My daughter Amanda was given this book by a Canadian friend when she was born. I read everyday before nap time starting when she was 3 months old. Even at this early age every page held a tactile activity. Sadly the book was used so much even then and again revitalized when Amanda became a toddler that it became rather ragged. So today I am placing an order for a new book even though my daughter is now 6 because she still holds fond memories.

Just as I fell in love with the simple illustrations of Rabbit Seeds, So I fell in love with Good Wood Bear. The story unfolds itself in its elegant craftiness and firm foundations. The story invites young people not only to work hard, but to work hard for the sake of others. I love the generous spirit which fills this story. Bear obviously is not making the bird house for the sake of making a bird house. He is making it because he values hard work and giving to others. For children, this book has many implications. It has the ability to inspire children's imaginations because they must fill in the minor details that Le Tord deliberately left out. It also can inspire a work ethic and pride in one's craft. The final illustration--or diagram rather--is an excellent invitation for young people to use their hands as they use their minds. Though this book may be hard to obtain, since it is out of stock, I do recommend searching for a copy of this book. I think Bear and Goose would be very happy if you did.

Anyone who is ever remotely interested in bears should read this book. It is suitible for all ages. I found it to be very informative and easy to understand. Anything you want to know about bears is in this book!

This book is great. It teaches kids that everyone gets scared, but that there really isn't anything to be afraid of.

There are 450 poems, songs, charms, prayers, and laments in "The Great Bear," organized in thematic sections such as "The Cosmos," "Hunting," and "Healing." All of the entries are presented in both the original language and English, with a scholarly introduction to each thematic section. This collection from the Oxford University Press represents the oral tradition of fifteen peoples scattered across Northern Europe from Scandinavia, deep into Russia and beyond the Urals, and of the Hungarians in Central Europe.

There are extensive footnotes that illuminate the tradition and meaning of the entries, some of which are fragments of larger, lost works. It is interesting to read a poem such as "To the Coffin-Makers," and then turn to the commentary that explains Karelian burial traditions:

"...The need to use timber from trees in which birds had not rested or sung (cf. II. 9-10) reflects a belief in soul-birds. It was essential to avoid upsetting the deceased---should he or she return in the form of a bird---by felling trees in which the soul might one day wish to rest."

One of the more recondite marriage traditions among the Finnish, Karelian, and Estonian peoples involved teasing the prospective bride and bride-groom: "The theme of seeking the best bride and finding the worst is a central feature....of the bride-teasing poems [that] were customarily sung by the groom's relatives at his home." Here are a few lines from "Teasing the Bride:"

"Listen, precious brother's son/ if you could but have taken an apple from higher boughs/ from the top of other trees!/...Attendants, you maid's brothers:/ take this away when you go/ the one you brought when you came!/ Don't take her along the road--/ take her over the big swamp!/ If you take her by the road/ even horses will stampede/ horseflies will take to their heels..."

The oral tradition of our ancestors was often somber. It often attempted to explain our symbiosis with the natural and spiritual world. However, it could also be joyous. It could make people laugh.

I think we've neglected the humorous, celebratory side of song-making and poetry in our modern world. "The Great Bear" reminds us that poems and songs were meant to reflect all facets of our humanity, not just grief, longing, and pain.

I love this book and I'm 40 years old. I first read it as a youth, but reread it now and then because of the clarity of writing and thoughts expressed. Any boy or girl will enjoy it, too.

"Grizzly Bear" is everything you had no idea you wanted to know about our largest predators. It's a real page turner, reads like a novel

A thoroughly enjoyable book, with a magnificent glimpse into the Alaskan wilderness. Stunning pictures, with some fun facts sprinkled throughout can easily hold you and your child's attention as you follow the bears through their year. (Did you know that at the height of berry season, one bear can eat 200,000 berries each day?!) But this is no textbook. It's a little piece of magic that reminds us just how much we should appreciate any last bit of wildness that remains. Highly recommended.

Andy Russell grew up in grizzly country, married a young woman who had also grown up in grizzly, and raised a family in grizzly country. The stories are the real thing, with all the wonder and humor that comes from lifetimes of experience with wildlife. This book, with Frank Duqesne's NO ROOM FOR BEARS, and Enos Mills' THE GRIZZLY, is a classic that belongs on the shelf of everyone interested in the grizzly and its future in North America.

Andy Russell's Grizzly Country blends a rich history of concern for this bear with some gentle and telling words to the wise. He even got ahead of the scientists in some cases. For instance, biologists used to insist that the bears living on the coast of Alaska were not the same species as the bears living inland. Russell wryly wrote how strange it was to see a bear moving up one side of a mountain, and become another species just by crossing the ridge and moving inland, down the other side of the mountain.

Russell saw grizzlies as a child, and raised his kids around the bears. He has great stories to tell, stories of humor, and depth. This is a very fine book, cover to cover.

My wife and I read this book aloud to each other. It was almost impossible to put down once we started. It represents something for every memeber of the family I believe, but especially anyone intersted in biolgical research, the out of doors, and bears, yet the book is written as an adventure story.