Smokey Bear: The Cub Who Left his Pawprints on History

by Karen Signell

How does an intelligent wild bear manage life in captivity? This is the first novel about the real bear cub who survived a forest fire high in the New Mexican mountains to become the living representative of his namesake, Smokey Bear. Badly burned, alone and forlorn amidst the devastation after the fire, the cub is rescued by Game Warden Ray Bell. Smokey adapts to life in the home of Ray’s family in Santa Fe, cavorting with the household puppy and cuddling with the four-year-old daughter. Before the little male bear becomes big enough to be dangerous, he must leave his human family. He is flown across the country to spend the rest of his long life at Washington’s National Zoo. Authentic photographs and apt quotations enhance this heartwarming and bittersweet story, written for adults but with appeal for all ages.

510 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 2014

Reviews

[Viga Boland · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare to come away from a 500-page book wanting more, not because the story hasn't been perfectly executed, but because the reader wants to sustain the feelings of sheer pleasure she/he felt while reading. That's how I felt reading "Smokey Bear" by Karen Signell. What a brilliant writer! What a beautiful story.

Using sustained personification to cleverly combine fact and fiction, Karen Signell has breathed life into the little bear cub who survived the horrendous fires that ripped through the 17,000 acres of Lincoln National Forest in 1950. The fire claimed the lives of Smokey's fictional mama bear, Gersa, and hundreds of other animals. Rescued by those dangerous two-legged creatures known as humans, tiny Smokey was nursed back to health and became one of America's most beloved icons, reminding all that "only you can prevent wildfires".

What makes "Smokey the Bear" by By Karen Signell so charming is the utterly believable human-like characterization of Smokey and his friends: Strut, the talkative crow; Lightning, the striped cat who desperately wants a good home with some loving humans; Dazzle, the pompous know-it-all peacock and Freddie the extortionist rat, just to name a few.

But most of all it's Smokey with whom the reader identifies: we ache with his longing for his mama and the forest he remembers; we feel his desperation for wanting to escape the caged confines of the zoo where he lives out his life of 26 years. We know the feeling of wishing we could see old friends, of being bored with routines, of craving excitement in the everyday humdrum. Smokey is so human, we want to give him a great big hug. How has Karen Signell made him so loveable that we come away wanting more?

You will have to read "Smokey the Bear" to answer that question. Is it a book for children? It's a book for the child inside each of us, a book for any age group. As well as in our home and public libraries, "Smokey the Bear" belongs in school classrooms. In fact, Signell provides questions at the end of the book that will aid teachers and students in the discussion of not just the historical facts surrounding Smokey's story, or issues like animals being kept in zoos, but the exploration of the entire process of being young and growing older.

"Smokey the Bear" by Karen Signell is a thought-provoking and unforgettable blend of fact and fiction that will touch hearts through its brilliant characterization. Thorough research, archived photos, lists of resources and even a look into how Signell came to write "Smokey the Bear complete the book. But it is Smokey's life journey that will pawprints on readers' hearts. Brilliant writing and highly recommended.

Viga Boland
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[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice balance between fact and fiction. Great character development, especially in the crow Strut.

[Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never thought I'd cry because of a book about Smokey Bear; yet, here we are.

This furry guy certainly left his paw-prints on history, as well as my heart.