BLACK BEAR

Black bears roam North America from Maine to California, with populations estimated at 750,000; increasingly they are invading urban areas. In this glossy photo essay, the author describes his own encounters with black bears and interviews bear specialists, including a Pennsylvania bear biologist and a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist in New Hampshire who raises orphaned bear cubs. One chapter recounts a history of bears in Yellowstone National Park where feeding bears became a dangerous popular pastime. While the author’s enthusiasm is evident, the chapters do not form a cohesive whole. The colorful photos of the author cuddling bear cubs may give young naturalists the impression that bears are harmless wild neighbors. They aren’t. As black bears expand their range, invading urban neighborhoods, young naturalists should be cautioned to give them a wide berth. Includes further reading, Web sites, and a brief index. (Nonfiction. 7-10)