On returning to their home after a massive wildfire, nine-year-old Jasmin and her seven-year-old brother, Hunter, thought the biggest surprise would be whether their fire-resistant house had survived.

Jasmin and Hunter did not expect to find an orphaned bear cub stuck in the neighbors' well. Rescuing the tiny cub from the well was the easy part; now they need to care for it until the people from the bear-rescue sanctuary can make it safely through the fires to pick it up. The cub turns out to be exactly what one would expect of a wild animal—a huge handful!

The latest Orca Echoes early chapter book from award-winning author Eric Walters was inspired by Eric's visit to a wildlife sanctuary in Northern British Columbia. Bear in the Family tells the fictionalized story of a bear cub found by a family after the forest surrounding their home was destroyed by a wildfire. (From Orca Book Publishers).

Eric Walters is one of Canada's most prolific writers for young people. He's penned over 100 books, including Camp X, The Power of Three and Run. His 2006 novel We All Fall Down came in at #88 on the list of the bestselling 150 Canadian books of the past 10 years. Walters won the 2020 Governor General's Literary Prize for young people's literature — text for The King of Jam Sandwiches.

Olga Barinova is a children's book illustrator based in Calgary. She has illustrated the books Buckle Up by Stephanie Scott and Maxy Survives the Hurricane by Ricia Chansky.