The Berenstain Bears: Kindness, Caring, and Sharing

This is a nice collection of episodes from the original 1980s cartoon series of The Berenstain Bears. From what I've gathered, authors Stan and Jan Berenstain were more involved in the writing of this series than the later PBS one that has become so popular. Although I've enjoyed some of the episodes of the later series, I have to say that the original series has a lot more humor and spontaneity in it. The PBS version tends to be a bit too goody-goody at times, with entertainment taking a backseat to the lesson being presented. The original series has a better balance of values, fun, and reality. A perfect example would be the "Messy Room" episode contained on this DVD. We see a very angry Mama Bear (dramatized by pounding up the stairs and the hallway shaking) when she gets fixated on how messy the cubs' bedroom is. Nonetheless, they work along with Papa Bear to find a practical solution to organizing after an initial false start. Likewise, the "Too Much Birthday" episode brings home the value of keeping celebrations simple and free of excess without being at all preachy -- through a variety of funny scenarios, Sister Bear ends up upset at how her party is turning out, before realizing she already has a lot to be thankful for.I hope that more collections of the '80s Berenstain Bears series will surface in the future, as the episodes present a clever and humorous view of the Bear Family that is just as positive as the PBS series—but with considerably more wit.

I bought this for my four year old daughter who had seen a Berenstain Bear movie while in the hospital. She loves the books and loved the movie so I found her this video. At first she complained that it didn't look the same as the one at the hospital (apparently they had the more current series on video there). But when she began to recognize some of the stories from the books she's read she changed her mind. Now she loves it. The songs are cute and I personally like the old school animation since that's what I grew up with. I also appreciate there is nothing scary about these stories since there are Disney movies she hasn't been able to sit through because they scare her too much. As soon as breakfast was over today she announced, "I want to watch a movie, guess which one!!!" and ran to put this in. It is definitely worth the five dollars I paid for it and is a nice addition to her DVD collection.

My toddler loves the Berenstain bears and we bought this one to play in the car on a long trip. My toddler didn't like this one as much as the other dvd's we have of the bears. I think it just wasn't the right age material for her level of comprehension. Considering I paid less than $5 I am pleased with it. It's an older dvd which I knew prior to purchasing. I think she will come to like it better as she gets older, but maybe not the best selection for a 2yr old. Older children might enjoy it a little more than my daughter.

A great dvd to add to ones library for young children. I enjoy them too. There is always a lesson in life to learn as you will see when you watch these wonderful stories unfold.

Great replacement for the one my kids left in the middle of the living room. The case is flimsy but doesn't hurt as bad as Legos when you step on it.

Very good teaching tool.

Good

Parents please make sure your preschoolers are watching the Bernstein bears--these sweet cartoons always teach a strong moral lesson in a way that my kids find engaging and funny:). They also instill a strong sense of love and family not commonly found in other cartoons. Much better than sponge bob for impressionable young minds:)

Great video