Customer Reviews

The Berenstain Bears Do Their Best (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights)

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In The Berenstain Bears Do Their Best, written by Stan & Jan Berenstain, and illustrated by Mike Berenstain, Brother and Sister Bear want to enter the local kite flying contest. Problem is, they don't have a kite. Papa Bear tells them not to worry, he'll make them one using the special talents God gave him.

Papa Bear then proceeds to construct a kite for the cubs with some paper and sticks, using glue to hold it together. He paints the kite red and adds a tail to make it fly. Then the trio head off for the contest.

When they get there, they see that theirs is the only homemade kite. All the others are fancy, store-bought ones. Everyone makes fun of the Bear's kite, saying it will never fly. But, Papa has faith that it will, and it does. Not only does it fly, but when the winds blow hard and strong, all the other kites fall apart; the one Papa made holds together and wins the contest.

This Bible verse is given as a reference for the story: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plan will succeed." [Proverbs 16:3]

The text is written in rhyme, which is a departure from the usual Berenstain Bear book. The illustrations are typical of other books in the series, though, with bright, cartoon-like pictures throughout.

What I Like: This is a good story about using our talents, committing what we do to the Lord, and having faith we will prevail.

What I Dislike: Although I am a Berenstain Bear fan (as many of you know), this book doesn't stand out as one of the best ones in the series as the storyline is weak. If the Bear cubs wanted to enter a kite-flying contest, they should have planned ahead to do so. I don't think they should have waited until the day of the contest to have Papa make a kite for them. Also, Papa did all the work. He didn't have the cubs help him at all even though they were the ones that were supposed to be entering the contest.

Christine M. Irvin - Christian Children's Book Review

I wish I had seen the customer review above. I ordered this book because I thought I was ordering the original 1992 version by Stan Berenstain. The cover is identical, the illustrations are identical, and most of the text is identical. However, this 2010 version (now by "Stan, Jan, & Mike Berenstain", but published after Stan's death) has added religion to the story. About 14 lines of text have been awkwardly added throughout the book......changing the meter and rhyme scheme, as well as attributing the red kite's win to "God's help". Very odd, particularly if you are expecting the original book. (This 2010 version shows a first publication date of 1992......but this was NOT around in 1992!)

A nice, amusing story for young children. The illustrations are very cute--lots of interesting brightly colored kite flying scenes. Recommended.

I found the rhymes to be a little clunky, and the illustrations don't have the same fine work as past Bears books. There is one revealing mistake; on one page Papa is holding the kite with the tail tied on, but on the next page Mama comes out and ties the tail on (she says "it won't fly without a tail!"). It may seem a small detail, but any 4-year-old will see it-- mine did! --and ask why.
My biggest problem is the way the religious content is revealed. I don't mind Christian books, but you can tell the other Bears' religious books easily from the covers. Nothing on the cover or in the Amazon description would tip you off about that. It's a big kite contest, then suddenly, they are thanking the Lord above for Papa's love. Then he's using the skills that God gave him to build the kite. If you want this message that's great, but most of the other Bears' book don't suddenly start talking of God.
For a child it raises even more questions. It seems to be implied that the all other contestants in the kite contest are mocking disbelievers, and Papa wins because he worked hard AND has faith. Did the other contestants not work hard, or was their faith not as strong? Did God send the wind that destroyed their kites?