Comments on: The (Faith Based) Berenstain Bears

By: Janna Sullenger

Janna Sullenger — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 05:58:01 +0000

Good comment Steven, I have slowly but surely eliminated the veggie tales, of course tv (only approved videos like nature and sort). Now on to the books. My oldest is 3 and I agree Berensteain Bears isn’t portraying rightly. Not sure if any morale book should be read to my children if it’s not founded in the truth of God’s Word. Do you have authors or suggestive reads you would recommend? Thanks.

By: Steven

Steven — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 03:33:42 +0000

I have a two year old and have read one of the Berenstain Bears books called “Too Much TV.” I thought I would like this one, because we do not have our child watch TV. However, I must disagree with the post above that they are to be respected. I do not think a series should be respected when the Papa Bear is portrayed as being stupid and a bad leader. For our home, that is a serious enough issue to dismiss the Bears. I am not trying to sound too authoritarian, but I think a bad message is being portrayed that is too prevalent in our culture anyway. Quoting directly from the middle of the book…”But it had been so long since the Bear family sat around and talked that they had sort of forgotten how. It really didn’t matter, because pretty soon Papa fell asleep and snored so loudly that they wouldn’t have heard each other anyway…” ??? Not sure I see the ‘moral lesson…’

By: Leah

Leah — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:06:48 +0000

I saw these books in the book store just the other day and wondered if there was any real difference. I’m disappointed that Papa doesn’t get a better portrayal. That was one of my put offs about the original series. We still read (and watch ) them around here but with some discussion.

By: Stephanie's Mommy Brain

Stephanie's Mommy Brain — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:41:45 +0000

I had noticed the Christian-ized Bears also, but haven’t had a chance to read them. The way Papa Bear is portrayed always bothers me a little – but not enough to keep us from reading the books.

By: Barbara H.

Barbara H. — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:48:20 +0000

My kids enjoyed the Berenstain Bears when they were small. I do wish if people were going to Christianize characters that they’d do a good rather than a weak job of it.

By: Annette W

Annette W — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:08:15 +0000

I haven’t read the new ones yet. I guess I hadn’t seen Papa as an oaf…but I did certainly notice that both parents are represented as flawed…and the other often comes to the rescue.

I do fully agree that in books parents should be viewed as respectable…and respected.

Though I can’t speak for these books, I agree that classical, solid vs. watered down…often the classical is better.