Eat Up, Bear!

Published by a nonprofit dedicated to preserving California's Yosemite National Park, home to hundreds of black bears, this rhythmic board book has a clear message: bears in the wild should not consume human food, and humans ought to take precautions to ensure they don't. Employing the catchy refrain "There, there. Eat up, bear!/ Good bear food is everywhere," Pierce traces actions that humans can take to protect their food ("When campers latch their boxes right...") and thereby guarantee that the omnivorous black bears eat appropriate bear food: nondescript blue and red berries from bushes, larvae from a fallen tree trunk, fish from a river, and more. Sarell's richly saturated illustrations have a cartoonish, round-eyed bent, depicting bands of bears in various positions as well as human campers of varying abilities, ages, and skin tones. A forthright introduction to eco-friendly behaviors for the youngest campers. Ages up to 3. (Apr.)

Autumn campers and hikers peaceably coexist with hungry bears in this board book with a lesson for little nature-goers: all are kept safe when people remember to properly lock up, and dispose of, their foods in the wild. Bright scenes, set along streams, trails, and among orange-leaved trees, find happy bears chowing down on natural delights while wide-eyed human beings picnic responsibly, at a safe distance from the hungry furballs, making this a great introduction to enjoying nature without disturbing its rhythms.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2021:

Readers aren't going to miss the noble, not-so-subtle theme of this educational board book: that humans must 'take care or bears will eat your food!' . . . Bright, almost painterly, full-bleed illustrations pay homage to the lovely scenery both bears and humans are enjoying, and while the illustrations are more cartoony than photorealistic, the bears' natural poses as they chow down remind readers that these are real animals they are trying to protect.