Website Review: A Bear's Eye View of Yellowstone

A BEAR’S EYE VIEW OF YELLOWSTONE is an interactive exploration of the world of bears.

Created by National Geographic, this interactive project uses text, images, audio, video, maps, and infographics to provide insights into the life of bears living in Yellowstone National Park. After exploring one bear’s journey, users can follow other bears including both black bears and grizzly bears.

Librarians will find this website to be an excellent resource for reluctant learners. The mixture of audio, video, and images along with small text segments will draw interest. Use this interactive journey as a springboard to an inquiry-based learning experience focusing on animals.

To visit the website, go to https://www.nationalgeographic.com/…/yellowstone-national-…/.

Book Review: A Beginner's Guide to Bear Spotting

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BEAR SPOTTING by Michelle Robinson is an adorable picture book adventure.

Robinson’s quirky approach to storytelling is sure to entice young readers. An adorable child narrator carrying a field guide provides readers with useful and sometimes silly information about identifying and interacting with bears in the forest.

David Robert’s use of graph paper, appealing typography, and endearing characters make the book particularly appealing.

Librarians will find a large audience for this outdoor adventure. Pair the book with animal books and field guides for a fun display. The field-note theme has lots of possibilities for science projects and nature connections. Encourage children to write their own story about a favorite animal encounter incorporating both fact and fiction.

To learn more about the author, go to http://michellerobinson.co.uk/.

Published by Bloomsbury on February 9, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Finding Winnie

FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS BEAR by Lindsay Mattick traces the remarkable life of the bear who inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

Told as a bedtime story by a mother to her young son Cole, the picture book follows a World War I soldier and his bear cub from Winnipeg Canada to a zoo in London, England. Christopher Robin Milne, son of the famous author, befriends Winnie at the zoo and names his stuffed bear Winnie-the-Pooh. In a wonderful conclusion, we learn that young Cole is the great-great-grandchild of the soldier that befriended the bear cub. The book concludes with an album of incredible primary source documents and photographs tracing the story.

The beautiful watercolor illustrations contribute to the appeal of this charming picture book.

Librarians will find this book to be a wonderful way to introduce a new generation to Winnie-the-Pooh. Consider a display that includes this picture book, the Winnie-the-Pooh chapter books, and related stuff animals. Also, use the book to introduce the idea of primary source documents and how they can help researchers better understand history.

Published by Little Brown, an imprint of Hachettte on October 20, 2015. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.