Olive and Little One

When a little bear cub wakes up after sleeping all winter long, he finds that his mother is nowhere to be found! He gets up the courage to climb down deep into Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier National Monument in Northern New Mexico.. With the help of a very wise Great Horned Owl, the lonely little bear sets out on an adventure to try to find his mother.

When a little bear cub wakes up after sleeping all winter long, he finds that his mother is nowhere to be found! He gets up the courage to climb down deep into Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier National Monument in Northern New Mexico.. With the help of a very wise Great Horned Owl, the lonely little bear sets out on an adventure to try to find his mother. My story is based on actual events that occurred when a little orphaned bear showed up at Bandelier National Monument in the Spring of 2007. I followed the story as the staff at the park tried to keep the cub away from the public and with other bears in the back country.

Robert Villegas is a free lance Graphic Designer/Illustrator and Photographer living in Northern New Mexico. While he was photographing and designing a yearly calendar for Bandelier National Monument, Robert was made aware of an orphan bear cub roaming around the Bandelier Visitor Center. Robert became inspired to write and illustrate his first children's book from observing how the staff in the park attempted to handle keeping the bear away from the public and in the back country.