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News & ArtsMonday, February 27, 2012
Books Jan Berenstain
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 5:32 PM
Half of the couple that created The Berenstain Bears has died. She was 88. Her husband Stan died in 2005.
While I was never obsessive about collecting Berenstain Bears books—my little brother had every last one of them—I totally obsessed over the cutaway view of their house in The Berenstain Bears' New Baby, which I think is still the best in the series.
1
Their earlier books are terrific. I still have half a dozen or so, now in my daughter's library. But at some point they became insufferably preachy dreck. Now their son is keeping it going.
RIP, and thanks for the good books at least.
RIP, and thanks for the good books at least.
2
You do realize that (per Wikipedia) there are "over 300 titles", most of them at least ten years old?
my little brother had every last one of them
You do realize that (per Wikipedia) there are "over 300 titles", most of them at least ten years old?
3
A staple of my childhood literary experience. I couldn't get over how rad that "no girls allowed" clubhouse was, sexism notwithstanding.
7
@1 their Son is the one responsible for the hyper-christainity in them, which is too bad considering how good the early ones are.
I especially love how they showed how fucking wrong and damaging the STRANGER DANGER meme was
I especially love how they showed how fucking wrong and damaging the STRANGER DANGER meme was
8
A lot of old people are dying in Seattle recently:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/obits/art…
Like 50 people a day.
10
Essay from 1989, starts with "I hate the Berenstain Bears. If you don't know what I am talking about, consider yourself lucky. If you do, you too have suffered through volume upon volume of the life of the insufferable Bear family...
http://articles.philly.com/1989-08-22/ne…
11
The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree was the greatest terror of my early childhood. Until velociraptors came around, pretty much.
14
I always used to wonder about the origin of the Berenstain Bears. I mean what kind of cruel bear parents would name their children Brother and Sister? What would have happened if there had been both children had been male (or female)? And come to think of it who in their right mind would name their children Mama and Papa?
One wonder what their neighbors must have thought of them behind closed doors. I mean with those names AND they live in a tree. Personally, if I lived near the Berenstain Bears I would have called Social Worker Grizzly and Therapist Koala.
One wonder what their neighbors must have thought of them behind closed doors. I mean with those names AND they live in a tree. Personally, if I lived near the Berenstain Bears I would have called Social Worker Grizzly and Therapist Koala.
17
@14
A second brother would have been Other Brother. I think if there was a second Sister, she'd also be Sister, owing to a general lack of imagination.
Also, doesn't naming your kid Mama or Papa put a lot of expectation on them? What if they turn out to be infertile, isn't that just cruel?
A second brother would have been Other Brother. I think if there was a second Sister, she'd also be Sister, owing to a general lack of imagination.
Also, doesn't naming your kid Mama or Papa put a lot of expectation on them? What if they turn out to be infertile, isn't that just cruel?
18
The librarians at the Cap Hill Henry branch did such a great job with the childrens' section when I was a boy that I had seen plenty of top-notch, engaging stuff by the time I stumbled across the Berenstains. Read a couple but never grabbed my attention - the librarans made sure there was always lots better at hand.
21
Cloying, preachy crap. Much worse now that a son has been kicking it along with 'Christian' values infused.
22
@15 - Yeah, I remember Kraphammer having a real shit fit about how awful they were. Made me go out & buy some more for my kids.
I hated reading them to my kids though. Much prefer other kids books. Was really happy when they decided they wanted me to read The Hobbit to them. A lot more work for me what with all the names & voices I had to deal with but at least I didn't think my brain was melting any more.
I hated reading them to my kids though. Much prefer other kids books. Was really happy when they decided they wanted me to read The Hobbit to them. A lot more work for me what with all the names & voices I had to deal with but at least I didn't think my brain was melting any more.
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