The incredible story of how one man went from a hired hunter to becoming one of America’s top champions for this iconic animal. In this wonderous and eye-opening exploration, Steve Searles, the reknown and respected "Bear Whisperer" of Mammoth Lakes, takes the reader on a journey into the lives of these remarkable creatures and the world we share. In the late 1990s, the town of Mammoth Lakes, California hired Steve Searles as a hunter to cull half its troublesome bear population. But as he began to prepare for the grim task, the bears soon won him over, and Searles realized there had to be a better way. He soon developed non-lethal tactics to control their behavior and overpopulation that heralded a landmark moment in the care and handling of the American black bear. But change was not without its challenges. To some, his success was dismissed due to his lack of formal academic training. Yet Searles never wavered in his commitment, and eventually became not just local folk hero but a nationally recognized expert. This high school dropout saved not just the bears, but, in many ways, his community. In a tradition that runs from John Muir to Bear Grylls, Searles finds a fellowship with nature and a deeper meaning in the world of bears. Do bears understand things we don’t? Are they dialed in to some greater natural force? Unlike us, bears waste little time on unreasonable fears. Bears are fully in the moment. They have an inner peace that seems to offset their power and strength. That may explain why no other animal on the planet is as revered as the bear. As Searles shares his remarkable knowledge and we become immersed in the ursine world, you’ll never look at bears or nature the same way again. Warm and poignant, and perfect for anyone who has been fascinated by the natural world, What the Bears Know shows that wisdom and fulfillment can come from unexpected places.

The Wisest Bear is Tim’s companion. He goes everywhere with Tim until he (the Bear) falls overboard into the water. Tim dives in to rescue him. At its heart, the story is about love and how to live. The heart of the story sings to the reader about how sometimes it takes forgetting or losing one’s everyday-self to come to one’s own Wisest understanding. The main character of the book, the real-life Tim, is all grown-up and is a bioethicist. He doesn’t remember rescuing his Bear, but it happened just so. Tim has requested that the proceeds of the book be donated to a charity that “saves or improves lives the most per dollar.” After inspecting many charities, he is specifying the Give Well organization as a recipient of the proceeds. One can find out more about this organization at www.givewell.com .

From the Amazon to the Arctic, the world is teeming with diverse cultures. There's no better way for students to explore the world's cultural diversity than through its folktales. Presenting tales from the foundations of the world's traditions, literature, daily life, and popular culture, The Greenwood Library of World Folktales: Stories from the Great Collections gathers together a vast array of folktales and arranges them according to region or cultural group, thus allowing students to quickly and conveniently learn about the tales of particular cultures. Some of these stories have been told for centuries, while others have emerged only in recent times. The four-volume set includes introductory essays in addition to explanatory headnotes, and provides bibliographies on particular regions as well as a selected, general bibliography. The most comprehensive work of its kind, this set gives students and general readers a guided tour of the world's folktales. Each volume of the set is devoted to a particular broad geographic region: Volume 1: Africa, The Middle East, Australia and Oceania Volume 2: Asia Volume 3: Europe Volume 4: North and South America Accessible, informative, and entertaining, this book will help literature students learn how to analyze texts and understand the traditions at the heart of many of the world's literary masterpieces. It will also help social studies students learn about the world's cultures and respect ethnic diversity.

In Singer of Souls, young Douglas fled his American life of drugs and petty crime, arriving in Scotland to be taken in by his stern but fair-minded grandmother. Unfortunately, his career as a busker was interrupted by the fey folk who invisibly share Edinburgh's streets, who dragged him into their own internecine wars. Now Douglas, usurper, sits on the throne of Faery--holding the Queen and the land hostage with his all-powerful magic and his unflinchingly loyal lieutenant, Martes. Meanwhile, in Western Massachusetts, a strange infant is left on the doorstep of an ex-marine who may have the second sight. And in Scotland, the granddaughter of a murdered woman sifts through clues trying to prove her brother isn't the killer... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

DIVDIVTwo ancient tribes on the verge of making peace become foes once more when a double murder jeopardizes a storyteller’s mission /divDIV Eighty centuries ago, in the frozen land that is now Alaska, a clubfooted male child had been left to die, when a woman named K’os rescued him. Twenty years later and no longer a child, Chakliux occupies the revered role as his tribe’s storyteller. In the neighboring village of the Near River people, where Chakliux will attempt to make peace by wedding the shaman’s daughter, a double murder occurs that sends him on a harsh, enthralling journey in search of the truth about the tragic losses his people have suffered, and into the arms of a woman he was never meant to love./divDIV /divDIVSong of the River is the first book of the Storyteller Trilogy, which also includes Cry of the Wind and Call Down the Stars./div/div

Not your typical book about grief, the redbird sings the song of hope is the perfect telling of what grieving people wish others knew. Kandy Noles Stevens unapologetically explains what isn’t always helpful to the bereaved, but does so with grace and wit. Through her personal stories, she provides practical ideas of how to bring comfort to those who are hurting. In an engaging Southern style, Kandy writes about real people (including some pretty colorful ones) who have loved her family in their darkest days. Infused in every page are hope-filled words of God’s faithfulness, including the sending of one redbird when her family needed it the most.