them warm, feeding them, responding to their cries, etc.

On page 121, it is stated that bears check the heights of bear marks on trees to determine who is the taller bear, and that they avoid areas with larger bears. This is another myth that has been dispelled by researchers. In fact, bears will mark on trees at the level of the roots, biting and rubbing to leave scent there. Bears will even roll on fallen trees to leave scent marks on them. So, the old myth about the taller bear leaving his mark higher up on the tree and other bears avoiding the area is simply not true. Also, I am not sure what is meant by the second caption on page 121 where it states that when two bears meet, they compare heights and check markings. When bears meet, they don’t go through any such rituals, although there are some behaviors they exhibit during such encounters.

The caption on page 217 indicates a brown bear, but the bear in the photo is a black bear. Note the facial markings, markings on backs of the ears, and face shape.

So, my overall impression is that this is a great book with beautiful images of bears. It is not meant to be a field guide, so take any information in the sidebars and captions and do your own research if you want to learn more facts about bears. There are plenty of field guides and more detailed accounts out there, but the photos alone make this book worth it.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to get to know the largest land predators! The photographs are beautiful and the text offers short but significant information on the different species of bears. The pictures show how majestic and awesome they are. Strong and dangerous, bears mostly want to be left alone and will only attack when threatened. Bears are among my favorite animals. I’ve been blessed enough to see them in the wild, including a cub who got on his hind legs to go after his mom when she left him behind. These pictures showed me some familiar scenes, but closer. They also include some other species that I will probably never get to see in person, such as the giant panda or the spectacled bear of South America. The captions are informative and I know I’ve said this before but it bears repeating, the pictures are simply gorgeous. Animal lovers will enjoy this book as much as bears relish honey, salmon or bamboo.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Amber Books!

[Alex Sarll]

I never quite understood the appeal of coffee table books on Netgalley, because surely the joy of them is largely as artefacts, things to come back to in quiet moments? But sometimes the world is on fire and you just need to look at pictures of lovely big fluffy fellows with their clever paws and their fine snoots. The text is mostly pitched at the right level, managing to inform (I didn't know about the nasal labyrinths which warm cold air before it reaches the lungs) while still being gentle going (though I did cavil at the flat assertion that wild bears don't walk on two legs – surely it would be truer to say that they don't generally do it for very long?). Mainly, though, the appeal is in the gorgeous pictures of them being all large and cute and occasionally fierce.

Giant pandas can still piss off, mind. Useless pricks.

[Tove R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning pictures of all the different species of bears on our planet. The pictures are accompanied by short introductions to the different chapters, and captions explaining bear life and behavior. I am a huge fan of bears and have spent time in bear sanctuaries and rescue centers, and they are indeed majestic and fantastic animals. This book perfectly illustrates these powerful creatures, their features, specialities, and the threats they face, mainly humans.

Aside from the fabulous pictures this is also a nice introduction to different bear species and it has basic information about bears that should be part of everyone’s general knowledge. Sadly, I believe quite a lot of the info is new to most people, which makes this a great read for both adults and children interested in the basics. It is a fast read, but the beautiful pictures will slow you down for sure. Especially the many cub pictures are amazing, as well as bears in action. It was also great to see many pictures of bears in trees. Pandas truly are agile!

[Anjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

After checking out two other animals in this series, I had to peruse through this as well. A few years ago, unexpectedly, my husband and I chanced upon a black mother bear and her three cubs. We had seen them cross the road in the national park earlier, but then we were in a car, and they were not. Now we had blundered almost next to them. All the previously known advice flew out of my brain, and although I backed away slowly, the rest of the progress off the trail was done much quicker. She actually made eye contact with me. This collection, therefore, was more significant to me than I expected.

The photos were as beautiful as expected. The chapters are divided by behaviour and not by species. We get a brief introduction to all the species and some salient facts. The one about polar bears surprised me. A few photos of the bears lounging were hilariously close to how we would look on a sofa. I am willing to keep picking up every subsequent species that the publishers put out. They are an introduction as well as a summary of what we can actually retain about animals.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Bears is a photographic sample of the different bear species found worldwide. Released 14th Oct. 2020 by Amber Books, it's 224 pages and available in hardcover format.

This is a beautifully photographed and clearly written treatise on the reclusive (and increasingly threatened and vulnerable) populations of bears across the globe. The text is arranged logically: first a look at the different types of bear and their geographic locations, followed by habitats, family units, and cubs,

The text is minimal but accessible for all ages, and the photography is abundant and clear (albeit from stock photo sources). The content is appropriate for all ages (no explicit pics of mating or any blood/gore). Apart from the intro/species chapter, the pictures are somewhat random. There are a large number of adorable cub pics included in their own chapter.

Four stars. This would make a nice selection for a nature-loving reader, library acquisition, school library or similar.

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

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of my favourite enclosures at Edinburgh Zoo are the panda and the sun bear areas, so I was ecstatic to receive a review copy of the latest collection of sensational photographs from Amber Books. It also was fascinating to learn more about the species that I’m not that knowledgeable about like the Sloth and Andean Bears. The quality of the photographs in these collections is always very high and something to marvel at for not only the detail of the subject but their wider surroundings. The images perfectly capture the grandiose nature of the various bears while showing their mischievous personalities.

