The Bear Scouts [Hardcover]

Stan Berenstain (Author), Jan Berenstain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2002 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Beginner Books(R)

Illus. in full color. "In rollicking rhyme Papa Bear shows the cubs the ins and outs of camping."--Catholic Library World.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Illus. in full color. "In rollicking rhyme Papa Bear shows the cubs the ins and outs of camping."--Catholic Library World.

About the Author

Stan and Jan Berenstain were both born in 1923 in Philadelphia.  They didn't know each other as children, but met later at school, at the Philadelphia College of Art.  They liked each other right away, and found out that the both enjoyed the same kinds of books, plays, music and art.  During World War II, Stan was a medical assistant in the Army, and Jan worked in an airplane factory.  When the war was over, they got married and began to work together as artists and writers, primarily drawing cartoons for popular magazines.  After having their two sons Leo and Michael, the Berenstains decided to write some funny children's books that their children and other children could read and enjoy.  Their first published children's book was called The Big Honey Hunt .  It was about a family of bears, who later became known as the "Berenstain Bears".  

Over 50 children's books later, Stan and Jan still plan all of their books together -- both write the stories, and both write the pictures.  They live outside of Philadelphia in the country.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (September 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039480046X
• ISBN-13: 978-0394800462
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Went Searching for this Childhood Favorite, September 25, 2002

By 

GAMom - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bear Scouts (Hardcover)

This tale of Papa Bear's prideful camping advice that ALWAYS turns out wrong is a classic. I LOVED this book when I was young, and indeed I still do! I never mind reading it to my 3 year old daughter. We quote the line "Your stew is stewing well, but doesn't it have a funny smell?" to each other as an inside joke.

The Bear Scouts leave on a camping adventure, but at the last minute Papa Bear insists on going to "help out". His son and the other scouts always use their Bear Scout Guide, and always have success. But Dad ties his own knot which fails, makes stew of roots that tastes awful but then gladly devours the fish the scouts catch, and so forth. The rhyme is fun and memorable, the illustrations are captivating, and I would recommend it to anyone!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny adventure, July 21, 2008

By 

LadySihaya (Bs.As., Argentina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bear Scouts (Hardcover)

This is a funny Berenstain Bears adventure book, in which the kids go camping and follow their Bear Scout Guidebook while Papa Bear tries to do everything his way and ends up making a big mess. My 3 y.o. likes this story very much, and asks for it frequently.

Like with many other Berenstain Bears books, I like that it teaches the importance of reading to learn stuff, but I find the dad's kluziness a bit annoying as I believe it undermines the respect for parents, cause it's not that it shows that parents can make mistakes too, but that they're totally incapable of doing something right.

However, it's a funny story, the adventure has a nice pace to it, and my kid enjoys reading it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't listen to your Dad, read a book, November 20, 2004

By 

Paper Pen "S. Wilson" (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bear Scouts (Hardcover)

Like other Berenstein books, Dad's a doofus, while the kids are wise in this camping-out adventure.

This is a fun story with nice artwork that I've ready many times to my kids (now 3 1/2 and 2). Frankly, I've gotten kind of tired of it -- the dad-bashing routine gets repetitive after a few dozen readings.

But the kids like it, and I think it will be a good one when they start reading on their own, too. There's even some good camping tips ("Put up your tents before it's late").