The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers

The Berenstain Bears

by Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

When Papa Bear tells the cubs why they should never talk to strangers, Sister begins to view all strangers as evil until Mama brings some common sense to the problem.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Classics, Kids, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1985

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

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a bit preachy but I thought it handled the idea of strangers pretty well. Like most things in life, when you try and be thorough, it can be too much in the scar-tactics side of things and then life is too scary, but if you don't say anything, then you aren't scared, but something could happen. So, it's about finding that balance. I thought the story did a good job with that balance.

This was more drama filled and less funny. It was still a fun book.

The nephew read this with me. He thought the airplane they flew in the field looked cool and he wanted one like it. He wants a drone. I told him he's too young for a drone, and he informed me that he wasn't and I am too old for a drone. Okay. He thought it was a rather slow Bears' story and not very funny. He gave this 2 stars.

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister bear talks to anyone and everyone but brother bear is more cautious. So papa bear tells the sister that strangers can be dangerous and he even tells her a scary little story. That night sister bear doesn't have a good sleep and gets nightmares. When she wakes up, she keeps getting scared. Then mama bear tells her that not everything is as it seems to be but one should be cautious.

I really liked the way this message was taught about the strangers. I also loved the pictures especially where sister bear was imagining things in a scared way. An informative and delightful read.

4 stars

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Books are a wonderful tool for teaching children about the world and to give them the tools to survive. That doesn't mean that books need to hit children over the head with these important life lessons.

The Berenstain Bears series of books runs the gamut from entertaining stories of a brother and sister growing up to blatantly obvious and forced lessons. The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers is in the unfortunate obvious and forced end of the spectrum. It's frankly an awful book. It's as bad as those old "After School Specials."

The story focuses around the importance of being wary of strangers and the tricks some adults play to lure children into dangerous situations. The book paints all adult strangers in the same brush, making Sister Bear see monsters in all the adults she meets. The book never once mentions that children are far more likely to be abused by family and friends than complete strangers. This book does a huge disservice to children unfortunate enough to read this story.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed to introduce the topic with my kids.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

They handled the 'stranger danger' question quite well!
Acknowledging the danger, but also saying most strangers are alright. You just don't know, so you need to be careful.
You shouldn't be afraid of everyone, and everything, but you shouldn't immediately trust anyone either.

A few base rules are told throughout the story- Don't get in the car with a stranger, don't accept a gift from a stranger, don't approach a stranger unless with Mama or Daddy.
A more stringent list is provided at the back of the book.

I loved the apples.

Good!

[Nick (LackingZones) · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the surface, this book is a simple, heavy-handed warning to children about "stranger danger". However, on a subtle level it examines two important ontological oppositions. The primary of these is the relationship between self and other. This duality is present not just in the stranger/non-stranger pairing, but also in the contrast between Sister and Brother. The authors highlight the crucial difference between the siblings as being their adherence to social norms. This text is ripe for a feminist critique analyzing the relationships between the gendered bears (Papa and Brother vs. Mama and Sister) and their perception of society. But that's an exercise for another time. The second duality examined by this text is the relationship between madness and reason. The authors suggest that following a strict set of rules in which a negative is always assumed leads directly to insanity. In fact, the concluding paragraph is little more than an appeal to unstructured rationality. Despite this subtle analysis, the book is only moderately satisfying.

[Pooja Banga · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is too cute..
It itself has message in it ..
Though this series is short I am enjoying it ..

This series is worth reading

[Daytizzle · Rating 3 out of 5]

gave me anxiety. i don’t wanna get kidnapped.

[Brittany Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stan and Jan Berenstain do a great job of explaining the danger of strangers on a kid-friendly level. The book begins by talking about how friendly Sister Bear was to everyone, even people she didn't know. Brother Bear tries to tell Sister that it is not a good idea to talk with strangers, but he decides to have Papa Bear explain that instead. Papa Bear, with best interests at heart, explains to Sister the dangers of strangers. However, Sister Bear had trouble sleeping that night and was scared to be around people the next day. Mama notices this apprehension in Sister Bear, so she decides to explain strangers differently than Papa. She shows Sister Bear two different apples: one looked ugly but was pretty on the inside whereas the other looked pretty on the outside but had a worm on the inside.

