Review - The Berenstain Bears: Bless Our Gramps & Gran

Zonderkidz; 24 pages; $3.99; Amazon

Now available from Zonderkidz is the newest entry in the Living Lights Berenstain Bears picture book series, titled The Berenstain Bears: Bless Our Gramps & Gran, written and illustrated by Mike Berenstain.

Ever since the first Berenstain Bears' title was published back in 1962, generations of young readers have been entertained by the adventures of the Berenstain Bears. The original authors, Stan and Jan Berenstain, have both passed away, but their son, Mike, has taken over the franchise.

Bless Our Gramps & Gran is set on rainy September afternoon, where Brother, Sister, and Honey are bored out of their minds. Besides from homework, the cubs have nothing new to look forward to.

Papa Bear mentions that Halloween is just around the corner, but Sister complains that is still nearly two months away. That's when Papa points out another holiday on the calendar - Grandparent's Day.

Brother, Sister, and Honey quickly become excited about the Grandparent's Day and come up with a creative gift idea to make for their Gramps and Gran.

Final Thoughts: I've been a little critical about some of the most recent Berenstain Bears titles, especially those that felt a little too preachy or just didn't have a conclusion to the plot. Bless Our Gramps & Gran is one of the better books in the Living Lights series. Though Grandparent's Day has been a holiday since 1978 in the USA, not everyone celebrates it. There are even some people that don't even know it exist. I think it's a great idea that the book centers around Brother, Sister, and Honey making a "Noah's Ark" themed gift for their grandparents. Besides from Papa and Mama briefly telling the story of  Noah's Ark to the cubs, there's no other religious themes, and never once did the story feel too preachy. The illustrations are wonderfully done.

Overall, The Berenstain Bears: Bless Our Gramps & Gran is a cute picture book that should appeal to younger readers.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.



About the Authors: Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bears books in 1962. Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Though Stan died in 2005 and Jan in 2012, Mike continues to create the delightful Bear adventures from his studio in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks much like the sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country.