Product Description
Illustrated in full color. Mama Bear is tired of hearing how many Bearbie

dolls Lizzy Bruin has and how many Game Bear video games Cousin Freddy just

got. During a thunderstorm, Mama gets her cubs to realize that love and a good

home are much more valuable than material possessions.




... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

counting blessings is a good thing
I purchased this book for my 4 and 6 year old boys.They really like it, they have even stared saying they want to get rid of toys they don't play with (haven't followed through, but it was spoken!) Anyway, I really like this book, with the exception of the ending.During the story, Mama Bear thinks they have way too much stuff and they decide to get rid of things they don't use, or that are broken.At the end, after donating used stuff and time, (by the way it takes palce near Christmas time), they drive past stores decorated for Christmas and then it goes something like this...they felt so good about what they had done that they didn't even notice all the new...(insert allt he thing they just ogt rid of)...except out of the corner of their eyes.I just tried to expalin to my boys that it is alright to look at things, but it doesn't mean we need them.

Two boys' review: Mixed messages weaken the moral of the story
We bought this book along with The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Dream and The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game. just before Christmas. I wrote Amazon reviews for those books, so please check them out.

I'm sorry to say this title is not up to par with the best of the Berenstain Bears series (I've listed several of our favorites below).

The story follows both young bears' habit of visiting friends and returning home with a laundry list of "I wants" that drives Mama Bear crazy. However, the book strangely ends with Mama and Papa Bear talking about spoiling their kids with more toys so the parents can "count their blessings."

A powerful rainstorm and subsequent power outage are used to illustrate the blessings of home and family. That's a good start but the book leaves out much. The story doesn't mention anyone less fortunate than the Berenstain Bears family, which leaves a hole in the moral of the story. I had hoped to use the book to launch a discussion with my young sons about counting your blessings, especially during the holidays, as well as to share some of our good fortune with others. Sadly, the book didn't provide much of a springboard.

That said, our sons, ages 6 and 4, enjoy many of the Berenstain Bears books (we own more than 10 titles now) and find it easy to relate to the young bears in the series. I like to mix these stories into our rotation of bedtime books to reinforce good manners and behaviors.

While I recommend the Berenstain books listed below, we've run into a new problem: the characters don't evolve. My sons are asking why brother and sister bear didn't learn from the last book. The good news is that my sons remember the lessons; the bad news is that the Berenstain bears don't.

I also recommend these Berenstain books:

The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Chores
The Berenstain Bears Help Around the House
The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners
The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers
The Berenstain Bears Get in a Fight
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV

Good for the beginning reader
My daugther has several of the Berenstain Bear books and she loves reading them.They have a positive message for children while keeping their attention.Even though she reads at a higher level, she still loves these books.

Great book, however, I disagree with the suggested age.
The story is good with a great moral.I read to my five year old with him squirming out of his seat.Why?I was defining way too many words for him that he lost interest and was not able to appreciate the story.I say this is appropriate for a starting age of at least 6 or 7, if not greater.

We love the Berenstain Bears Books!
My four year old son has started collecting these books, and it's been a real treasure to read them to him because they bring back memories from my own childhood. He loves the stories just as much as I do. We especially love reading the little poems on the first page of each book! Each book teaches a different lesson. I love using them as examples of what not to do and also as positive reinforcement for my children. ... Read more

Product Description
The peace and calm of life in Bear Country is disrupted by the arrival of Bearie Bubbies. The cubs will do anything to get their hands on these adorable, collectible little toys.As the fad gathers momentum, the cubs--not to mention Mama and Papa--start to feel the strain as they resort to desperate measures trying to get their paws on as many Beary Bubbies they can. With their usual folk wisdom and keen insight, Stan and Jan have tackled a subject that's near and dear to today's kids and parents alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good lesson
My 6-year old is a huge fan of the Berenstain Bears books, and this is one of his favorites.He likes the story and he understands the moral, even if he doesn's always follow the lesson learned!

The Berenstain Bears lean an important lesson about market bubbles
The Barenstain bears learn an important lesson about market bubbles. If only the folks at Lehman Bros. had read this book!

Berenstain Bear Books
These are really great books.My son loved these books.They are fun,exciting, and they actually have a really good lesson in each one.These are by far the best children's book out.

