Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m the author of 25 childrenā€™s books, and I recently moved to a small mountain town that has come to co-exist with wild black bears by learning how to properly store and dispose of our food (rather than the alternative, which was to eliminate the bears!). Ever since Iā€™ve lived there, Iā€™ve been fascinated by human-bear interactions, having a few of my own now! When Yosemite Conservancy put out a call for childrenā€™s stories, I knew exactly what I wanted to write aboutā€”how people can help keep bears safe and wild through proper food storage. Iā€™m a huge advocate for bears and all wildlife!


I wrote

Book cover of Eat Up, Bear!

What is my book about?

Curious, hungry black bears just want to eat! Juicy berries, tender grubs, sticky honeyā€”thatā€™s good bear food. But if littleā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of So Big! Yosemite

Terry Pierce Why did I love this book?

So Big! Yosemite was the first board book I had read that is sold by Yosemite Conservancy. I thought, ā€œI wish I had written this bookā€ because it perfectly captures what small children feel when they visit Yosemite National Park. It features a black bear throughout the story, with a repeating question, ā€œHow big is so big!ā€ From black bears to El Capitan to Tuolumne Meadows, everything in Yosemite National Park is ā€œso big!ā€ to little ones.

By Melissa Iwai (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked So Big! Yosemite as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This board book takes the youngest visitors on a tour of Yosemite National Park's BIG sights, including Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, El Capitan, and Tuolumne Meadows. Yosemite is a big place for little people, but with a whimsical bear and squirrel as their guides, children will feel right at home in their national park.


Book cover of National Geographic Kids Look and Learn: Bears

Terry Pierce Why did I love this book?

National Geographic Look & Learn Bears is a perfect introduction to bears for toddlers. As a former Montessori preschool teacher, I appreciate the simplicity of the text, photographs, and book design. The book shows five common types of bears (black, brown, polar, pandas, and sun bears). Each bear is shown over two-page spreads and gives one interesting fact that would appeal to the toddler crowd. I could just see my own son at that age enjoying this book.

By National Kids,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked National Geographic Kids Look and Learn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

Welcome to the world of bears!

With fun photos and colourful, approachable design, this wonderful board book guides you through life as a bear, including hibernation, playtime with cubs, the smallest and biggest bears, and finding food!


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Book cover of The Stark Beauty of Last Things

The Stark Beauty of Last Things by CĆ©line Keating,

This book is set in Montauk, under looming threat from a warming climate and overdevelopment. Now outsider Clancy, a thirty-six-year-old claims adjuster scarred by his orphan childhood, has inherited an unexpected legacy: the power to decide the fate of Montaukā€™s last parcel of undeveloped land. Everyone in town has aā€¦

Book cover of National Geographic Readers: All about Bears

Terry Pierce Why did I love this book?

What I love about Nat Geoā€™s All About Bears Pre-Reader is that itā€™s the perfect ā€œnext bear bookā€ after a board book (those books typically written for toddlers). Because the book is a pre-reader, the text is simple enough for a 2-3-year-old to understand. In true Nat Geo style, the text is simple, and the bookā€™s design and the photographs are excellent. It really is a terrific book for very young children who want to learn more about bears.

By National Kids,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked National Geographic Readers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

Take a tour around the world to meet all kinds of bears in this delightful pre-reader.

Kids love bears and in this book they'll be introduced to them all: Grizzly, polar, sun, sloth, black, and brown. Great full-colour photos reveal details about how and where they live.

Perfect for beginning and young readers, National Geographic Pre-readers include simple, expert-vetted text and large, engaging photos on every page. A vocabulary tree at the beginning of the book introduces kids to key words in concept groups, helping kids make connections between words. Plus, a wrap-up activity gives kids a chance to useā€¦


Book cover of If You Were a Bear

Terry Pierce Why did I love this book?

I recommend If You Were a Bear for two big reasons. First, I love that near the end, it addresses proper food storage and why itā€™s problematic for wild bears to develop a taste for human food. This is the basis of my own book. Itā€™s incredibly important to the survival of bears that humans be vigilant about proper food storage and disposal. The other reason I recommend If You Were a Bear is because the rhyming text opens with the imaginative question, What would it be like to wake up being a bear cub? We know children love to stretch their imaginations! Once the premise is introduced, the story goes on to show a cubā€™s first year of life.

By Rachel Mazur,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked If You Were a Bear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a bear? This award winning children's book (NAI - National Association of Interpreters 2010 Media award) explores that question.children learn about the life of a bear and how people can help protect them. The story was written by a former National Park ranger wildlife biologist and bear specialist.


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Book cover of Genomics: A Revolution in Health and Disease Discovery

Genomics by Whitney Stewart,

Over the past 50 years, scientists have made incredible progress in the application of genetic research to human health care and disease treatment. Innovative tools and techniques, including gene therapy and CRISPR-Cas9 editing, can treat inherited disorders that were previously untreatable, or prevent them from happening in the first place.ā€¦

Book cover of If I Were a Bear

Terry Pierce Why did I love this book?

What I found most enjoyable about If I Were a Bear is that it uses a rhyming text to share simple facts about various Alaskan bears. Itā€™s a lovely combination of lyrical writing and nonfiction, with soft watercolor illustrations by Erik Brooks. Young children love hearing rhyming texts (their brains actually need rhythm and patterns for healthy development!), so whenever I find a book with well-written rhyme that conveys factual information, itā€™s a winner in my book!

By Shelley Gill,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked If I Were a Bear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author and illustrator of If I Were a Whale and If I Were A Bird, comes this colorful, rhyming board book that playfully features bears found in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. Beautiful watercolor illustrations of bears of all sizes are sure to delight readers young and old.

Toddlers will love this fun introduction to bears, in this beautifully illustrated board book that shares facts about these amazing animals in an imaginative way.

If I were a polar bear
my ears would be small,
my feet would be furry,
I'd have barely any tail at all.


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Book cover of Eat Up, Bear!

What is my book about?

Curious, hungry black bears just want to eat! Juicy berries, tender grubs, sticky honeyā€”thatā€™s good bear food. But if little adventurers and their families donā€™t watch out, their food will be bear food, too! The rhyming text and vibrant pictures in this board book show how people of all ages can help keep bears safe and thriving. Perfect for first-time and seasoned campers alike.

Years ago, a bear stole all my food on a backpacking trip, despite tying the food in a tall pine tree (bears are persistent when they know food is at handā€”or should I say ā€œpawā€!). This book is written to teach toddlers and their families about food storage so this doesnā€™t happen to them, and helps keep bears wild.

Book cover of So Big! Yosemite
Book cover of National Geographic Kids Look and Learn: Bears
Book cover of National Geographic Readers: All about Bears

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Interested in bears, toddlers, and park rangers?

Bears 72 books
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Park Rangers 23 books