Smokey Bear: The Cub Who Left his Pawprints on History

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.