The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV (First Time Books(R)) (Paperback)

by Stan Berenstain (Author), Jan Berenstain (Author) "Mama Bear was inside the family's tree house fixing Brother and Sister Bear's after-school snack..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
When Mama Bear decides her family spends too much time in front of the TV, she bans it for a week. Then the Bear family finds other ways to have fun and keep busy, so they watch less when TV is allowed again--and they don't even miss it.

From the Inside Flap
When Mama Bear decides her family spends too much time in front of the TV, she bans it for a week. Then the Bear family finds other ways to have fun and keep busy, so they watch less when TV is allowed again--and they don't even miss it.  

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (April 12, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394865707
• ISBN-13: 978-0394865706
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,372 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great to read to kids who are watching too much TV!, October 23, 2000

By	christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Connecticut, United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

What a wonderful find. We were in a rut with my 3 year-old watching too much TV and I read this book to him. It was nice to read about Mama Bear thinking the kids are watching too much TV which is what I have taken to chanting lately. It is funny to realize it is a bit dated as they reference having had a black and white TV and now their current color TV has an antenna. No VCR, DVD, TV video games, cable, or satellites are mentioned here! For that matter, computers are never mentioned either (no "too much computer time"). But the main theme is true: as with these Bears, our kids should be outside more, talking to their parents more, not eating in front of the TV like a zombie, and could be reading books and newspapers more, and watching the stars at night. The Bears go without TV for one week and lo and behold are happy and enjoy each other all week long. I had to laugh when Papa Bear thought he could continue watching his sports even when the Bear Kids were banned from the TV. This is all-too-much like the scene in our home! At the end, when the Kids can watch TV, they prefer crafts and toys, and even Papa Bear tires of the TV and goes fishing instead. A note: the Bear Kids go to school and homework is seen in a negative light. Time off from school is portrayed as entertainment time rather than learning time. This is a different mindset than the homeschooling family (like us) usually has.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent children's morality story., June 25, 2001

By	Scott Herman (Baxter, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This book is a delightful little story told and illustrated in the quality typical of the Berenstains. It has a clear message without being preachy, and presents the need to balance different activities in our lives. I purchased to give me a starting point to talk to my six-year-old-son about watching too much television, and I will say it fulfilled this purpose admirably. I don't think it's quite as entertaining to children as some of the Berenstains' other works, however. Still, an enjoyable story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Berenstain magic , November 6, 2006

By	Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

When my children were small they loved the Berenstain books. It still is a great pleasure to see these books. One of their finest features is the appealing way the Bears are drawn. They are so bright and colorful.
The TV book is a good one, and it has an excellent lesson for the world's children. Too much sitting and watching T.V. dulls the mind and the heart. Children need more time to be outside playing, or with their parents, or reading books, or doing many other things.
This book may seem a bit dated as today the couch- potato distractions are more diverse( and perhaps Interactive) than T.V.
In any case this little book is a fine and amusing read for children and for parents alike.