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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!
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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