The statistic that 6 out the 8 species of bears are endangered due to either habitat loss or human activities is brutal and hopefully this is something that will change for the better in future as more people strive to protect our world and the magnificent animals that we share it with.

I received a copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a deep appreciation for bears because I spent over a year doing research, rehabbing, and releasing bears. I also spent a great deal of that time educating the public on bears. So, I knew I HAD to read this book.

The images are so stunning and you get a great picture of how unique and beautiful bears are. But what I really loved about this book was how educational it is. It gives a great overview of each species' habitat, diet, size, appearance, etc. It was very informational without being too "textbook".
I only wish there was more information on some threats bears around the world face (climate change, loss of habitat, illegal wildlife trade, etc.) and some of the conservation efforts around the world to protect these magnificent animals.

Overall, this book did a wonderful job of showing beautiful and striking images while educating.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection and description of the variety of bears around the world. Separated into discussion of the types of bears, then habitat, the book flows quite easily and is a true pleasure to read. Did make me pause though when mentioned possible encounters, and the author wishes the reader good luck! Hmm. Family pictures were fun, and it surprised me that several mothers had their cubs on their backs. Didn't realize that was a common carry position. And the final chapter is photos of cubs. Awwww. Highly recommend this book, as it was fun to read and hard to put down. If you have any interest in bears around the world this book is for you.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

While I knew some things about bears, the information within this book blew my mind! There's so much to be found here that most people have probably never heard before.

Stunning photos fill the pages alongside information about each species. In my opinion, nature photography is one of the most difficult kinds of photography, and taking such amazing photos of such beautiful but dangerous creatures is an incredible feat.

Overall, this would make a great coffee table book or a fantastic gift for an animal lover.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears as you have never seen! I love bears and this book is so vividly fun at capturing their personalities, behaviors, and habitats. There are a variety of eight bears and while there are many similarities, I enjoyed learning more about their differences as well. The book is broken into sections titled Types of Bears, Habitats, Family and then Cubs. Each of the gorgeous pictures provided has an explanation that serves to enlighten the reader. Suitable for all ages desiring to learn more about these beautiful creatures.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own and freely given.

[Melanie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank to NetGalley for this ARC. This would be a fantastic book to read with kids who are into animals. There's a tonne of gorgeous photos that show bears in all their variety, might, and even goofiness. The photos accompany well matched text that does a great job of clearly explaining the different kinds of bears in the world, where they live, how they live, how they're similar, and how they're different. The message was clear, educational, and the importance of conservation and respect for the wild world was elegantly baked right in. Could use a final copyedit/fact check, (e.g. pretty sure male brown bears weigh more than 70kg).

[Amit Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears are enigmatic creatures. Strong, ferocious, just around the corner of a dense forest and ready to dispatch any intruder.
I love pictures of polar bear with cubs hobbling in snow.
This picture book is treasure of adorable pictures of all prominent species of bears.
Pictures show them in various geographies, moods and in middle of various processes.
All pictures are high quality and explore every possible perspective of this strong animal.
They are always captivating our imagination as teddy bear, kungfu panda and Winnie the pooh.
After watching revenent movie, I can never call them adorable but it is a very good picture book about bears.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wins the "Most Smiles Generated" award. Seriously! I'm still smiling now. The snippets of information are informative and useful, but this book is definitely all about the photos (if you hadn't guessed from the title). The essence of bears is captured here, from the adorable to the aggressive, and leaves you with a real sense of connection to these magnificent creatures. Can we have "Bears 2", please?!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book! Wonderful information on all species of bears and
some of the best photos by the best photographers around. I have followed
a lot of them and enjoyed their work for years. Some of the photos of the little
cubs left me speechless. This book is a treasure!

Thank you so much, Tom Jackson, your publisher, and NetGalley for the copy of
this book to read and review. It's beautiful!

[Jennifer Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited about this book because my partner loves all things bears. We enjoyed flipping through the pages together and viewing the excellent photography. These are not your standard wildlife pictures; each photo is full of personality and whimsy. I enjoyed the bear facts sprinkled throughout. Would make a wonderful conversation starter as a coffee table book.

[Jackie Lantern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs of many different varieties of bears from all over, complete with descriptions. The subtitle says the photographs are “stunning” and the description is not wrong. Bears are such exquisite and amazing animals. This would do great as a coffee table book with enlarged detailed photos.

[Rachael McMillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! Full of absolutely wonderful photos and sprinkled with interesting bear facts. I really loved reading though this. An excellent coffee table book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books for the ARC

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The pictures are gorgeous and the text interesting. I loved the photos of cubs that made me smile.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, well-put-together coffee table book on you guessed it- bears! There's lots of interesting information here, covering types of bears, habitats, families, and cubs, and so many gorgeous photographs. A real treat for any bear lover!

#Bears #NetGalley

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Stunning photography of some beautiful bears. Some information on the individual bears which is very informative.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the Arc.