The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed

The Berenstain Bears

by Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

This classic Berenstain Bears story is a perfect way for children to learn all about friendship and the importance of being fair!

Come for a visit in Bear Country with this classic First Time Book® from Stan and Jan Berenstain. Brother and his friends are tired of Sister tagging along with them, so they create their own club where girls are not allowed. Now it’s up to Sister to not only create her own club, but to also find a way for the boys and girls to all hang out together . Includes over 50 bonus stickers!

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction, Animals, Classics, Juvenile, Young Adult

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Stan and Jan Berenstain (often called The Berenstains) were American writers and illustrators best known for creating the children's book series the Berenstain Bears. Their son Mike Berenstain joined them as a creative team in the late 1980s.

Reviews

[Dusty · Rating 2 out of 5]

My parents often read this book to me when I was a child, probably because I had a younger sister who would tag along when I visited friends... even when I sometimes wished she wouldn't. As an adult reading the book to my own son, I regret that the target of the lesson is not more clear. The title and cover suggest that Brother Bear should be more patient with his sister. However, Mama Bear's lectures and the book's resolution put the blame on sister for not being a more agreeable companion. Maybe both lessons are apt, or maybe the book would make more sense with a new title: "The Berenstain Bears and the Sore Loser."

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I may have encountered this book in my childhood (my younger sister had quite a Berenstain Bears collection). Back in the 1980s, this was probably a very forward-thinking book. The overall message is good. Unfortunately, some of the details are kind of dated, and I think parents could probably find books with more modern, relevant messages.

Sister likes to tag along with Brother and his friends. As she gets older, she starts to be able to outrun and outplay them. And she's not subtle about it when she wins. So Brother and his friends make a secret clubhouse and decree that no girls are allowed. Sister thinks this is unfair, and her parents agree. So she starts her own club with all the girls from the neighbourhood that have been left out. She wants to disallow boys, but Mama gently dissuades her. Eventually, the cubs all make up and share.

I think part of the problem I'm having with this is that the boys-versus-girls thing is really overdone... when it doesn't need to be. The thing that probably rankles these boys so much about Sister winning isn't so much that she's a girl... but that she's younger than them. If this story had focused more on the sibling rivalry aspect rather than making it a battle of the sexes, it might seem a little more up to date. Gender binary roles are heavily pushed, too (baseball, marbles, running, and climbing trees are all considered "boy" activities, while jumping rope, picking flowers, tea parties, and reading books are considered "girl" activities). And there's some casual racism thrown in there, too, with Sister's victory celebrations (she resorts to "war whoops" to gloat). All of these things together would make me hesitant to give this book to a modern child.

This may have been fine for teaching my generation that girls can do the same things boys can do, but the lesson doesn't really go far enough and the book still promotes rigid gender stereotypes. Maybe that's part of the reason why women are still fighting for equal rights in our world: books from previous generations didn't go far enough. (If you're a child of the '80s or '90s, read this one for the nostalgia factor. Otherwise, I'd recommend treading with caution.)

[alia · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading goal done!!!! but tbh mama bear was so neoliberal/antiprogressive-mom-in-white lotus-y. kinda took away from the true theme of the book, which was obv equity. also no mentions of how parental dynamics affect siblings. what are we teaching our children?!

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

A good attempt, but the authors/story still cater to narrow-mindedness when Mother & Papa Bear stooping to the boys' level and agreeing it's upsetting for a girl to be able to outrun, out-climb, and out-hit the boys. Some contradiction in trying to be welcoming and not gender exclusive with that obvious mess up.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever read. I had my parents read it to me so many times that I memorized all the words.

[Will Thomas]

I ahve always liked the Berenstain Bears series. No girls aloud how ever was extreamly special because the book grab the reader. There is a level of predictability because the boys build a fort and put a sign out frunt that says no girls aloud. Well sister bear and her friends dont like this at all and run and tell mom and pappa. So at this point the reader knows that somthing is going to happen to brother and his friends. Pappa bear then desides to build a fort for the girls. the story continuest with how they work it out but the entirer book keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat. The illustrations are always great! They are really colorful and pop off the page. they are so are very detailed while at the same time the are simple. They do a good job of making sure that there are a lot of things going on on the page whitch make it easy to stay interested. Over all it is a great book.

