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When Brother and Sister Bear break Mama Bear's "no ball playing in the house" rule, bad things happen. First they shatter Mama's favorite lamp. Then they lie about it. With much coaxing and fact-checking by Mama and Papa Bear, the cubs learn the importance of telling "The Truth." In the second episode, "Save the Bees," Arch Weasel employs Raffish Ralph to create the ultimate weapon against Bear Country: a plant that eats bees. The result is a field of belching, bee-gulping honeybell flowers that threaten Bear Country's honey supply. (Bonus points for young viewers who wonder why Ralph--himself a grizzly--would actually want to lose his own honey.) In the final episode, Sister Bear, Brother Bear, and Cousin Fred earn their Spelunker First Class merit badges the hard way. They use their Bear Scout smarts to lead Papa Bear and Professor Actual Factual safely out of the "Forbidden Cave." Despite occasional outdated phrases such as "you're pretty good for a girl" or "fancy bric-a-brac," Berenstain Bear videos and books usually provide a few good lessons for children in the three- to six-year-old range.
--Liane Thomas
