I hope you’ve been enjoying taking a sneak peek into Bryanna Chapeski’s illustrations for our new picture book WILD ABOUT CAMPING! I’m back without another beautiful snapshot that will hopefully give you a taste of the delightful artwork that awaits readers. This time we’re back to the animal kingdom, with a sweet snapshot of a mama bear taking a much-needed nap with her cuddly cub.
I’ve got another little anecdote from my childhood camping days. Years ago, we went camping in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. My mom noticed some signs warning about bears in the area. Being a city dweller with a small child in tow, my mom insisted that she and I sleep in the car, lest we become bear snacks overnight. My dad, tough guy that he was, scoffed at our concerns, and was determined to sleep in the tent, bears or no bears. Well, wouldn’t you know it, in the middle of the night, guess who came crawling into the car. Turns out the wilderness is full of strange noises that sound even stranger when you’re alone in a tent at night!
Don’t let my story scare you off, though! We’ve spent many, many nights out in the wilderness without any problems with our bear neighbours (including a night in Yellowstone when a bear walked through our campsite and literally tripped over one of our tent cords – talk about hair-raising). The key is to be prepared and aware, and thankfully there are plenty of resources available to help make sure your camping experiences are pleasant for both you and the local bears.
We’ve had four sneak peeks into the new book so far, and we’re not quite done yet! Check back next month for another look inside the book!