[Demi Burns]

The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed: Sister can climb higher, run faster, and even hit a ball further than all the boys. And she certainly is not afraid to brag about it. But to Brother and his friends, they think it is annoying. So they decide to make a fort, where there are no girls allowed! This makes Sister and her friends very upset, so she goes and tells Papa and Mama bear. Now Sister really has something cooking up...
The Berenstain books are always thoughtful and valuable books to read. Though all the book series should be put in a classroom, this one would be especially important in grades like 1st-3rd. At that age boys and girls seem to be at complete war. This can teach them to be fair and kind, as well as, letting the children know that sometimes people are going to be better at things than you; boy or girl.

[↜ƈɦǟռ☂ɛℓℓɛ↝ · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Sister Bear always wants to tag along and play with Brother Bear and his friends. One day he gets annoyed and they make a club house, with a sign NO GIRLS ALLOWED posted on the out side. So Mama and Papa help her build her own club house, for the girl cubs. They grill up some yummy honey salmon kabobs for the girls. The boy cubs smell them and want to play with the girls again.
My sister and I loved this book when we were little, it was read so many times, the cover feel off, and is now a wreak, but that just goes to some, it is well loved. And now my daughter loves it, too.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The girl beats the boys, and they decide they don't want to play with the girl anymore. The parents concede that this is unfair, but instead of talking to the boys about their behavior, they decide that the GIRL is who should act differently in order to win the boys over again.

This is a terrible message to send to children. It's just another example of women/girls demeaning themselves in order to shield the fragile masculinity of men/boys. I want girls who are unapologetically winners, and boys who understand that losing to a girl is no more embarrassing than losing to anyone else.

[Magila · Rating 2 out of 5]

My wife subjected me to this book because I consistently beat her in all her favorite games. I like the Bernstein bears ok, but I couldn't help but feel that the message was little girls shouldn't beat little boys at things. And where I come from, if you're not war whooping, you're not playing. So, eh. And it wasn't nearly as awesome as other picture books. This is one I won't be reading to the kids...

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that I have read every Berenstain Bears book at least 3 times. I was obsessed. I especially like this one because I am the only girl with two brothers. This book really teaches about how girls can be just as good as boys at "boy" things. And just because a girl is better at a boy, at say running, doesn't mean that he should get mad at her. Boys and girls should always be treated equally. I think this book really does a good job at addressing equality between sexes.

[Jean Grabaskas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sister Bear loves to hang out with Brother Bear and his friends, but she starts to out run them and beat them at all the games. Brother Bear and his friends can handle that, but it's Sister Bear's braggy show when she wins that makes them decide to start a club with NO GIRLS ALLOWED. Mother Bear comes up with a solution!

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really too bad I didn't have these as a kid, because I'm positive I would have spent hours just enjoying the illustrations.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brother Bear makes a boys only club, so sister gets even in a funny way.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty well done book which examines the question quite pointedly as to just exactly why some boys don't want to play with girls.

[Azkamalazka · Rating 3 out of 5]

my fave so far, but the title is not fair.
it should be NO BOYS ALLOWED.

[Katie]

I think this book did a moderately good job of teaching the unfairness of boys getting insecure when a girl does better than them, though I wished that the ending was more satisfying and had a verbal lesson rather than the Cubs uniting just because the ‘girls club’ had food that they wanted. Sort of another example of young girls being expected to be the mature one when boys decide to be unfair/misogynistic. At the very least, they didn’t use the term boys will be boys, which I’m thankful for.

It’s worth noting that there is repeated reference to sister bear doing ‘war whoops’, which is a racist bastardization of a Native American War Cry, which is not ok and shouldn’t be marketed to young readers as fun celebratory actions.

Due to this I wouldn’t have the book in my classroom and think there’s better and more satisfying lesson books that teach gender equality out there.

[EJP · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was about brother bear and his gang making fun of sister bear. Sister was a little nuisance when she was little. She was a big nuisance when she was big. Because she was a nuisance brother bear and his gang built a clubhouse on an island in frog pond with a drawbridge. When sister came they cranked the drawbridge up and put up a sign that said, "No girls allowed." Sister built a secret clubhouse of her own that was actually a tree house. They roasted barbecued honeycomb and salmon and invited the boys up for it. Then brother took them to their place for dessert to eat berries. He changed the sign to say "Bear country boy's club; girls welcome." I liked this story because it had barbecued honeycomb and salmon in it.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Bear keeps up pretty well with Brother Bear and his friends, despite being the only girl in the group. Soon she's even beating them in marbles, baseball and racing! As if it weren't bad enough losing to a girl, Sister makes a big production of winning, and the boy bears have HAD it! They disappear and build a secret clubhouse complete with a boys-only sign. What's a girl bear to do?

