When you clicked over here you thought this was another book review, but do I ever have a treat for you today! Not only am I introducing a new Bear book to you, but I will also give you 4 tips in case you come face to face with a real life bear.
This little guy, I call him little as he is only two years old, was seen meandering along the side of the highway peacefully eating dandelions along the Banff to Lake Louise Park Way in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. When bears are along the road people stop by trying to watch them which commonly becomes known as Bear Jam on the highway. This shot was taken very quickly through the window (do not lower your window or get out of your car) and keep moving at a slower speed but keep moving. As with any wild animal you just don’t know how they will react. They can do something unexpected.
My family and I had the opportunity to learn all about bears in Banff National Park by visiting the Lake Louise Gondola where there is a Wildlife Interpretive Centre. We also went there to see if we could see a Grizzly Bear while on the gondola but the bears were all hiding on that day. I didn’t mind though as I’m scared of bears and don’t fancy running into one. My family had to settle for the Interpretive Centre.
We watched closely for bears on the ride up and down but we didn’t see anything although the ride on the gondola in the summer is spectacular, relaxing and fun.
The view after you reach the top of the Gondola Ride. You can see Lake Louise nestled in the mountains. Gorgeous! I suggest you bring your writing journal if you can and sit and enjoy for as long as you can.
We took the the guided walk Trail of the Great Bear where they taught us what to do if you come across a bear on a path and gave us a glimpse into some bear behaviour. Below is my husband snapping a quick picture of me while I jotted down some notes on the walk.
Here is what I wrote down from the guided walk (Information was from a Wildlife Interpretive Guide from the Wildlife Interpretive Centre)
4 things to do if you run into a bear on a hiking path:
- STOP!
- PUT YOUR HANDS UP BY YOUR CHEST
- TALK TO THE BEAR SO THAT WAY THE BEAR KNOWS YOU ARE HUMAN AND NOT PREY
- DON’T RUN, IT IS BEAR INSTINCT TO CHASE YOU AND BEGIN TO BACK AWAY SLOWLY
ONE MORE VERY IMPORTANT TIP THEY GAVE US——-A BEAR BELL = DINNER BELL. BETTER TO PACK BEAR SPRAY. (Please Note the guide also gave us more specific instructions for if a bear decides not leave you alone. If you are going hiking where the potential for a bear encounter might occur please take every precaution to educate yourself with the help of guides in that area as they will know best what to do and areas to avoid.)
The above advice was to lead you here to a bear book where you will encounter only cute and cuddly bears. If you are interested in more of the cuddly, friendly bear types I’m here to introduce you to a new wildly creative fractured fairytale starring 3 famous bears. From the creative mind of Picture Book Idea Month founder and children’s book author Tara Lazar comes the fractured fairytale I Thought This Was A Bear Book by Tara Lazar and illustrated by Benji Davies.
An inventive and fun fractured fairytale where a poor Alien lands accidentally in The Story of the Three Bears and Goldilocks. The alien, known as Prince Zilch from Planet Zero, enlists the help of the three bears to help him find his way back to his book. The bears come up with 3 creative ideas to help poor Prince Zilch but nothing works until little baby bear suggests that the reader themselves help Prince Zilch get back to his book in an unique manner. In the end Prince Zilch is returned to his book with a blonde passenger to help him save his planet from the giant planet eating numbers and the three bears can continue with their day, or can they?
There is so much to love about this book. The illustrations are gorgeous, bright and colourful, there are lots of fun ‘z’ words that are fun to say such as ‘Zark, Zoot, Zinder’ plus a few more quirky words and the reader is asked to get actively involved in bringing about the resolution to the story. We love engaging picture books that get us involved. Author Tara Lazar has a number of books coming out in the next few years and if this book is any indication there is a lot more fun and excitement to look forward to from Tara. This book would be a great addition to any classroom (teachers, check out Tara’s site as she does book classroom visits) or home library.
*Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book in order to facilitate a review for the author. I only review and share books I love, my children love or I think might be a good fit for my readers.
Tara’s Books include:
llustrated by James Burks
Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, 201
Illustrated by Benji Davies
Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, 2015
If you are interested in more of Tara’s books you can check out her website: www.taralazar.com
or contact her on here:
Email: tarakidlit (at) gmail (dot) com
Twitter: @taralazar
Pinterest: pinterest.com/taralazar
Facebook: facebook.com/authortara
I hope you liked my post on 4 things to do if you encounter a real bear on a hiking path and Tara Lazar’s fabulous new book. Do you like bears or bear books? Let me know in the comments.
Cheers,
Bonnie Dani B.A., B.Ed.
Educator, Writer, Blogger @Adalinc to Life
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