I think that this is a great kid-friendly stranger safety book. I really enjoyed reading it and seeing the changing perspectives in the characters. This book was realistic to families and therefore was very relateable.

This book would be great to use when teaching children about safety. Mama's apple metaphor is something that would be so simple, yet profound that could be used to teach kids about strangers. This would be a great book to initiate critical thinking on this topic.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great book about stranger danger in the least.

First of all, while the topic is important, what it doesn't do, is reassure a child that there's safety in the world anywhere at all except perhaps behind the closed doors of their own home. Which sadly isn't always the case. Sister sees danger around every corner after the well-meaning lecture that Papa Bear gives her, but then doesn't give her any way to build her confidence back. Instead we're leaving the child scared of the world, and thinking twice about going outside.

Where is the mention of the "safe" adults - finding a policeman for example when feeling threatened. Or in going to another trusted adult when safety is compromised (talking to a teacher, or parent, or other person in authority). Children need to be careful about stranger, and the threats they pose, but sadly, the majority of those who will be harmed, are harmed by someone they know. They need to be taught to instead trust their instincts - that when something feels 'wrong' it's ok to go and talk to a TRUSTED adult about the situation. Or even that there are safe places and safe people in the world.

This whole book says too much, and at the same time, doesn't teach enough. If that makes sense. Definitely a poor choice to help a child to understand why it's not OK to be friendly with every person they meet.

[Shacoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 18th Berenstain Bears book that I have read. This book teaches about strangers and I think that it does a very good job. I especially liked the safety tips at the end of the book. I think that this will be my final Berenstain Bears book. I'm sort of getting sick of the bears altogether. There's nothing wrong with them and there's really only so much bear perfection a person can withstand.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I realize that most Berenstain books are written to teach a morally driven or safety-conscious lesson and I have no problems with that concept--in fact that is precisely one of the reasons that I love Dr. Seuss stories. However, this is not the format in which to take itself too seriously and "stranger safety" isn't a theme that can be humorized, so it just doesn't work, other than as an awkward introduction to a well intended discussion.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very wordy if you're thinking of reading to small kids. My 4-year-old got it pretty well, but she also really wanted story time, so she was paying attention. I doubt my son (1.5 years) would have any interest in it beyond tearing at the pages. It does teach an important lesson though, which is why we bought it as both of our kids are very much friendly social butterflies. Hopefully this will help teach them caution as they grow.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brother has become concerned about the way Sister feels the need to say hello to every stanger she meets so he tells his parents. Papa Bear manages to give Sister nightmares with tales of abduction while Mama tries to explain how you can't tell a bad apple in how they look. And it is Sister who manages to stop Brother making what could be a real error of judgement.

This was another fun and educational read about the family of bears and the life lessons that they learn and share.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to introduce the idea to young children of the need to be cautious with unknown people. The language is age appropriate without being condescending, and the story is engaging. I'd recommend this book be on all bookshelves for little people to access!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with the Berenstein Bears, and I remember ordering the newest ones from the Scholastic Book Order catalog! This one is one of my favorites, and I think in today's society, it's profound because it shows kids that safety is one of the most valuable lessons, as well as listening to your parents (something I'm still learning about today). However, you can't go wrong with any of the wholesome titles, and the Bear Family rocks!

[Tia K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic

This is a great classic book I enjoy reading to my kids as much as I enjoyed it being read to me when I was young.

[J.L. Neyhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Berenstain Bears books when I was a kid! So I'm on a bit of a nostalgia kick and revisiting the ones I have easy access to on ebook.

