National Network for Equitable Library Service

Two curious young grizzly bears go on a very long swim, far from their usual home in the Great Bear Rainforest. They crunch tart red cranberries in the bog then dig for crabs on the beach. They wander through backyards and feast on plums. Then they sniff something even more delicious—mmm, barbecued salmon. But a village full of people is no place for grizzly bears, no matter how sweet the plums or how tasty that salmon smells. Time for a helicopter ride home!

A concise, full-colour guide to more than 200 native and introduced plant and animal species found in Vancouver's famed city park. Vancouver's Stanley Park is known around the world as a natural oasis in the midst of Western Canada's largest city. Unlike many urban parks, which are mostly cultivated, the 1,000-acre area now known as Stanley Park is part of the natural rainforest of this region.

In 1934, four mountaineers from Manitoba piled into their Plymouth and pointed its headlights west to Tatlayoko Lake in British Columbia. Their goal? To conquer B.C.'s tallest mountain. These young adventurers were following in the footsteps of the courageous, sometimes tragic, attempts made by other climbers to summit "Mystery Mountain." But one tantalizing challenge remained: the main tower. This central spire was a nightmarish image for any climber—a sheer column of barren rock encased in ice.

A collection of 40 recipes that showcase foraged ingredients from the Pacific Northwest coast. Long-time West Coast forager—and the chef behind the popular Swallow Tail Supper Club—Robin Kort's approach to cooking is a blend of simplicity and experimentation. Showcasing foraged ingredients like wild mushrooms, seaweed, fish and molluscs, flowers and evergreen tips, she brings together 40 recipes to inspire forays into tide and woods and a sense of adventure in the kitchen.

Hailed as a contemporary classic of oral literature. The Days of Augusta is Shuswap elder Augusta Evans' memories of a lifetime that spanned from 1888 to 1978. Accompanied by Robert Keziere's intimate photographs, Augusta's rhythmic prose reads like poetry. She depicts with strength and eloquence her own story—the days at the Mission School, making good baskets and catching salmon, the pain of giving birth and the death of a son—as well as the legends and stories of events told to her—a stagecoach robbery, a woman who was the prisoner of a bear.

Celebrated historian Barry Gough brings a defining era of Pacific Northwest history into focus in this biography of Richard Blanshard, the first governor of Vancouver Island—illuminating with intriguing detail the genesis and early days of Canada's westernmost province. Early one wintry day in March 1850, after seven weary weeks out of sight of land, a well-dressed Londoner, a bachelor aged thirty-two, stood at the ship's rail taking in the immensity of the unfolding scene.

A vivid and comprehensive history of the City of Prince Rupert, from its ancient roots as a rich, multicultural trading hub between different Indigenous Nations to its current state as an ethnically diverse community set against the stunning natural backdrop of the Great Bear Rainforest. Since time immemorial, rain has defined life on Kaien Island, now known as the townsite of Prince Rupert.

The Cougar is a skillful blend of natural history, scientific research, First Nations stories and first person accounts. With her in-depth research, Wild explores the relationship between mountain lions and humans, and provides the most up-to-date information on cougar awareness and defense tactics for those living, working or travelling in cougar country.

Some of Western Canada's most enduring legends involve wilderness fugitives like the Mad Trapper of Rat River or Gunanoot of the Skeena. This book is about one of the most mysterious and most recent fugitives, the Bushman of the Shuswap, who made national headlines while on the lam in the wilderness around Shuswap Lake during the turn of the millennium. For several years he played cat and mouse with the RCMP, raiding summer cottages for supplies and giving media interviews at the edge of the bush only to vanish like smoke. Who was the mysterious Bushman? What drove him?

A timely and insightful exploration of the implementation and impact of British Columbia's carbon tax, delving into the political and economic considerations behind the tax, and addressing misconceptions. Carbon taxation has become a political, social and economic hot potato in Canada (and beyond) and a major election issue. What is less known is that British Columbia established its own revenue-neutral carbon taxation policy in 2008. The compelling story of how and why has not yet been told.