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5 Minute Berenstain Bears Stories Children's Book Reviews by Ariana Dagan

I’m sure I’m not the only one nostalgic for some Berenstain Bears, I grew up with the Berenstain family of Mama and Papa bear, brother and sister and honey bear! I was excited to find a volume of stories that I could share with my daughter as she grows up!


5-Minute Berenstain Bears Stories

Written by: Jan, Stan and Mike Berenstain
Illustrated by: Mike Berenstain
Pages: 192
Age Range: 4-8
Publisher: HarperFestival (May 5, 2015)
ISBN: 978-0062360182

What you’ll find: Berenstain Bears, mama bear, papa bear, honey bear, country bears

With 12 short stories at five minutes or less, 5-Minute Berenstain Bears Stories is a great collection of feel-good stories that will warm the hearts of the whole family. While I’ve always loved the Berenstain Bears, I didn’t recognize any of the stories and these felt a little different for some reason. They are also remarkably short (nowhere near 5 minutes), and almost completely devoid of morals and lessons which I find a little frustrating. Many of the stories are set up in a way that could (and should) have a strong message at the end, but they sort of skip that part. The stories are still adorable and the family is as charming as always, but I do think they missed the mark with these stories!

Thankfully the art seemed consistent with the older books, still fun and lighthearted. The cover of the book is nice with a thick padded hardcover in the signature blue, red and yellow art.

Would I recommend: I don’t have a strong opinion on this, I think the stories are adorable, and having 12 of them in one book is great for space-saving so its a nice value, however, it’s not quite the nostalgic memory I was looking for. If you are a Berenstain Bears fan, I would keep an eye out for their older books instead (I still have mine from childhood)! However nostalgia aside, it is a great value of 12 feel-good stories under one cover!

What do you think? Is this book in your collection, or do you think you’ll add it? Let me know your thoughts below!

In The Photo: Book | Carseat Cover | Chewbacca Toy| Faux Fur | Personalized Lovie

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About Ariana Dagan

Welcome! I live in Northern California with my husband, our toddler, and two dogs. I'm a writer, illustrator, and creative mentor. I'm on a mission to create a culture of happier, thriving creators! I help calm the chaos so you can reclaim your time, rediscover your identity, and reach new levels of success in your endeavors. This site is a place to find value in your voice and strength to become the best version of yourself so you can go from simply existing day-to-day to LIVING ON PURPOSE.

9 Comments

  1. I wonder, with the stories that are lacking a lesson why not add one? You can open up a discussion with your children on what happened in the story and what one could possibly learn from it. I use to do this all the time with my niece when watching TV shows that weren’t exactly educational, like sitcoms. We would talk about things like how the characters interacted and treated each other, and the outcomes of such behavior.

  2. My kids adore the Berenstain Bears, and collections are the best! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com!
    Tina

  3. My son loved Berenstain Bears. I like the idea of five minutes stories for toddlers, like my granddaughter, who have a shorter attention span. It seems like a great way to engage them and to build upon their ability to sit through a story.

    Thanks for sharing.

  4. I need to add this to my son’s book collection. We have a book with 2 stories. One about manners and the other about cleanliness.

  5. I love the Berenstain Bears!

  6. Omg I loved these stories growing up!! I need to look out for this book! I’d love to share them with my girls!

  7. I love these 5 minute short stories! Some nights we do have 20 minutes to sit and read a few books together, but others we simply don’t have the time. I love that I can still get reading time in with the kids on those nights with these kinds of books.

  8. We have a bunch of older Berenstain Bear books that I’ve found at thrift shops and such. They’re some of my kids favorites. I do like the convenience of having these all in one book!

    1. Yes! I loved the convenience, but I think I will keep reading the older ones instead! Great suggestion to look in thrift stores for them!

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