A Great Book about Sales Resistance
My kids have gone nuts for commercial toy crazes, at times--what kids haven't? This book teaches a great lesson about how this sort of thing can backfire. It gives parents a way to introduce the idea to commercially-pressured kids that maybe it isn't such a great idea to jump on board the latest toy craze bandwagon and rush out to buy all sorts of useless overpriced toys. This a fine addition to the Berenstain Bears line of books.

No one will like this because it is true
This book came right on the heels of the Beany Baby toy craze, but it fits perfectly for anyone, kid or grownup, who spends more time/money/interest on whatever the latest craze be, (Barbie, Yu-gi-oh, Digimon, the JFK auction, etc).I read this one out loud to my son, putting in sound effects and laughing at the characters, at the little whaddevers they were maniacally trying to buy, at the monomania of the cubs over the whole mess.I fear this may hit too close to home for some people--ever notice how many Beanys turn up at yard sales these days?SPOILER ALERT!!! As another reviewer noted, there is no real ending, the story just trails off, with Brother Bear's "What the heck did we just do?" look, and nobody's really learned anything.Now of course, there is a moral regarding passing fads, but it's just not as spelled out as explicitly as in most of the other books.Personally this had me on the floor laughing, my favorite line being "the only thing you could do with them was just LOOK at them", but I can see where other parents would object.Buy this one at your own risk, and write your own ending. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Berenstein Bears to the Rescue
Arrived within the delivery dates.I guess I thought the size of the book would going to be larger. ... Read more

Product Description
Head for the hills! The ants are coming! Ferdy and Actual Factual's ant-breeding experiment backfires and Bear Country is overrun by a rapidly multiplying colony of nasty hybrid ants who will eat anything in very large mouthfuls! Beartown is in a panic, and Mayor Honeypot authorizes Actual Factual to hire Bugsy X Terminator, the local bug bear, to destroy the ants. "Who would have thought," muses Actual Factual, "that the very existence of Bear Country would be endangered by an ant?"

"Or," as Ferdy aptly puts it, "an uncle." Uncle Factual, that is. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Berenstain bear book are the greatest
My grandson is into these books. It is a great series
and one he enjoys. I bought it for a gift for
him. He is learning to read and this is a fun
series. Thanks for offering this on Amazon.

Berenstain Bears And The Great Ant Attack
This book is a good science book, and I like science stuff like this, so I really like this book.It contains some extremely hilarious moments, which I almost couldn't resist.So I guarantee you'll like this action book.

The Berenstain Bears and the Great Ant Attack
This is a great chapter book that both my son and I couldn't put down.Excellent ! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a good kids book
This is a good book that my daughter enjoys when i read it to her....

A Bunch of Bears
With five Berenstain Bears books; The Big Honey Hunt, The Bear Scouts, The Missing Dinosaur Bone, The Bike Lesson, The Bear Detectives, and the Bears' Picnic, the Big Book of Berenstain Bears is a great way to get a hefty dose of Berenstain in one handy volume.

At 337 pages, it will keep almost any toddler amused for hours.Or out-last even the least sleepy youngster at bedtime. ... Read more

Product Description
“Father’s Day is nothing but a greeting card holiday,” is what Papa says. If that’s the way Papa feels, then his family just won’t celebrate this year. But, as the big day rolls around, and there’s no card, no gift, and no breakfast in bed, Papa’s spirits sink lower and lower. That’s when the cubs spring on him their wonderful Papa’s Day surprise! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Usual great stories................
Love these books....they were my favourite when I was younger and they've become my kids' favourite! ... Read more

Product Description
When Madame Bearsaud decides to open a branch of her world-famous Wax Museum in Beartown, the Cubs might be thrilled but the town's more respectable citizens are up in arms. During the museum's gala opening--with all of Beartown in attendance--an electrical storm causes the lights to go out and suddenly those wax figures begin to look mighty eerie! When the lights come back on, Lady Grizzly's diamond necklace is still around her neck--but why are the dogs so interested in it? And just why is Madame's Igoresque sidekick suddenly walking without a limp? Something's fishy in the wax museum and it's up to the Cubs to track it to its source. ... Read more

Product Description
Cartoon-Humor ... Read more

Product Description
The Bear Scouts know smoking kills. Can they convince Brother Bear before he gets hooked? ... Read more

