BOOKS
Educational Books for Kids
Bears For Kids (2007) by Jeff Fair was updated and republished in 2007 and is perhaps the most authoritative children’s book on black bears. Photos and text emphasize northeastern Minnesota.
Can be purchased online from the North American Bear Center online store at: https://bear.org/shop/Bears National Geographic Readers (2016) by National Geographic Kids
Bears: Amazing Pictures & Fun Facts on Animals in Nature (Our Amazing World) (2016) by Kay DeSilva
Bears: Childrens Book About Bears - Learn about Bear Behaviour (2017) by Terry Mason
Wild About Bears (2014) by Jeannie Brett, buy online
Bearman: Exploring the World of Black Bears (1989) by Laurence Pringle
Educational Books for Adults
Wild Guide: Bears (2005) by Charles Fergus
Grizzly Heart (2002) by Charles Russell and Maureen Enns
Bears of the World (2000) by Lance Craighead
Bears without Fear (2013) by Kevin Van Tighem
In the Company of Bears: What Black Bears Have Taught Me about Intelligence and Intuition (2014), buy online
by Benjamin Kilham and Temple Grandin
Great Bear Almanac (1996) by Gary Brown, buy online
Bear: Spirit of the Wild (2013) by Paul Nicklen
Talking with Bears: Conversations with Charlie Russell (2020) by G.A. Bradshaw
Summers with the Bears (1999) by Jack Becklund.
The Wishing Bear (2006) by Jennifer Dziekan (includes a list of bear facts from the North American Bear Center)
Grizzly Seasons: Life with the Brown Bears of Kamchatka (2003) by Charlie Russell and Maureen Enns
Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (1985) by Stephen Herrero
Discovering Black Bears (2007) by Margaret Anderson, Nancy Field, and Karen Stephenson.
Black Bears Bears of the World by (2010) byJoyce Jeffries
Spirit Bear: Encounters with the White Bear of the Western Rainforest (1994) by Charles Russell
Beauty Within the Beast (2002) by Stephen Stringham.
Bear-viewing in Alaska (2007) by Stephen Stringham.
Alaska Magnum Bear Safety Manual (2008) by Stephen Stringham.
When Bears Whisper, Do You Listen: Negotiating Close Encounters With Wild Bruins (2009) by Stephen Stringham.
Out-of-print books well worth searching for:
Great American Bear (1990) by Jeff Fair. The most in-depth treatment of black bears. Special focus on Minnesota. Photos by Lynn Rogers show a wide range of behaviors.
Bears: Monarchs of the Northern Wilderness (1993) by Dr. Wayne Lynch is a good reference on all 3 North American Bears. It includes a scientific reference to support each substantive statement, allowing readers to go to the source.
Bears: Majestic Creatures of the Wild (1993). Written by a panel of experts, this is a good reference on all 8 species of bears worldwide plus extinct species.
Bears: Behavior-Ecology-Conservation (1997) by Erwin and Peggy Bauer gives solid information on the three North American species.
Books by Sylvia Dolson
Sylvia Dolson is a leading expert on living with bears in residential communities; she has been instrumental in bringing forward more progressive, bear-friendly management policies in British Columbia, Canada. She was the key catalyst and contributor for Whistler's Black Bear Management Plan. Ms Dolson was the executive director of the Get Bear Smart Society and also a member of the International Association for Bear Research and Management. She has authored many reference materials for educational purposes, maintains an extensive website, and writes a regular newspaper column.