• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Extensively illustrated with Ian McAllister's magnificent photographs, The Salmon Bears explores the delicate balance that exists between the grizzly, black and spirit bears and their natural environment, the last great wilderness along the central coast of British Columbia.

Key to this relationship are the salmon that are born in the rivers each spring, who then go out to sea as juveniles and return as adults to spawn and die, completing a cycle of life that ensures the survival of not only their own species but also virtually every other plant and animal in the rainforest.

In clear language suitable for young readers, the authors describe the day-to-day activities that define the lives of these bears through the four seasons. But this is also very much the story of the Great Bear Rainforest—a vast tract of land that stretches from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border and contains some of the largest stands of old-growth forest left on the West Coast. The Salmon Bears focuses on the interconnectedness of all life in the rainforest and makes a strong case for the importance of protecting this vital ecological resource.

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Ian McAllister is a co-founder of the wildlife conservation organization Pacific Wild. He is an award-winning photographer and author of The Great Bear Rainforest, and his images have appeared in publications around the world. He has been honoured by the Globe & Mail as one of 133 highly accomplished Canadians, and he and his wife, Karen McAllister, were named by Time magazine one of the ""Leaders of the 21st Century"" for their efforts to protect British Columbia's endangered rainforest. He is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and has won the North America Nature Photography Association's Vision Award and the Rainforest Action Network's Rainforest Hero award. He lives with his family on an island in the heart of The Great Bear Rainforest.

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Ian McAllister's profile page

Nicholas Read is a journalism instructor at Langara College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He collaborated with Ian McAllister on several books, including Wolf Island, A Bear's Life, The Seal Garden and The Great Bear Sea and wrote City Critters, about urban wildlife. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Nicholas Read's profile page

• Nominated, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Award
• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
• Short-listed, BC and Yukon Book Prizes - Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize
• Commended, Ontario Library association (OLA) Best Bets
• Commended, Quill & Quire's Best Books of the Year
• Commended, Resource Links, The Year's Best Books
• Short-listed, Cybils Awards

"Has something to offer all ages."

The Vancouver Sun

"Well written and organized, divided into short by rich chapters describing an aspect of the ecology through various themes pertaining to marine, aquatic, and terrestrial life…Captivating imagery supplied by Ian McAllister's world-famous photography and straightforward explanations that reach a broad audience…Excellent educational material for school children…Books like The Salmon Bear and The Great Bear Sea play a crucial role in educating us all—youth and adult—about the importance of stewardship and empathy."

BC Studies

"Read's conversational text and McAllister's excellent photos provide a perfect framework for this evocative look at the big bears of the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, and an intriguing investigation of its ecological pattern of dependency…Superbly readable, informative, and attractive, this book provides a clear picture of a pristine environment and its major inhabitants."

School Library Journal (SLJ)

"Spectacular, appealing photographs appear on almost every page, enhancing the fact-filled dialogue. The bears look almost friendly and very photogenic!...Written in an appealing, lyrical style, this excellent book is appropriate for both early intermediate readers and older research students...This text should prove to be a popular addition."

Resource Links

[Starred review] "A thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read. The text's kid-friendly, informal tone helps steer the way through a mass of information…The Salmon Bears shines a spotlight on a precious national treasure and makes an impassioned case for protecting its future."

Quill & Quire

"The exceptional qualities of the Great Bear Rainforest will begin to captivate young readers on first glimpse…Each turn of the page brings you face to face with the bears…An engaging and valuable read. With so much at stake, its urgent messages are worth repeating for every generation. Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"In addition to learning a lot about bears, readers will gain knowledge about the ecology of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia...McAllister's photography is spectacular."

Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) Top Forty

"Illustrated with stunning photographs of the wolves and bears that live in the Great Bear Rainforest on the western edge of Canada...[Sea Wolves and Salmon Bears] would be useful for classroom units on animals, ecology, [and] wilderness conservation."

Canadian Teacher

"Plentiful, well-captioned photographs capture bears and other animals in this lush landscape…The attractive format, with plenty of good-sized color photographs, and the informal, inviting tone make this a solid choice for browsers as well as school reports."

Booklist

"A fascinating book about the black, Spirit and grizzly bears of the Great Bear Rainforest...This book should be placed in every elementary classroom in North America."

BookLinx

"Incredible photographs and captivating text will enthrall nature lovers ages nine and up, including adults. A must read about these fascinating Canadian bears. "

The Barrie Advance

"Close-up shots of bears in the wilderness are endlessly fascinating…An engaging book, written in a chatty, friendly tone that would be pleasing to read aloud."

Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children’s Book News

"This excellent book…[has] a sprightly narrative that takes the reader through a year in the life of a bear…The illustrations for this book, a plentitude of photographs…are nothing short of gorgeous."

The Globe and Mail

“[Provides] support to young readers with many non-fiction text features: an extensive number of wonderful photographs, captions, headings, fact boxes, bold words, a map, and an index.”

Canadian Teacher Magazine