A Search for Safe Passage tells the story of best friends Bear and Deer who grew up together on the North side of a beautiful Appalachian gorge. In the time of their grandparents, animals could travel freely on either side of a fast-flowing river, but now the dangerous Human Highway divides their home range into the North and South sides. On the night of a full moon, two strangers arrive from the South with news that will lead to tough decisions, a life-changing adventure, and new friends joining in a search for safe passage.
The book includes an additional nonfiction section with educational lessons about animal habitat requirements, behavior, migration patterns, and road ecology problems and solutions developed with input from both international and local experts.
Audiobook
The audiobook version of A Search for Safe Passage is brought to life by the narrating talents of Rose Houk, an Arizona-based writer and editor who has authored several books published by Smokies Life. Houk’s audio work includes the series “Earth Notes,” which she produces for Arizona Public Radio.
The audiobook also includes a digital, illustrated companion booklet, as well as bonus downloadable sheet music for “Safe Passage: Animals Need a Hand,” a song written by author Frances Figart and featured in the audiobook, performed by Asheville-based trio The Fates. Click the graphic to the right to listen to a sample of the book.
Available for purchase on the following platforms:
About the author
Frances Figart edits Smokies Life Journal and directs the creative team at Smokies Life. Frances grew up in eastern Kentucky where she learned to love living near wildlife, she now lives on a small piece of land in the Cherokee National Forest north of Asheville, North Carolina. A Search for Safe Passage is her first book for young readers, she has since authored Mabel Meets a Black Bear (2023) and Camilla and the Caterpillars (2024). Photo by Michele Sons.
About the illustrator
Emma Oxford hails from west Michigan and visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park frequently as a child. After earning a degree in illustration, she returned to live and work in the Smokies. In addition to using her illustration and design skills to support Smokies Life’s creative team, Emma has obtained a naturalist certification from Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. Her illustrations also grace Pho: A Smokies Firefly Adventure (2024, Smokies Life).
Collaborative Partners
The book is closely connected to the mission of Safe Passage Wildlife Crossing Project, a collaborative campaign supported by numerous organizations and agencies, including Smokies Life, that advocates for wildlife crossings in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee.
