Of the eight extant species of bears, six are seriously endangered, but without ongoing protections even the success stories of North American black and brown bears could still have a dire ending. If this hard truth makes for difficult reading (as do the stories of “dancing” sloth bears and the sun bears farmed for their bile), it also makes Dickie’s detailed profiles of these creatures all the more essential. Through her fascinating cultural and natural histories we get a glimpse of the elusive spectacled bear (the model for Paddington) and the rare, tiny moon bear, some smaller than dogs. We also learn that pandas in captivity need to be taught how to breed; that given climate change and human food many bears have stopped hibernating; that grizzlies are replacing polar bears in the Arctic; and that, faced with a smart, determined bruin “almost nothing”—no lock, door, or barrier--is truly “bear proof.”