Daniel replies:
Bears and humans, humans and bears--it's so complicated.
I heard your reading of “A Visitor for Bear” on NPR, and your theory that bears are proxies for adults in childrens’ books. I would like to mention Blueberries for Sal, in which a girl, Sal, mistakes a bear for her mother, and a baby bear mistakes Sal’s mother for the mother bear. This corroborates your theory, and suggests that books written for bear cubs feature humans as proxies for fully-grown bears.
Bears and humans, humans and bears--it's so complicated.