The Berenstain Bears and the Bully [Paperback]

Stan Berenstain (Author), Jan Berenstain (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: First Time Books(R)

Illus. in black-and-white. When Sister Bear gets beaten up by Tuffy, the new cub in town, Brother huffs off to set this bully straight.  But he's in for a surprise--Tuffy's a little girl, and Brother just can't bring himself to fight her.  

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Illus. in black-and-white. When Sister Bear gets beaten up by Tuffy, the new cub in town, Brother huffs off to set this bully straight.  But he's in for a surprise--Tuffy's a little girl, and Brother just can't bring himself to fight her.  

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 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (October 19, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679848053
• ISBN-13: 978-0679848059
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Bullies
  • #48 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Berenstain, Stan
  • #58 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Berenstain, Jan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Offers a good lesson about bullying, February 11, 2006

By 

K. Scruggs "kmichael" (SF, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Berenstain Bears and the Bully (Paperback)

After encountering the first episodes of bullying in my own daughter's life, I decided to go read up on all of the things I could do to address the problem myself and teach my daughter how to address this problem herself.

In this reading and talking with other parents, I decided that the best approach to addressing bullying is to try to focus the bad behavior onto the bully and help my daughter learn that bullies sometimes are victims of their own childhoods.

And this is exactly what this book does.

At the start of the story, Sister is beat up by a new bear named "Tuffy." And as most parents, the Momma and Papa bear tell sister to ignore the bully. However, like most kids, this advice seems a little hollow to Brother and Sister. The two of them conspire to teach Sister self defense techniques so that she won't be victimized again. And over the course of the weekend, Sister learns to fight and protect herself.

At the end of the weekend, Sister is reminded by her brother that she still needs to avoid Tuffy since this is what the parents want (and I would add that the underlying message is that knowing how to protect yourself isn't a license to look for trouble).

Sister does avoid Tuffy until a few days later she catches Tuffy throwing stones at a baby bird that cannot fly. Sister, wanting to protect the baby bird, confronts Tuffy. Tuffy, when confronted, decides to attack Sister. However, because Sister learned self-defense, Sister is ready for Tuffy and ends up punching Tuffy in the nose.

A teacher catches the fight and the two are sent to see the principle. While sitting on the bench outside the principle's office, Sister learns a little about Tuffy. She learns that Tuffy is hit at home and that perhaps that is why she hits other kids. And this realization is the real gem of the story. The realization that Tuffy's bullying is due to Tuffy having problems at home. That Sister should feel bad for Tuffy for not having the wonderful homelife that Sister has.

In the end, because Sister was actually standing up for a creature less able to defend itself from a bully, Sister was let off with a warning. Tuffy was given a week where she couldn't participate in recess and had to go to sessions with the school psychologist to help her address her anger issues.

I highly appreciate and recommend this book as a stepping stone to use to talk about bullying, how my daughter feels when she is bullied, why bullies act the way they do, etc. It is not a book that you can give to your child and expect that all is cured. But bullying isn't one of those issues that any single story could ever address. It is an issue that, in my opinion, requires that you spend a lot of time addressing the many many issues that are involved so that over time, your child learns to navigate through this complex problem.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Those who think Sister is a bully didn't read the book carefully, July 2, 2006

By 

Michael H. Shirley (Tuscola, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Berenstain Bears and the Bully (Paperback)

This book teaches children (with adult interpretation) that:
1) Bullying is bad.
2) Learning to defend yourself is good
3) Defending the helpless is good
4) Avoiding a bully is good
5) Throwing the first punch is bad
6) Bullies aren't necessarily evil (and aren't always as tough as they seem)
7) Hiding from trouble doesn't always work
8) Zero tolerance is idiotic (the principal dealt with things intelligently, if not perfectly; his not calling Tuffy's parents is the reason I'm giving this four instead of five stars)

This isn't a perfect book, but it's good, and reading it with your child can lead to good discussions (never read your children a book that attempts to teach something without asking questions about what they learned). I recommend this book, but only if you're willing to talk with your kids about it. And if you're teaching your kids not to defend themselves (and others) against attack, you really ought to rethink your position.

21 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The principal at my school took this one out of the library, January 29, 2000

By 

Maggie Mae "Maggie" (Washburn, ME United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Berenstain Bears And The Bully (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Berenstain Bears First Time Chapter Books (Prebound)) (School & Library Binding)

I couldn't believe this book. Basically it has the kid who got beat up by the bully go home and learn to beat up bullies, then go to school and actually beat up the bully. In the end, no one gets into trouble...they even mention that the parents weren't called. What kind of lesson are they trying to teach? I was horrified...I was reading this book to my child, and at the end we both said "huh?" I was hoping to teach him about practical ways to handle bullies, but all the book told him was that he should be one himself. Read this one for yourself (but before you read it aloud to the kids...)