Growing Up Grizzly: The True Story of Baylee and Her Cubs

Yes, this really is a true story. As a guide who watched Emmett get adopted by Baylee in the wild, I think it is fun to share a story that really happened with kids. Amy's photo's show the summer life of bears as no others seem to do. (Even a bear can have a bad hair day!) This book is also suited for a coffee table book for adults, as the photographs are so interesting you can look at them over and over.

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 9) by Reader Views (5/07) Imagine having to make your way through life without your mom and dad! It's not a very happy thought, is it? Well, imagine you're a grizzly bear and forced to find your own way. He is not yet old enough to live on his own but not a baby anymore either. He's in between ages. It's a pretty lonely time for young Emmett. He lives up in Alaska, where the temperatures range greatly. He travels to a cove where he is watched by visitors but no one knows just who he is or where he came from. He didn't have a name until the visitors started watching him. There is a family of four bears living in the same area. Baylee is the mama bear with her cubs named Eleanor, Misha and James. Emmett likes to watch the family of bears, if only he could be a part of their family. The bear family seems to be having such fun. Baylee doesn't like Emmett being around and growls to get rid of him. Emmett was determined to make this family his. He makes friends with the little cubs and wins the mom over. Now he feels like a member of a family. We all need a little help sometimes and Emmett gets the help he needs from Baylee and her family. "Growing Up Grizzly" is based on a true story of grizzly bears up in Southeastern Alaska. The pictures are actual pictures of bears in their habitats and doing what comes naturally to them. I especially liked the picture of the bear looking through a window of a cabin and seeing his reflection. He needed a friend. All the pictures are awesome! The book would be a delight for bear lovers, Alaska lovers and any others who would like a nice adoption story. Note from Brianne's mother: Brianne has always liked the story of the three bears. "Growing Up Grizzly" is similar only without Goldilocks and with an additional bear. The storyline is excellent because it shows how it doesn't matter where someone comes from, he can be adopted into a family and find love and companionship. Even if the book was written for younger readers, it still brought a delight to this bear-loving reader.

I dare you to finish this book with dry eyes.

This is the kind of book I want young people (of all ages) to experience. It is not just the exquisite photos, although they are, indeed, quite beautiful and heart-stiring. It is not just the compelling story line, although the narrative brings the reader right there--to Alaska--to BE with these amazingly beautiful and compelling creatures. Something special is happening in this book: by sharing her love, passion, and profound understanding of these magnificent animals photographer Amy Shapira's work has a transforamtive impact. Just as each of us has a personality, a family life, a community, and a neighborhood, Shapira shows us that tucked away in southeastern Alaska are animals with a fullness of being and experience. This precious book prompts me--as never before--to understand that on every inch of this planet, wherever life exists, there is sanctity and there is nobility. I will never look at bears--or any animals, for that matter--the same way again.