• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: 3

Explore the life and habitat of this legendary bear. The Spirit Bear is a unique subspecies of the North American black bear. It's neither a polar bear nor an albino, but a black bear that's white. Named the Spirit Bear by Native American tradition, which held that white bears were to be revered and protected, it is also known as the Kermode bear. It is found only in remote regions of British Columbia which, until recently, were in danger of being logged. The official mammal of the province, the Spirit Bear's peaceful nature and stunning beauty make it an important presence. About the series : Through full color wildlife photography and engaging text, Diane Swanson continues her acclaimed Welcome to the World of... series, which contains nearly 30 titles and inspires, fascinates and educates children.

Diane Swanson has been researching and writing nature books for children for over 25 years. Her work has been recognized with many awards, including the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. Her titles have been regularly selected for the “our choice” list by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. A frequent guest speaker at conferences on nature for kids, she lives in Victoria, B.C.

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Welcome to the World of Spirit Bears

The spirit bear is a black bear that is white. They are not albino and not polar bears. Another name is Kermode. They live only in northwestern British Columbia, especially on Princess Royal Island. The spirit bear became an emblem of British Columbia in 2006. This volume in the Welcome to the World series includes chapters relating facts about appearance, habitat, food and young. “Fun World” tells of the importance of play in the young bear’s life. There are colour illustrations on each double-page spread and each chapter has a sidebar on interesting facts. The spirit bear legend tells of a time when snow buried the earth. The raven wanted people to remember this time, so flew among the black bears and turned every tenth one white.

The author has been recognized with many awards, including the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.