[Leslie Carnahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

as someone who is like sister bear in this book - this book scared me as a kid. but was also a helpful piece of knowledge for myself at that age.

[Mrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my grandson. Presents well to a 6yo answering questions and promoted good discussion from him about handling situations with strangers, what to do, what not to do, and offering this topic at this age level. Well written and presents topic well.

[شیما · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story itself was not half so bad, but the book had close to no content on body safety rules and it mostly just repeated the same thing over and over; yes I'm sure must kids are very well aware that strangers are dangerous but why? And what should they do against them? How should they run from them? The book says nothing and expects everything from the child

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a difficult subject and was handled reasonably well. However, the book neglected the part about listening to your instincts (it mentions 'use common sense' at the end, but that is something entirely different).

The book also ignores the fact that children are far more likely to be harmed and/or abused by people that they know than they are by strangers. This type of story lets everyone to conveniently continue to ignore the problem of abuse of children by people familiar to them Convenient to everyone except the abused child of course, is being abused likely by someone close to home (if not in their home). There is a double whammy as this abused child is now also harmed by a system that teaches 'no, no, someone who is supposed to love you is not the problem. No, you should only worry about the hypothetical stranger who is unlikely to harm you at all'. Their experience is denied by a system that is all to happy to point the finger at boogey men and women in the bushes rather than deal with the very real problem of children being abused in their own homes (and schools, places of worship, etc.).

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

the author is always full of odd stuff
it's fascinating for the psychological angle, and how it works and doesn't work

and I'm thinking of those strange 50s 60s 70s Educational Films
that were always odd and unsettling

personally, I think the best education is right from your mom, and to get things in a book might not be ideal, but it's good for further discussion about a scary world

my take on it was that I watched the CBS Evening News with mom right from the beginning, so World Events were always discussions, and the good and bad events in life

I still remember being startled at how strange, and why would someone do such a thing, when I saw on the news the Manson girls with their shaved heads and an x on their forehead

and it left me thinking 'why?'

And how most people in Grade Four actually watched Helter Skelter, or bits of it
kids too young to know when the murders happenned, but old enough to remember bits about the trial

It definitely felt like almost 90% of people watched the news, even before they started school

/////

Amazonia has some definately odd commentary
here's some of the most interesting comments

- papa reads the kids a bedtime story about a fox who kills a goose which proceeds to give sister nightmares then causes her to imagine every stranger as an evil villain looking character

[At least it wasn't a 1964 National Enquirer]

- The big, dark scary man is a severe departure, and it's not something we see anymore

[maybe it was a 1963 National Enquirer newspaper]

- papa bear tries to scare sister by rattling off things that she should never do then showing her terrible things that can happen using the newspaper

- The content of the newspaper, in particular, was upsetting. There were no examples of strangers being good in the newspaper.

- If you want to strike fear into your child's heart, this is the book for you!

- We have a large collection of Berenstain Bears books and love most of them. I wasn't such a fan of this one though. It really inculcates the rule that you never talk to strangers. I thought the very black-and-white message about not speaking with strangers was a little too stark for my taste."

- The book is wonderful and talks about the fact that most people are kind and friendly, but you have to be on your guard just in case there is someone with ill intent (it alludes to kidnapping and scaring children, but that is as far as it goes). The book does state the Bear family's rule is "Never talk to a stranger," which my children have immediately taken to heart, something I am not thrilled about. My children now do not dare talk to someone who walks by our house or who says "Hello" to them in the grocery store. I would still recommend the book, but would also recommend that you chat with your children before reading it about the fact that it is OK to say a friendly "Hello" to a stranger when they are in a safe environment.

- It has some good ideas but I found it 'wandered' a bit when I first read it. It did start to feel as if some of the story was included just to make the book longer and it gave it a confused and muddled feel. Granddaughter was a bit bored by the end.

- I bought this for my almost 4 year old to help teach her about strangers, but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping. She gets the general idea but the tale about the wolf and the apple analogy was over her head. I grew up loving Bernstein bears though, so i will still be collecting them.