Product Description
God's creation, we have found, has a better picture and better sound.And worlds of wonder all around!Thanks, Lord, for this world we've found!Mama Bear pulls the plug on TV and the Bear cubs are upset! What are they going to do now? All it takes is a peek outside for Brother and Sister to see that God has given them a beautiful world that is far more fun than the TV screen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Go Outside And Play!
If your kids like television a bit too much, The Berenstain Bears Discover God's Creation might encourage them to play outside more. In this rhyming edition by Stan, Jan, and Mike Berenstain, the young Berenstain cubs are too often glued to the TV, so Mama Bear takes away the remote control. Soon, the young cubs are wondering why TV had such a strong appeal. They've stepped outside into God's creation and feel wonder that he created so many marvelous things. They play with their friends, walk in the rain, and watch the birds, until they exclaim:

"God's creation,
we have found,
has a better picture
and better sound.

And worlds of wonder
all around!
Thanks, Lord,
for this world we've found!"

Finally, the moon comes out and the cubs go home - onto to find Papa watching television.

"Papa! Too much of
that TV slush
will surely turn
your brain to mush!

Come outside,
and you will see
God's creation is much better
than any old TV!"

What I Like: Some of the Berenstain Bears books published by Zonderkidz barely mention God, but that's not the case with this title. Throughout, God is named as the creator of the world, and the bears often thank him for it. If your kids love the Berenstain Bears, as mine do, this is a good addition to their personal library.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Kristina Seleshanko
Christian Children's Book Review ... Read more

Product Description
Illustrated in full color. Comforting bedtime rituals of the Bear family in

lulling rhyme prepare young children for bedtime.




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Customer Reviews (2)

Introducing night routine....
I discovered this book a bit late, my kid was already 3y.o. and this book was a bit simple for him (we've been reading to him since he was in the belly). However, I bought it for my next baby, it's great for introducing night routines, hygene, family life. I liked to have it as an alternative to Good Night Moon for a first baby book, cause I got tired of reading always the same baby book back then. Even though my kid is already into more complex stories (such as Horton, the Cat in the Hat, the Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham, The Bear Detectives, etc), he still enjoys this book every once in a while when we're very tired to read something longer.

The Berenstain Bears Say Goodnight
This book is a great one for the book-loving toddler. The rhythmic sentences and colorful pictures are clasic Berenstain.

As the Berenstain children are going through their nightime routine your child is learningabout the cycle of nature (the sun going down and the moon rising), theimportance of good hygene(taking baths and brushing teeth), and thecloseness of family life (mom and dad reading stories and tucking the kidsinto bed). ... Read more

Product Description
When Mayor Honeypot announces his plan to cut down Bear Country's oldest tree, which was around before the Great Bear War and is now the best backscratcher in town, the Bear Scouts launch a tree-saving campaign. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Two plots in one book!
The scouts find out that Jane is retiring from being a scout leader and is being a candidate in the election for mayor. The scouts' new leader is Jane's friend Mrs. Stickler. Mrs. Stickler has the cubs to "gopher" the History Merit Badge. The scouts decide to quit, but go back when they find out Old Shag, Beartown's "Super Happy Tree", is so important...

Meanwhile, Ralph Ripoff (otherwise called Ralphish Ralph) convinces Mayor Honeypot that Jane is trying to break up the Gang of Two (Honeypot says it as "Tang of Goo"). How the mayor can win the election is tear down Old Shag for a highway. The scouts, Gramps, and Mrs. Stickler have to stop them! ... Read more

Product Description
From the creators of the original, bestselling children’s “issue” series, First Time Books®, comes a practical, down-to-earth guideto handling the very toughest parenting challenges.

Combining humor with the trademark homespun common sensibility that parents have come to depend upon from Stan and Jan Berenstain, each chapter of The Bear Essentials covers a specific tricky or worrisome passage of child-rearing.

For example, “No Two Alike” is about promoting individuality and self-esteem. “Weighing in on Obesity” deals with one of the most serious and rapidly emerging problems among the under 12 set. “Expletives Deleted—Please!” helps parents cope with foul language. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stan and Jan Berenstain Provide Parenting Essentials
Being written by such popular authors/ilustrators, I'm kind of surprised to see no reviews for "The Bear Essentials." This is a parenting book from the Stan & Jan Berenstain, the creators of Berenstain Bears and the "First Time" books. This book covers everything from nighttime fears to stranger danger.

