In February of 2022, a black bear by the name of Hank the Tank made international news after he reportedly broke into dozens of homes in South Lake Tahoe. Concerned citizens made over 100 calls to the local authorities about a bear scavenging for food and destroying property. Authorities feared they would have to euthanize Hank. Fortunately, Hank’s life was saved by science. Wildlife biologists made a fascinating discovery in the DNA left behind at the break-ins. Listen to the story to find out what happened. It is written in verse and is a fictional account, but it was inspired by real events. Then listen to the background information to learn about the Real Hank, interesting facts about black bears, and tips for coexisting with wildlife. The story portion of the book was written to align with Level 2 of the HOT ROD Series (Higher Order Thinking Through the Reading of Decodables). It focuses on closed vowel sounds, digraphs (ck, ch, sh, th, ng), combinations (wh, qu), and nk. The Background Information section was written at a 6th-grade level. This book was specially designed for older students (grades 4 and up) and adults who would benefit from controlled reading practice. Modifications provided for grades 2-6+, references, and other information for teachers and parents are included in the print version of the book. They are NOT included in this audio. A recording of the word lists at the beginning of the book is NOT included in this audio. That audio file may be downloaded at no charge from the website at wordtravelpress.com.

Books in the series may be used to complement any reading program. To find supplementary activities and learn more about the scope and sequence of the series, visit the website for Word Travel Press at https://wordtravelpress.com/.