The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners
By Stan & Jan Berenstain
Published 1985. Fantastic artwork as always, I really enjoyed the cover of this book as it was very eyecatching and silly. The story was great! I loved how it developed over the course of the book and the development of the characters was fun, interesting and believable which I have appreciated from every Berenstain book so far. A solid ending wraps up this overall book that is a highlight of the series.
“Please and Thank You help quite a lot to make a polite bear out of one who is not.”
The Berenstain Bears and the Slumber Party
By Stan & Jan Berenstain
Published 1990. This was a fantastic story an absolute must read! I don’t want to spoil to much so please just read this one, it does a great job of showcasing great friendship, responsibility and privilege.
The Berenstain Bears Hug and Make Up
By Stan & Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain
Published 2006. The beginning/setup of this story felt very similar to ‘Forget Their Manners’ except this time they were actively angry. But as the story starts diverting from that previous story I enjoyed where it ended and the moral it left the reader with, sometimes we are a whole lot of angry about a whole lot of nothing.
The Berenstain Bears Learn to Share
By Stan & Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain
Published 1992. This one had a rhyme and rhythm to it which was a new thing for the Berenstain books I have read so far. This one seemed a bit more modern in its styling, the copyright page seemed to show the story from 1992, with an update in 2010. Overall, this one didn’t resonate as much with me as the other so far, I liked the structure of the other books as the conflict in this story and the way it developed overall wasn’t to my taste and left me wanting a bit more.
The Berenstain Bears Go On Vacation
By Stan & Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain
Published 2006. This one was a different format than the rest of the books we’ve read so far, it was in the size/shape of a more traditional picture book. The artwork is a bit different with a modern feel to it in its colors being more saturated and the density of the illustrations being more complex than the other books. Once again, the text is in a rhyme verse, I think it is my nostalgia hitting me, but I prefer the non-rhyme books so far. This story didn’t have a traditional conflict, but I did enjoy the conflict it did have, and I liked the range of story it had in its showcase of the range of activities the bears went on while on vacation. An enjoyable read but this doesn’t necessarily feel like the traditional Berenstain bear books, which isn’t bad, but it should be noted that it just feels different.
Thank you,
Caleb
