Bear-ly There
Rebekah Raye
Publication Date: September 2009
Hardcover, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-314-4
9 x 10, 32 pages, illustrations
Children / Nature; Grades 3-6
Purchase Bear-ly There inscribed to you by Rebekah Raye.
What do you do when there's a bear in your backyard? A big black bear shows up one moonlit night and creates a real ruckus, first breaking into the shed where the grain is kept for the geese (who aren't too happy about it), then raiding the bird feeders. The bear is also causing problems at other homes in the neighborhood, getting into the trash and compost and eating dog food that was left out overnight. One neighbor offers to shoot it. Another one suggests calling the game warden to have the bear tranquilized and relocated. 
But the child among them knows what is best. A bear belongs in the woods, Charlie says, and together with the adults he clears the yards in the neighborhood of any food that would tempt the bear. His dad comes up with a good idea for warning the bear away—and it works! Bear-ly There shows that it's always best for the bear if it stays in the woods, away from humans. An occasional glimpse of a bear through the trees or at the far side of a meadow is much, much better than having one in the backyard—for us and for the bear.
Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture. Her warm, expressive work is derived from her affinity with the natural world around her at her studio and home in East Blue Hill, Maine (where she had a bear visitor not too long ago). She illustrated Thanks to the Animals by Allen Sockabasin and is the author and illustrator of The Very Best Bed. Rebekah shares her love of art and her skills in workshops for adults and children and makes frequent school visits.
Teachers Guide for Bear-ly There
"I love the book, its message, and its illustrations! We had a bear in our neighborhood and went through the same experience that the family in the book does--and by taking down our birdfeeders and removing the things that were attracting the bear and her cub, we got them to stop hanging around our houses. If you have bears at your house, you are the problem, not the bear! The boy in this book may have saved the bear's life by taking action and putting up that poster to educate his neighbors."
—Lynne Cherry, Children's Author (The Great Kapok Tree), Environmentalist, and Filmmaker
"Rebekah Raye presents a wonderfully illustrated, true-to-life story many of us who live in bear country might encounter. Bear-ly There presents straightforward and entertaining ways to coexist with these amazing creatures of the forest for all ages."
—Sean Matthews, Associate Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society
"Wonderful illustrations; wonderful message and text. Loved it. We have that same problem right here (and we just raised a goose, too)."
—Bernd Heinrich, author of Summer World: A Season of Bounty Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival, Mind of the Raven, and other books
"Dangle upside down from a branch—like a bat?
Or float with your nose just above water—like a seal? Every animal has its own way of sleeping, and the squirrel’s quest to find the 'very best bed' may just inspire the reader to snuggle up with a good book—like this one—at bedtime."
—Amy MacDonald, Children’s Book Author
Meet the Author
Book Tour
Purchase a book signed by the author and inscribed to you!
A bushy gray squirrel is ready for bed, but where will he sleep tonight? He finds a cozy den, but a big black bear is already sleeping there. On his way up a tree, he sees a family of bats, but sleeping upside down doesn't suit him. A beaver slaps his tail on the pond before he dives down to his bed in his lodge, but the squirrel doesn't want to get his feet wet. Here's a snug hole in a tree, but it's overflowing with raccoon babies. Rebekah Raye's wonderful watercolor paintings take us along on the gray squirrel's search for just the right bed. Where, oh where, will he sleep tonight?
Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture, derived from her affinity with the natural world around her at her studio in East Blue Hill, Maine. She illustrated Thanks to the Animals, by Allen Sockabasin, and teaches workshops for children and adults.
Signed copies of The Very Best Bed as well as selected prints from the book will be on sale at the artists gallery throughout the summer.
Published by:
Tilbury House, Publishers
2 Mechanic Street, Suite 3
Gardiner, Maine 04345
207-582-1899
Web Site: http://www.tilburyhouse.com
Little Zoo Sap and his family are moving from their summer home on the coast to the deep woods for the winter, traveling on a big bobsled pulled by big horses through the snow. When Zoo Sap falls off of the sled unnoticed, the forest animals hear his cries. First to come are the beaver, who put their tails together to cradle him. Then all the other animals circle round—everyone from the tiny mouse to the giant moose to the great bald eagle—keeping him warm and safe until his father comes back to find him.
Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture, derived from her affinity with the natural world around her at her studio in East Blue Hill, Maine. She has been interested in animals and art since she was a child in Eastern Tennessee, and now in addition to creating her own works of art, teaches workshops for children and adults.
Purchase a book signed by the illustrator and inscribed to you!
Allen Sockabasin is a Passamaquoddy who devotes much of his time to teaching and preserving the Passamaquoddy language. A master musician, he has written, performed, and recorded Passamaquoddy stories and songs. He has been a tribal governor, a member of the tribal council, and director of child welfare for his tribe, and a health educator. He is the father of five grown children and a young son named Zoo Sap.
Signed copies of Thanks to the Animals as well as selected prints from the book will be on sale at the artists gallery throughout the summer.
Published by:
Tilbury House, Publishers
2 Mechanic Street, Suite 3
Gardiner, Maine 04345
207-582-1899
Web Site: http://www.tilburyhouse.com