Ned: The Story of Bear Six Nine Three.

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

In a remote mountain area, a baby grizzly bear named Ned is born to mother Betty Lou. Mother repeatedly warns the young grizzly to beware of humans. But Ned quickly learns that wherever there are people, there will be food.

Soon Ned becomes a nuisance to the townspeople, raiding backyard bird feeders and garbage bins for food. Attempts to relocate him to the wilderness fail. Ned has “lost his fear of people…even of men with guns” and returns to being a “garbage bear.” A threat to the community, Ned is destroyed.

Ned’s story, told in loosely rhyming text, is accompanied by Lynne Huras’s dark, somewhat ominous paintings. Information on the flyleaf suggests that “Ned is a fun story.” Although some parts are humorous, for the most part this is not the case. It will, however, “enlighten…young and old alike,” serving as a cautionary tale illustrating what can happen when wild animals lose their fear of and/or become too dependent on humans.

Many young children will find Ned’s fate extremely upsetting. Therefore, discretion should be used and perhaps Ned: The Story of Bear Six Nine Three would best be reserved for use with junior grade level students. It addresses an issue rarely dealt with in children’s books and will fill a void in school and public library collections. Recommended.