Berenstain Bears: In The Dark; Berenstain Bears: Too Much Birthday; Berenstain Bears: Trouble With Friends

Jan and Stan Berenstain's lovably mischievous bear clan are back in this new series of adventures from the "First Time Video" line. In the Dark finds Brother and Sister cub in the library, where Brother latches on to a scary mystery (which he shares with Sister later that evening). When the lights go out, Sister's imagination clicks on... until Papa Bear shares his childhood nightlight. In Too Much Birthday, Sister Bear discovers that more is not necessarily better, when she feels swamped by the guests and activities at her huge birthday party. And in Trouble With Friends, Sister bear gets a new neighbor that loves to play (as long as she's the boss). In addition to the title tale, each tape contains a second, previously released, episode. What separates these bears from their smarmy TV cousins ("Care Bears") is, in a word, reality. Brother and Sister bear confront real problems that children face in ways that are consistent with real children's behavior. Highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)