Additional Reading
Learning about wildlife and the issues that affect their existence is important as we continue to move into wilderness areas. Preserving a diversity of wildlife for future generations to enjoy requires an informed public. This is especially true with large mammals such as bears. The more we know about them, the better able we will be to coexist peacefully with these fascinating animals.
Here is a list of books to help you become better acquainted with bears:
Books For adults
- The Bear Almanac, 2nd: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bears of the World Second Edition (2009) by Gary Brown
- Bears: Without Fear (2013) by Kevin Van Tighem
- Safe Travel in Bear Country (1996) by Gary Brown
- Backcountry Bear Basics (2006) by Dave Smith
- Bear Attacks: Their causes and Avoidance (2002) by Stephen Herrero
- Bear Aware:Hiking and Camping Safety in Bear Country (1996)by Bill Schneider
- Black Bear, Seasons in the Wild (1992) by Tom Anderson
- BEARS Black, Brown & Polar (2013) by Stan Tekiela
- Out on a Limb (2014) by Benjamin Kilham
- Black Bear Country by Michael Furtman
- Bears of the World (2000) by Lance Craighead
- BLACK BEARS: A Natural History (2006) by Dave Taylor (lots of VSWS photos!)
- Summers With the Bears (1999) by Jack Becklund
- In the Company of Wild Bears- A Celebration of Backcountry Grizzlies and Black Bears (2006) by Howard Smith and Michael H. Francis
- Shadow in the Forest – Idaho’s Black Bear (1994) by John J. Beechum and Jeff Rohlman
- Among the Bears- Raising Orphan cubs in the Wild (2003) by Benjamin Kilham and Ed Gray
- Spirit Bear: Encounters with the White Bear of the Western Rainforest (1994) by Charles Russell and Andy Russell
- Alaska’s Bears- Grizzlies, Black Bears and Polar Bears (2016) by Bill Sherwonit
- The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fate of Men and Bears (2006) by Doug and Andrea Peacock (highly recommended)
Out-of-print books worth searching for:
- Great American Bear (1990) by Jeff Fair
- Bears, Monarchs of the Northern Wilderness (1993) by Wayne Lynch (highly recommended!)
- Walking with Bears (1999) by biologist Terry DeBruyn
- Bears; Majestic Creatures of the Wild (1993) written by a panel of experts
- Bears: Behavior-Ecology-Conservation (1997) by Erwin & Peggy Bauer
Books for grade school children
- BLACK BEAR: North America’s Bear by Stephen Swinburn
- Black Bears- Our Wild World Series by Kathy Feeney and John McGee
- BEARS: Polar Bears, Black Bears and Grizzly Bears by Deborah Hodge and Pat Stephens
- The Everywhere Bear by Sandra Chisholm Robinson
- Bears by Helen Gilks
- Growl! by Melvin Berger
- Bears, Bears, Bears by Wayne Lynch
- Eli: A Black Bear by Bonnie Highsmith Taylor
- Those aren’t Teddy Bears in our Parks by Kathleen Keefe
- The Wilderness World of Baby Bears by Ken Jenkins
- Zoobooks: Bears by Wildlife Education, LTD
- Animal Watch – A Visual Introduction to Bears by Bernard Stonehouse
- Very First Things to Know About Bears by Deborah Kovacs
- Samson the Hot Tub Bear by Wendy Tokuda