What is the most unusual product that has featured the Berenstain Bears?
A while back they made a set of Berenstain Bears ViewMaster slides—those goggles you look through at circular slides. I really liked ViewMaster as a kid. This was before cable TV, DVDs, the internet etc. so our options were limited.
Can you tell us about any upcoming Berenstain Bears stories?
A new book in our Zondervan line and one in our HarperCollins series are both about to be released. With Zondervan, there’s The Berenstain Bears’ Father’s Day Blessings, about the cubs giving Papa and Grizzly Gramps a happy and peaceful Father’s Day. With HarperCollins, there’s The Berenstain Bears Long, Long Ago, about a trip through time in Professor Actual Factual’s Anytime-Anywhere Machine to learn about the past.
What other writing or illustrating projects are you currently involved in?
Making sketch recordings of the mission trips of our Foundation—again, see our website, BerenstainFoundation.org.
Any final thoughts?
People naturally assume that there is a close connection between my own family and the Berenstain Bear family. People often ask me, “Are you Brother Bear?” The answer is, “No, I have an older brother, so I must be Sister Bear.” This always seems to be good for a laugh.
But some go on to explore the mysterious relationship between fact and fiction. “Then, who was Sister Bear?” they wonder. “Wasn’t there a girl in your family?” On being informed that, as far as I can remember, there were never more than just the two male siblings, they are puzzled. “But,” they ask, “why didn’t your parents write about a family with two brothers?”
This question always gives me pause. The inclusion of both a girl and a boy in a fictional children’s book family to appeal equally to girls and boys seems an obvious choice. In addition, why would it be assumed that a fictional family of talking, clothes-wearing bears would closely mimic the real-life circumstances of their human creators?
Are we surprised to learn that Shakespeare did not, himself, live in a castle in Denmark and spend his days accosting ghosts and talking to skulls? I’m just putting it out there.
Visit our Berenstain Bears page here: https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/mike-berenstain
The Berenstain Bears 5-Minute Inspirational Stories
Berenstain Bears
Zonderkidz
With classic stories from the Berenstain Bears Living Lights series, join the Bear family and all their friends in Bear Country as they learn how to be good friends, how to play fairly, where to find courage, and much more. This oversize padded storybook is sure to become a lap time favorite for Berenstain fans, both young and old, as they read these stories in 5 minutes.
The Berenstain Bears’ Father’s Day Blessings
Berenstain Bears
Zonderkidz
Mama, Gran, and the cubs plan an adventure to honor Papa Bear and Gramps on Father’s Day. Papa Bear and Gramps are the best dads in Bear Country and the cubs want to show their love. Working together with Mama and Gran, a special fishing trip and picnic are planned for Father’s Day. Will Papa and Gramps bring in a big catch of fish—or will they catch something else even better?
The Berenstain Bears Long, Long Ago
Berenstain Bears
HarperFestival
Hop aboard the Anytime-Anyyear Machine with the beloved Berenstain Bears! The Bear family travels back in time, and what a sight it is! They get to see mummies up close in ancient Egypt, cheer loudly during a medieval jousting match, dine at the very first Thanksgiving, and more. What will the cubs learn about history through the Anytime-Anyyear Machine?