The Berenstain Bears Get In A Fight; The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers; The Berenstain Bears And The Messy Room; The Berenstain Bears And The Truth

These eight Berenstain Bears adventures (two per title) are both instructive and entertaining, primarily because Stan and Jan Berenstain have a rather substantial advantage over many of their kidvid competitors: the Berenstains can write. When Brother and Sister Bear get in a fight, it's a no-holds-barred sibling rivalry that includes name-calling and meanness (very much like real life), until Mother Bear calls a truce; when the cubs learn about strangers, they don't get a fire and brimstone speech that will make them jump at their own shadow, on the contrary they learn that while most strangers are perfectly safe, one can't tell, and one must therefore be cautious; when the cubs bust Mother Bear's lamp, they do the natural thing--concoct a wild and woolly story about a bird (whose colors change with each successive retelling) who swooped in to the living room and committed the dread deed, until Mother explains that she can forgive them for the accident, but it's far, far worse to jeopardize another person's trust; and in the story of the messy room, Brother and Sister Bear get a rude shock, when they see their favorite playthings go sailing--directed by Mother Bear's expert tosses--into a box marked "trash," and quickly re-evaluate their nonchalant attitudes toward their pigsty. Colorful, humorous, and expertly written, these bears can be enjoyed by parents and children alike; and hopefully, the programs will spur family discussions on some of the traditional virtues. Highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)ÿ