I liked this Berenstain Bears book. There's the clubhouse theme, which appeals to every child reader. There are creative elements like BBQ honeycomb. Best of all, there's a lesson on being a good friend.

I thought that the ending was a little abrupt; at the same time, sometimes kids really do resolve conflict abruptly. Either way, I don't mind reading this one to my kids.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has taken me a very long time to write about because I had such mixed feelings about it. The premise is that Sister is a brat and the boys finally get fed up with playing with her and so they create a club where no girls are allowed.

The good part of the book is that sister's behavior is addressed in this, and it isn't just about the exclusion of girls from other activities. I'm not sure the conclusion gives the best answer - Mama Bear certainly steps in to help reconcile the two groups, but did Sister really learn anything at all?

[Echo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sweetest Bears who are always learning a lesson!

I’ve always loved The Berenstain Bears books growing up and now that I have children I couldn’t be happier to share my love for these stories with them! No Girls Allowed is the very first Berenstain Bears book I ever read so of course it’s always been my favorite! I just finished reading it to my daughter and she fully understood the lesson brother and sister bear learned in this sweet children’s book. I highly recommend reading all Berenstain Bears books to children of any age.

[Pooja Banga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sister Bear can run faster, climb higher, and hit a ball farther than the boys, and she gloats over it. So Brother Bear and his friends build a clubhouse for boys only, and Sister is hopping mad! She plans a honey of a revenge in this funny and thoughtful book.  
This is where real debate of feminism starts...

We are taught from the beginning that everything is different for girls and boys and ofcourse if this theme or matter is presented in such way in stories also what canyou will expect ?

This series is meant for kids right? I am totally surprised ...

[Alicia Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for in preparation for our Berenstain Bears program this week. Sister learns what it means to be a good winner and not make others feel bad--Brother learns how to be a good loser and not exclude Sister. Note: This book does not have any religious commentary in it.

For: Berenstain Bears fans; readers looking for a book about being a good winner and loser.

Possible red flags: feeling left out; poor behavior when winning or losing games; some readers may be disappointed in the lack of a religious lens, as it is common with Berenstain Bears texts.

[Joe Manza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this story several times, and I can honestly say both Sister and Brother's group are at fault here. On the boys' end, they were being sore losers. They built the club and excluded Sister so as not to have to compete with her (I'd be willing to bet they think she only beat them because she cheated). Sister, however, is also in the wrong, as she gloated every time she won. I mean, isn't losing bad enough without having someone rub it in your face? Therefore, I believe the lesson here is to be a good sport, which means never gloat about winning or fuss about losing.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister has always been a tag a long for Brother and his friends. But as she grew up she became better than the boys and it wasn't fun for the boys anymore. So they went off and built a clubhouse and a sign for 'no girls allowed'. After Sister starts crying and says it's no fair. Mama with her wisdom to Sister and Papa help them (and Brother) to see that inclusion is always best not 'do unto others' ...

[MarineCAT · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Berenstain Bears books are great to read for any generation. I had pulled these out to look at them again, and I was instantly going down memory lane. The illustrations are great, and the story always has a moral. The no girls allowed story really brought back memories of building a fort out in the woods. The fort that the boys build is what every child dreams of, and the girls build one that is equally as cool. What a great story to read and share with others.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The old Berenstain Bear books of the 1980's always bring me back to my childhood so when my youngest son has a bad fall off his scooter and brings me a stack of Berenstain Bear books to read to him, it's like comfort food for us both - not the best of reading but they give you that warm fuzzy feeling to snuggle up with your baby and read together. 😊

[alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of discussion about gender here lately and the kid did pick this one based on title but couldn't get why it would be girls versus boys. But good connection made to how boastful behavior can be off-putting or upsetting. Did not inspire a desire to build a fort (which was my take away as a kid lol).

[Nandita Joshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book touches upon some interesting thoughts and ideas kids face growing up - for example, sister bear being better than the boy bears at different activities and how the mom/dad/brother feel about it; the concept of a boys-only and eventually, a girls-only club, and dealing with the exclusion. What makes this book a worthy read are the empowering conversations and solutions in it.

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sister Bear tags along with Brother Bear and his friends...and she can sometimes annoy the boys. When the boys create a fort that excludes Sister Bear, she is frustrated. Mother Bear suggests she build her own clubhouse and invite her own friends (and to examine her own actions). The two siblings eventually make up and have a wonderful time joining each other in their clubhouses.