- Maybe ok to read to older children but scared the crap out of my 4 year by the 5th pag

- Some of the wording in this is not what I would use with my children

- The book is a little long to read and has some scary parts in it. Talks about a fox eating a chicken as a scare tactic.

- I guess this is a good place to start, but it's a little too nuanced for small kids

- There was something odd about the way this book was written - the sentences just don't flow very nicely and it's the first time I've felt this way about a Berenstain Bears book.

- I have always found the Berenstain Bears a bit too "backwards" in their approach to life (very traditional male and female roles), but the point gets across. It did not seem to "spook" my three year old daughter at all, and she was captivated for a month or two by it. She rarely reads it now, but I feel the point has been made and I reinforce it every now and then when I can.

- I love all of the books in this series because I think it teachs good lessons to children. This one explains how it is not good to talk to strangers. Although I do not agree with that lesson, some times kids have to talk to strangers, for example if they were to get lost. But it is still a good book.

- I like the balanced view from this book about how and why to look out for stranger danger - it uses the analogy of bad & good apples in the barrel to emphasize how most people are harmless, but you can't tell just by looking & its important to be careful

- The reason for 4 stars, instead of 5, is because there is a part in the book where Papa first talks to Sister about strangers and he really just opens the newspaper and shows her headlines about a missing cub, etc. I think that part was a bit awkward and vague

- A little outdated but mostly delivers the message

- It does a good job explaining things without it being scary and it has your child's familiar characters. I like the bad apples analogy. At first my daughter didn't really make the connection but the more we read it and talk about it in random conversations here and there as things come up the more it sinks in. I feel this book is effective.

- I LOVE the Bear books, this is a very good book, great story. But if you are looking for a book to teach your kids about strangers, more in-depth, I would try adding another book or two, this one is about stranger danger, and talks about how not every stranger is bad, but I feel our kids need a little more detail.

- important topic not an easy one to explain

- t's not the best story I ever read about strangers but it does make it's point

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have noted, this book focuses on Stranger Danger, not mentioning adults who may be in or close to the family or in positions of authority. But within this sphere, it gets across the importance of wariness without being frightening. My four-year-old's asked to read it several times since the first introduction and asked good questions based upon the story, so it's probably best used as a good starting point for many conversations rather than expecting it to cover the gamut of important information.

[Kimbely Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brother and Sister Bear are out with Papa and Brother starts talking to strangers. Pap warns them about the danger of strangers. This terrifies them and scares them away from all strangers. In the end Mama talks some common sense into the kids and tells them what to look out for.

I would use this book in my classroom to teach about stranger danger. I could use it in a thematic unit about safety. I really enjoyed this book because it teaches a usable skill.

[Haaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Berenstain Bears. They were a reading stable as a child.

I'm currently working on no talking to strangers with my two year old (which is a big thing because she is so chatty that I don't exist anymore- not good.)
After I read this book to her, she walked around telling everyone "No Strangers." I don't think it worked so well because she still walks up to strangers and talks to them so we'll try another approach.

Good for older kids, though.

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

great little books for children, they tell stories of learning such as this one about Strangers.

great pictures as well lovely and bright through out the book. I remember some of these books from childhood, I re found them online and reading when they become available for my reading app.

Ideal books in this time of quarenten to read to young children to keep them entertained as well as slightly educational.

3 stars.

[Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just re-reading my childhood books. I found a bunch but just wanted to read them again. As we grow up we look at things differently and this was quick and short read, I remembered the pictures and the exciting adventure from one page to the next. I now cherish my reading even more. These books truly gave me the desire to read.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the way this book presented strangers. It was serious enough that children understand that they need to be careful but also addressed the fact that you don't have to be afraid to live. My kindergarten students seemed to really like the book and connect to it.

[Adrianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

My 5 year old said he learned something from this book ("don't do anything with strangers."), but it's boring. It is a little heavy-handed.