The Salmon Bears: Giants of the Great Bear Rainforest

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.

Nicholas Read is a retired journalist and journalism instructor who has written 10 books for children including two series about the Great Bear Rainforest with Ian McAllister. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with two rescued cats.

Ian McAllister is an award-winning photographer and author of numerous books. Ian directed the 2019 IMAX film Great Bear Rainforest and co-wrote the film's tie-in book, Great Bear Rainforest: A Giant Screen Adventure in the Land of the Spirit Bear. A recipient of the North American Nature Photography Association's Vision Award and the Rainforest Action Network's Rainforest Hero Award, he and his wife, Karen, were named by Time magazine Leaders of the 21st Century for their efforts to protect British Columbia's endangered rainforest. The co-founder of Pacific Wild, a Canadian nonprofit wildlife-conservation group, Ian lives with his family in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.