About the Holiday
Established by The Children’s Book Council in the early 2000s, Gardening, Nature, and Ecology Books Month invites everyone to explore gardening and the wonders of the natural world through reading about these topics through books of all kinds. With their combination of compelling storytelling and beautiful illustrations, picture books are especially adept at revealing the beauty of the environment, the intricate connections of ecology, and the rewards of gardening. This month-long holiday encourages people to not only read about the environment but to get involved in the type of stewardship that will help create a greener and more sustainable world. Today’s book offers a beautiful example!
Thank you to Greystone Books and Deborah Sloan for sending me a copy of this book for review!
Aya Has Never Seen a Bear
Written by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane | Illustrated by Jiu’er | Translated by Paul Qiao | Adapted by Helen Mixter
As readers enter the story they get a bird’s-eye view of Aya and her grandma and grandpa’s camp. Aya and her family are Oroqen, an ethnic group of hunters who live in the forests and mountains of Greater and Lesser Khingan, in northern China. Grandma is tending the fire outside their curonko, the tent where Aya still sleeps, while their dogs wait patiently and their horses graze nearby. Grandpa has just returned with breakfast and plans for the day.
Illustration copyright © 2026 by Jiu’er. Text copyright © 2026 by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.
At last, Aya will have a chance to view bears in the woods. She has seen many other animals, but never a bear. Aya rides her horse slowly and quietly through the autumn woods as Grandpa has taught her. Aya spies various animals, and deeper in the woods the shadow of an eagle owl sends the two riders hurrying on to the wetlands. When Aya and her grandpa come to the river valley, they hide behind bushes on the riverbank, remaining completely still as they watch for bears in the pine woods on the other side. There they see an abandoned mattress surrounded by garbage. When a mother bear and three cubs come into sight, Aya holds her breath, knowing “in the northern forest, bears are unbeatable. They are pure power.” The bears frolic and snooze on the mattress. Finally, Grandpa whistles, and they scurry away.
Illustration copyright © 2026 by Jiu’er. Text copyright © 2026 by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.
Grandpa and Aya then burn the mattress and other trash to dissuade the bears from interacting with humans “This is how the Oroqen share the forest with bears. Respect them, be in awe of them, and keep away from them.” When the fire is completely out, they head home, picking berries along the way. Winter, with its deep blanket of snow, will come soon enough. Then Aya will dream about the bears while they hibernate until spring.
Back matter provides more information about the Oroqen and their traditions.
Illustration copyright © 2026 by Jiu’er. Text copyright © 2026 by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane. Courtesy of Greystone Kids.
Gerelchimeg Blackcrane’s story, beautifully translated by Paul Qiao, flows with the gentle rhythms of a mountain stream, carrying readers along on Aya’s and her grandfather’s trip to view bears in the wild. Through their actions, Aya and her grandpa demonstrate how humans can live in harmony with nature, respecting its autonomy while also enjoying and using its gifts—guiding principles of ecology. Lovely passages of lyrical description dazzle, drawing readers into the lives not only of Aya’s family but of the plants and animals of the forest and the patterns of the changing season.
Jiu’er’s rich illustrations, rendered in mineral pigments, glow with the woodland hues of autumn. Panoramic views of the mountains and river valley are breathtaking, and each page offers a plethora of details that will delight children. They may be especially interested in Grandpa’s hat that helps him and Aya remain camouflaged. Readers will be awed by the image of the eagle owl and the nearly two-page spread of the bears napping together.
A wondrous, quietly affecting story of family and peaceful coexistence with nature, Aya Has Never Seen a Bear is highly recommended for all library collections and would make an eloquent addition to home bookshelves for tranquil bedtime or story time reading.
Ages 4 – 8
Greystone Kids, 2026 | ISBN 978-1778403064
Gerelchimeg Blackcrane is an award-winning Chinese Mongolian writer of natural literature and a breeder and trainer of native Chinese mastiffs. He has published many novels, including Black Flame, Ghost Dog, Black Dog Haranohai, Wolverine River, Blood Colt, Smoke from Wolf Valley, and Six Seasons of Reindeer. He has collaborated with Jiu’er on picture books, including The Moose of Ewenki, another story of a traditional people of Inner Mongolia, also published by Aldana Libros. His works have been translated into more than ten languages and sold internationally, exported abroad, with a wide readership of children and adults. He currently lives in the Hulunbuir grassland in Inner Mongolia.
Jiu’er is an award-winning sculptor and picture book writer and the first female Chinese artist to be featured in the Honor List of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). She lives in Beijing, China, along with her Mongolian hunting dog, whose name is Huhe.
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