Bear-ly There is a brand new children's picture book from wildlife artist Rebekah Raye. In the story, a boy named Charlie spots a bear in his backyard -it's been causing all kinds of damage around town, getting into bird feeders and compost piles, even scaring Charlie's pet geese. One neighbor suggests shooting the bear, another wants to have it relocated. But Charlie knows what's best -the bear's not the problem, they are.

Rebekah is currently on a virtual book tour for her new book, and it stops at our site today. We asked her to share, in her own words, her personal experience that inspired the story of Bear-ly There:

"One early spring day, a hungry bear came looking for our sunflower seed and grain-I first saw him standing tall on his hind legs in our back yard. Later that night, my husband and I awoke to a loud cerraccckking sound and saw the bear ripping and tearing at our grain shed. We heard that other neighbors had similar situations with their birdfeeders and compost piles. We moved the feeders and grain inside, and when he came again, my husband used the blow horn (now called the bear horn) from our boat and let out a loud blast. My husband spread his jacket open to appear bigger, and I hollered behind him. The bear ran back up the hill so fast, breaking branches as his heavy body moved through the woods.

All of this excitement happened to occur the night before a meeting with Tilbury House to discuss ideas for a new book. Writing Bear-ly There was a challenge for me, but I researched as much as I could to learn the reasons why the bear came to see us. I hope that my new book will help children and their families understand the nature and characteristics of a black bear, and the simple things that can be done to keep bears where they belong, in the woods. I hope the next time I see a bear that it will be at a safe distance, far enough away but so that I can feel that excitement and awe of such a beautiful animal."

Rebekah also wrote and illustratedThe Very Best Bed,and illustrated Thanks to the Animals. Her books are available from stores nationwide, as well as on www.rebekahraye.com. For more information about these and other great books for kids, visit www.tilburyhouse.com.

Today is the last official day of the virtual tour, but you can still find all the interviews, activities, and bear fun online- the complete list of participating sites is here. And for those of you on Twitter, post a tweet using the hashtag #BearlyThere anytime today for a chance to win all of Rebekah's books!