The Berenstain Bears Can Help Your Child Cope
No doubt you've heard of the Berenstain Bears Countless books. Videos. The show on PBS. What you may not realize, if you haven't yet sat down to read (or watch), is that many (if not all) of the Berenstain Bears books are tightly focused on conveying a message or moral to your child. They are a form of something called bibliotherapy.
"Bibliotherapy is the process of using books to help children think about, understand, and work through social and emotional concerns."from Positive Child Guidance by Darla Ferris Miller
The Berenstain Bears are good, but... ...they're not the last word in bibliotherapy for children. I don't think any other authors come close to the number of texts addressing children's behaviors and issues. Still, these books are not brilliant children's literature. Know that they are geared toward younger children. (Approximately age 8.) But if you're looking to address an issue or behavior or experience with your child, there is likely a Berenstain Bears book that speaks to it. And that's saying something! You can use these books as starting points for discussion, or you can simply use them as reading material. One use of bibliotherapy is merely to provide your child with characters to identify with over a particular issue or behavior. The Berenstain cubs deal with nervous habits, bullies, life changes and much more. Your child can benefit simply from hearing or reading these stories. A benefit of bibliotherapy for anyone is that it keeps us from feeling alone in what we face. Other bibliotherapy options Like I said, the Berentstain books are not your only bibliotherapy option, and they're definitely not the best option for older children. Check out my bibliotherapy page to research this topic more fully. Additionally, there's a page on this site that walks you through the process of writing a pictureless picture book yourself to specifically address your own child's behavior problem. How To Write A Children's Behavior Book Categorizing the Berenstain Bears books isn't easy. I settled on the groupings below, though they aren't perfect. You may want to read through all the listings (about 60) to find the one that best speaks to your child's behavior problem. Also, the books themselves are of different types. They are mainly picture books, with a few board books and a fair number of what the publishers consider early chapter books as well. Research the books at Amazon or elsewhere to make sure it's what you want. Categories:
BehaviorsThe Berenstain Bears... - Forget their Manners The cubs improve their manners when they start getting chores in return for rudeness.
- Get the Gimmies The cubs learn to appreciate what they already have.
- Get the Screamies The cubs misbehave at the mall. Mama teaches them not to.
- Get the Noisies The cubs need to quiet down.
- Get in a Fight The children fight with each other. Available as a download.
The Berenstain Bears and... - The Messy Room Brother and sister argue over who should neaten up while the mess piles up!
- The Truth Brother and Sister break something and lie about it.
- Too Much Birthday Sister Bear grows unhappy when her excessive birthday party isn't everything she hoped for
- The Bad Habit Sister has started biting her nails.
- The Green-Eyed Monster Sister gets jealous of brother's new bike.
- The Trouble with Chores Papa and the cubs stop doing their chores. Instead of picking up the slack, Mama joins them!
The Berenstain Bears: - Too Much Teasing Brother is on a teasing bender, but then teasing turns dangerous.
- The Big Blooper Swear words get addressed.
- Sister Learns to Share I think we know where they're going with this.
- Bedtime Battle The cubs will do anything to avoid bed. One review I read said this one is pretty uninspired and unhelpful.
Back to categories Choices The Berenstain Bears... - Don't Pollute (Anymore) The cubs form an Earthsavers club after learning to value the environment.
- Think of Those in Need The family gives stuff they no longer need away.
- Clean House Comes time for the family yard sale, the cubs have trouble giving up stuff, even if they haven't used it for years.
The Berenstain Bears and... - Too Much TV The cubs watch too much, so Mama bans it for a week. After learning how to entertain themselves, the cubs become much more moderate by choice in their tv watching.
- Too Much Junk Food When Mama notices the family getting too chubby, the family makes some lifestyle adjustments.
- The Double Dare The bad kids dare Brother to steal. He does and gets caught. Peer pressure addressed.
- Report Card Trouble Brother spends too much time on sports and his grades suffer.
- The Trouble with Friends Sister's new friend is bossy. The girls learn to compromise..
- The Excuse Note Sister stretches the truth to get out of P.E.
The Berenstain Bears: - Trouble With Money The cubs have to learn about earning and spending.
- The In-Crowd Peer pressure, bossiness and insults addressed. Sister is the victim.
- Dollars and Sense The cubs learn how to make good choices with their allowance money.
- The Wrong Crowd Brother falls in with the wrong boys and starts acting tough.
- No Girls Allowed Brother punishes Sister for being better than him at baseball. Sister plots revenge.
- Blame Game The family learns it isn't always simple - or important - who's to blame. Problems are best solved together.
Back to categories New Experiences The Berenstain Bears... - Go to the Doctor Demystifying a routine checkup. Sister is brave getting a shot.
- Visit the Dentist Brother gets a cavity filled, Sister has a dangling baby tooth removed.
- Go to Camp The kids are excited but apprehensive. Sure enough, everything turns out okay.
- Get Stage Fright Brother's teasing makes sister worried she'll forget her lines in the school play. Sure enough, it's brother who messes up.
- Go Out for The Team The cubs experience the pressure of competition.
The Berenstain Bears and... - The Sitter Brother and Sister aren't happy with the notion of being left with a sitter for the first time.
- Mama's New Job Mama starts working, so everyone has to help around the house more.
- The Week at Grandma's The cubs aren't looking forward to their week away, but guess what? They have a good time.
- The Slumber Party The cubs learn how to behave when staying with others.
The Berenstain Bears: - Moving Day The bears move to a bigger house.
- Trouble with Pets The cubs learn a pet is work, not just fun.
- Baby Makes Five Sister gets upset at all the attention the new baby gets.
Back to categories Life Hurdles The Berenstain Bears Get the Scaredies The cubs learn it's normal to get scared. The Berenstain Bears and... - The Bad Dream Nightmares follow a scary movie.
- The Bully Bullying, gender (the bully is a girl) and self-defense.
- The Drug Free Zone Yeesh! There's a drug problem at school and the cubs want to find the culprit. Ages 4-8????
The Berenstain Bears: - In the Dark A spooky book Brother brings home from the library leaves Sister scared of the dark.
- Too Small for the Team Sister can't try out for the team because she's too small. Still, she manages to make lemonade from lemons.
Back to categories Baby Berenstain Bears - My New Bed Baby cubs move out of the crib and into their own bed.
- My Potty and I I think we know what this is about
- Pacifier Days When the time comes to leave the pacifiers behind.
- Me First! Me First! The baby bears learn about taking turns.
Back to categories Life lessons and being good bears - The Birds, the Bees and the Berenstain Bears On the occasion of Mama's pregnancy, the cubs learn a little about where babies come from. Unfortunately, this particular book seems to be poorly reviewed.
- The Berenstain Bears' New Neighbors A lesson in accepting those who are different, and this time it's Papa who has the problem.
The Berenstain Bears... - Lend a Helping Hand The cubs learn to focus less on self and more on others.
- Learn About Strangers This one a little more serious than most. Sister is at first too friendly, then begins to see all strangers as a threat. The book ends with a list of rules for safe conduct with strangers.
- The Berenstain Bears and the Big Road Race A Berenstain take on the tortoise and the hare.
The Berenstain Bears: - No Guns Allowed A squirt gun that looks like a real gun becomes a subject of discussion.
- Mad, Mad, Mad Toy Craze If your kids are trying to collect every Happy MealŠ toy, this book speaks to the issue.
- Lost in Cyberspace The cubs obsess on their new computers, at the expense of time doing other, valuable things.
- The Goofy Goony Guy Sister gets teased because her new friend is kind of weird.
Back to categories Back to the Bibliotherapy page.
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