New Fat Bear Week book: Big Fat Bear Battle!

New Fat Bear Week book “Big Fat Bear Battle!” turns Katmai’s famous brown bears into wrestling superstars, and it hits shelves on August 25.

The book, written by Alaskan author Brooke Hartman and illustrated by Can Tugrul, follows reporters Goldie Fox and Moose McMahon as they cover a wild competition between Alaska’s biggest brown bears as if it were a wrestling tournament. Think “let’s get ready to grumble” instead of “let’s get ready to rumble.”

Hartman has been visiting Katmai National Park and Preserve with her family for over 20 years. They keep a cabin in King Salmon, a small town you can fly into commercially. Every summer, salmon from the Naknek River and other waterways congregate at the lake at the bottom of Brooks Falls, and it's a sight that never gets old. So the bears stack up along the water, driven by a genetic urge to spawn. That urge is everything.

“Their goal is to be as fat as possible,” Hartman told Popular Science. “They’re like little sumo wrestlers.”

The Bears Are Gorging Right Now

The bears are in full feeding mode right now. They're packing on pounds ahead of the long winter, and with days growing shorter, the annual Fat Bear Week tournament is closing in, which makes the timing feel almost too perfect for a new children's book that families can share. So grab it before heading to Brooks Falls, or just follow along from home. It's a perfect companion for both.

Hartman’s inspiration came from the natural drama she witnessed year after year. The wrestling format jumped out at her immediately. She imagined WWE-style tournament names for the bears, full of puns and comedy that would keep kids engaged while still teaching them about the real animals.

“It brings some of that battle vibe into it in a fun way, that’s not quite as gruesome as it sometimes gets,” Hartman said.

No Two Years Are Ever the Same

What keeps Hartman coming back? Unpredictability. “No two years have ever been the same,” she said. “Every year is different somehow, or something happens when we’re out there.”

Last year, the fish run was insane. She recalled it vividly: "It looked like you could just walk on the backs of them across the water." One year, a young bear became infatuated with her daughter and followed her around, and the family had to hide in an outhouse despite giving the bear plenty of space and backing away slowly. So they hid.

Another year, they spotted a wolf that would hang out by the water and snatch leftover fish from the bears. That’s when Hartman learned something surprising. By the time the bears have been at Brooks Falls for a while, they’re so stuffed that they only eat the bellies and brains of the salmon, and so the wolf’s scraps become its own quiet feast. But it’s a strange sight. The bears don’t care. They’ve had their fill.

They then toss the rest of the fish away. It's the part that you and I would eat, she said. So the river is swarming with these carcasses of fish, and that would be like a fresh filet to us, a wasted meal floating by, a shame we can't even touch.

Balancing Fun With Facts

The biggest challenge was striking a balance between whimsy and accuracy. It was brutal. Hartman and Tugrul went back and forth on the illustrations, especially when it came to clothing the bears, and that pushed the whole process into weeks of tense debate over every single button and scarf. But Hartman initially pushed back hard. She didn't budge. So they had to find a middle ground, one where the charm didn't kill the facts, and the facts didn't kill the charm.

Can we pare this down? There's no Gap or Old Navy in Bristol Bay," she said. So they compromised, and the bears ended up wearing some clothes, but they don't have to deal with full outfits that include dresses, shoes, and socks, which feels like a reasonable middle ground for everyone involved. It's a practical solution.

Why We Love Fat Bears

Hartman has a theory about why these bears captured the public’s imagination. “We as a society have become sort of obsessed with weight in this weird kind of dysfunctional way, yet here is nature saying, these animals need to embrace it,” she said. “They have to eat, otherwise they don’t survive.”

It's a healthy way to think about body size, she argues. The bears need the fat to survive the long winter, and there's something genuinely unifying about watching them succeed together, a shared joy that cuts across all the usual divisions. So that's the real draw. And it doesn't feel heavy or fraught, it just feels fun.

She also finds them deeply relatable. One year, she watched a mother bear trying to sleep while her cubs wrestled and growled around her. The mother looked exhausted. “I don’t have any more energy for you guys right now,” Hartman imagined her saying. “I could relate to that bear!”

Rooting for the Females

Does Hartman have a favorite bear? Not from year to year. But she does have a soft spot for female bears that end up being the biggest of the season.

“I’m going to be rooting for them, like ‘You go, girl, you get that salmon!’” she said. “So my favorite is when female bears end up being the biggest.”

Big Fat Bear Battle! is published by Little Bigfoot, an imprint of Blue Star Press, and distributed by Penguin Random House. It will be available wherever books are sold on August 25.

The New Fat Bear Week book arrives just in time for families planning their fall viewing parties. It's a perfect fit. And before they watch the real bears battle it out for the crown, this book gives kids a tangible way to connect with the tournament, building their anticipation and understanding of the competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the title of the New Fat Bear Week book and when does it hit shelves?

The New Fat Bear Week book is titled "Big Fat Bear Battle!" and it hits shelves on August 25. The book is written by Alaskan author Brooke Hartman and illustrated by Can Tugrul.

Why did Brooke Hartman choose a wrestling tournament format for the book?

Hartman's inspiration came from the natural drama she witnessed year after year, and the wrestling format jumped out at her immediately. She imagined WWE-style tournament names for the bears, full of puns and comedy that would keep kids engaged while still teaching them about the real animals.

How did the illustrator and author compromise on clothing the bears in the illustrations?

They had to find a middle ground where the charm didn't kill the facts and vice versa. They compromised by having the bears wear some clothes, but not full outfits with dresses, shoes, and socks, which felt like a reasonable middle ground.

What is one unpredictable event Hartman experienced while visiting Katmai National Park?

One year, a young bear became infatuated with her daughter and followed her around, forcing the family to hide in an outhouse despite giving the bear space. Another year, they spotted a wolf that would snatch leftover fish from the bears, which Hartman found surprising.

Who is Hartman's favorite type of bear to root for and why?

Hartman has a soft spot for female bears that end up being the biggest of the season. She roots for them, saying "You go, girl, you get that salmon!" and her favorite is when female bears end up being the biggest.