I don't normally feel the need to include anything like this, but, just a small disclaimer -- I am not a parent myself. I just happen to have read the book.


That said, "The Bear Essentials" seems to be a pretty well-written book that contains some interesting, practical, down-to-earth advice. Everything is organized into sections, including "And Baby Makes Four," "Starting School, "Sex Ed 101" and "Countering Peer Pressure."

The general theme of the book seems to be very much "let the child be him or herself," whenever possible, while still setting reasonable rules and guidelines. This certainly seems like sound advice, but it still surprises me sometimes how much parents want to control aspects of their kids lives, from everything that they read ("That's a baby book!" -- ugh!) to the sports and activities that they participate in.

The Berenstains state up front that they aren't parenting experts, merely authors who also happen to be parents and have some practical advice to offer. This book doesn't dodge away from the hard topics, covering stranger danger, bullies, nighttime fears, the "Big Question" (religion) and much more. Each section generally presents a thoughtful analysis, though some areas aim for humor as well.

One thing in which the Berenstains seem to have taken a pretty weird line is with their recommendations regarding television. Not with any of their general recommendations, but one in particular -- that PBS seems to have the only reasonably decent children's programming. Have to take a hard disagree here -- while PBS has some good content, they are to a great degree being left in the dust by Playhouse Disney, Noggin (both commercial free) and Nick Jr. (airs commercials.) The idea that PBS is the only network with decent children's programming is outmoded. In fact, given the flack PBS has received for being "too liberal" (which I only sort of agree with), I'm kind of surprised that such seemingly down-to-earth, conservative authors would recommend it (though PBS does air the program that's based on their books, so maybe that brings it into focus.)

The book is peppered with illustrations throughout, of both the bears from the Berenstain Bears books and of children/parents from the "First Time" books. It also includes a handy list of all of the Berenstain Bear books published up to the time that "The Bear Essentials" was released, and also a very useful copy of "Brother and Sister Bear's Rules for Cubs" -- important tips regarding handling strangers and strange situations. All-in-all, this is a very well-rounded book sure to provide useful information for parents of children of all ages. ... Read more

Product Description
I'll make a kite. Just wait and see,with the special talentsthat God gave me!Papa and the Bear cubs enter a kite flying contest with a homemade kite. They work hard and do their best, but with all the negative comments they hear from others, will their kite actually fly let alone win the contest? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Caution!! Read these reviews.
I wish I had seen the customer review above.I ordered this book because I thought I was ordering the original 1992 version by Stan Berenstain.The cover is identical, the illustrations are identical, and most of the text is identical.However, this 2010 version (now by "Stan, Jan, & Mike Berenstain", but published after Stan's death) has added religion to the story.About 14 lines of text have been awkwardly added throughout the book......changing the meter and rhyme scheme, as well as attributing the red kite's win to "God's help".Very odd, particularly if you are expecting the original book.(This 2010 version shows a first publication date of 1992......but this was NOT around in 1992!)

Not so great.
I found the rhymes to be a little clunky, and the illustrations don't have the same fine work as past Bears books.There is one revealing mistake; on one page Papa is holding the kite with the tail tied on, but on the next page Mama comes out and ties the tail on (she says "it won't fly without a tail!").It may seem a small detail, but any 4-year-old will see it-- mine did! --and ask why.
My biggest problem is the way the religious content is revealed.I don't mind Christian books, but you can tell the other Bears' religious books easily from the covers.Nothing on the cover or in the Amazon description would tip you off about that.It's a big kite contest, then suddenly, they are thanking the Lord above for Papa's love.Then he's using the skills that God gave him to build the kite.If you want this message that's great, but most of the other Bears' book don't suddenly start talking of God.
For a child it raises even more questions.It seems to be implied that the all other contestants in the kite contest are mocking disbelievers, and Papa wins because he worked hard AND has faith.Did the other contestants not work hard, or was their faith not as strong?Did God send the wind that destroyed their kites? ... Read more

Product Description

The Berenstain Bears are among the most beloved children's book characters of all time. Now part of the I Can Read! family, Mama, Papa, Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear bring their warmth and good nature to early readers worldwide!

Customer Reviews (1)

still great!
I purchased these books for my daughter, after all I grew up reading these stories. She absolutely loves them! ... Read more

Product Description
Who is in your family? How do your family members help one another? 1st Grade Reading Level. ... Read more