Customer Reviews

The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When our 4 year old son developed a fear of "things that go bump" in the night, and began imagining ghosts coming out of every piece of furniture in the room, I hauled out this book. We had fun playing "ghost" with each other, and over several days (and nights) of discussion, gradually discovered the fun in being scared, and the difference between fear of the real and imaginary.

This was another excellent book by the Berenstains. My 4 year old grandson really loves it the way the momma bear dresses up as a ghost and goes to scare poppa bear who sneaks out to the kids camping trip to try and scare them by dressing up as a ghost. My grandson gets an old sheet and puts it over his head and says "Look, I'm the ghost with bear feet! Whooooooo!". He really likes this book and we enjoy reading it to him and our 2 year old grandson.

ISBN 0394805658 - Published and manufactured in the United States (a plus for me!). The Berenstain Bears are a long-time favorite of mine and holiday books for young children are awesome. Halloween is a tough holiday for the youngest of readers, if only because there aren't enough books that toe the not-too-scary line.

The Bear Scouts head out to Great Spooky Forest for an overnight stay with Scout Leader Jane when Papa Bear stops them on their way out and scares them with tales of spooks in the forest. When they meet up with Jane, she assures them that there's no such thing as ghosts, but Papa has a plan to have a little fun with the scouts. In the meantime, both Mama and Jane have plans of their own. When the scouts settle down for the night, Papa Bear appears, dressed as a ghost, to scare them. Moments later, Jane appears as a ghost and scares Papa Bear! Finally, Mama Bear joins the fun, decked out in spooky attire of her own. Everyone laughs and re-affirms the fact that there are no such things as ghosts.

The story is a little flimsy, honestly, but the simple idea of telling a ghost story while confirming that ghosts aren't real is a fantastic idea for young readers, who might find Halloween a frightening ordeal - until they're old enough to trick or treat, anyway! Creators Stan and Jan Berenstain are great at their job. The illustrations are wonderful, a little spooky and a tiny bit scary but nothing too much for young children.

- AnnaLovesBooks

This book is really, really funny! My kids laughed out loud. And it's not too scary, at all. It hits just the right note for younger kids at Halloween time. The illustrations are great, too--wonderful night scenes in the woods.