Chasing Bears: A Canoe Country Adventure — Earl Fleck

This story of one boy's triumph over adversity is set in the Quetico Provincial Park of southern Ontario, adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of northern Minnesota. Haunted by the bears chasing him in his dreams, twelve-year-old Danny Forester ventures with his father and older brother on a wilderness canoe trip. Not only must Danny meet the physical challenges of the trail, but he carries with him the burdens of his brother's teasing and his father's dark moods.

He is ever watchful for bears. But along the way he also awakens to the joys of nature-catching fish, sighting eagles, moose, osprey, listening to loons sing and the howl of wolves. At one campsite, he faces off with a real bear, learns to make peace within himself, and finds a deeper connection with his father and earns the respect of his brother. In the story's suspenseful climax, powerful elements of nature and family come into play as Danny discovers a capacity for courage, self-confidence and compassion. Their survival rests on his young shoulders like the crushing weight of his father's wood canoe. The author's chapter illustrations of bears capture the essence of this compelling story.