About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
Black bears, grizzly bears, and spirit bears all make their home in the Great Bear Rainforest.
A Bear's Life uses Ian McAllister's stunning photographs to follow these beautiful animals through a year in the British Columbia wilderness—catching fish, eating berries, climbing trees and taking long naps.
A Bear's Life is the second in the My Great Bear Rainforest series.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 6 to 8
- Grade:
- 1 to 3
- Reading age:
- 6 to 8
Awards
- , Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Award
- Commended, Resource Links, The Year's Best Books
Editorial Reviews
"The heart of this album is [McAllister's] photography: two beautiful landscapes showing the pristine Great Bear Rainforest bookend many, many close-ups of bears…An appropriate companion to Wolf Island to nourish the sense of wonder."
— Kirkus Reviews
"The incredible close-up photos lead the reader from spring to fall in the rainforest as the easy-to-read text introduces each unique and special aspect of the bears' home...Impressive presentation. The writing style is especially inviting to younger readers...Hopefully this author-photographer duo still have more to offer all ages about British Columbia's endangered rainforest as a way to encourage conservation efforts. Highly Recommended."
— CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"Visually spectacular, Wolf Island and A Bear's Life work best as a pair, showing how different types of animals navigate the vast and ancient rainforest in both different and similar ways. Read together, these books—and undoubtedly any others that will be added to the series in the future—provide opportunities for readers to compare and contrast the habits, homes and personalities of some of their favourite animals in a highly engaging and informative way. Full of universal themes the books in the My Great Bear Rainforest series will delight readers of all interests and abilities. "
— Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children’s Book News
"This is a beautiful, fact-filled book that should enchant the reader."
— Youth Services Book Review
"Read emphasizes how much time it takes for cubs to learn survival skills from their mom and the importance of a balanced ecosystem…McAllister's close-up images of the creatures and the forest radiate with energy and atmosphere, in part because of the clean layout, which lets them shine…A title sure to be enjoyed over and over again. An easy pick for nonfiction animal collections."
— School Library Journal
“Striking photographs…Dazzling.”
— The Horn Book
"A Bear's Life is highly recommended for school and public libraries for study units and for story times. This book would enhance study units on bears, ecological systems, rainforests, indigenous mythology, the Raven, and photography. Both books in My Great Bear Rainforest Series further understanding of the beauty and importance of the Great Bear Rainforest and by extension all forests and their inhabitants."
— Resource Links
"Extensively photo illustrated by McAllister, images range from stunning landscape portraits to impressive action shots to playful photos of a cub lounging in the grass…this stuns."
— Booklist
"We have talked about the Great Bear Rainforest in other posts, all by this talented and impressive pair whose glorious nature photography and impeccable research have given us other books to admire and inspire. Following Wolf Island, this second picture book is perfect for younger readers."
— Sal's Fiction Addiction
"This well-designed companion to Wolf Island features McAllister's exquisite photographs of black bears, grizzlies, and rare spirit bears…It's a captivating and intimately photographed look at the lives of wild bears."
— Publishers Weekly
