The Bears' Vacation

by Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

Stan and Jan Berenstain take readers on a fun-filled trip to the beach in this classic Beginner Book, edited by Dr. Seuss. “Hooray! Hooray! We’re on our way! Our summer vacation starts today!” School’s out, and the Bear family is ready for a vacation at the beach. Whether the Bears are sailing, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, or having a run-in with an angry whale, Father Bear certainly knows how to find trouble. The Bears' Vacation will leave young readers eager for their very own summer fun!

Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Humor, Summer, Classics

72 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 1968

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

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be before the Berenstain Bears I grew up with was established and I loved it. What a wonderful story!

[kezzie ʚ♡ɞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

rereading one of my favorite summer reads that i grew up on

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Berenstain Bears - Papa, Mama, and Small Bear, go on a vacation to the beach. Before Small Bear (aka Brother Bear, though not in this book) is allowed to play and swim on the beach, Papa requires that he learn a handful of lessons. Papa bear states a lesson, Small Bear immediately shows how it applies to Papa, Papa dismisses it, and then suffers the consequences. This repeats for each lesson Papa Bear teaches. Small Bear indeed learns the lessons by witnessing how Papa Bear reaps what he sows. This is a book that kids really love to read.

But you have to accept that Papa Bear is a bumbling idiot and go with it. (No offense to you dads out there!) If you cannot do that (for whatever reason), it's best not to read this book with your child.

Papa's hypocrisy makes me think of the following Bible verse:

James 1:22 (NLT)

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Maybe we are a bit like Papa Bear when we don't listen to God! :-D

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the mother of three, I know we had all the Berenstain Bear books. They were just the right thing as new experiences were popping up in each child's life: be it a new sibling or a trip to the dentist. I saved all those books and they are now being read by my grandchildren.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the original Bears. They are full of good advice all while being entertaining.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Hooray! Hooray! We're on our way! Our summer vacation starts today!



Premise/plot: The Berenstain Bear family is on vacation. Pa and Small Bear have many, many adventures--or should I say MISadventures. It all starts with Pa's lectures on how to stay safe. Despite his safety rules, Pa (or Papa Bear) gets into trouble time and time again. He's not so great at following his own advice. OR he's simply not observant and self-aware.



My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It was funny. All the humor is at Papa Bear's expense. He's just not very bright. It is written in rhyme like the Big Honey Hunt. I am enjoying reading some of these older titles in the series. I do not think I'll bother reading the newer titles.



Text: 4 out of 5

Illustration: 3 out of 5

Total: 7 out of 10

[Juliana Kolbasovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bears’ Vacation by Jan and Stan Berenstain is about a family of bears, a mom, dad, and a son, that go on vacation to the shore. The dad decides that he should teach the son the safety rules of the ocean. As he announces the rules, he doesn’t really follow them too carefully and gets into some harmless type of trouble, where the little bear is always more aware than the father. This is done for humor, but seeing the bad things that can happen in the ocean shows the little bear, and the young readers, that they need to be careful in the water. I really liked this book because it was so cute, funny, and informative for little kids.

[Qamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are so happy you read "The Bears' Vacation" by Stan Berenstain! This book teaches us about the importance of safety and being careful, especially when we're having fun or exploring new places.

You learned that it's always best to think before you act and to pay attention to safety rules, just like the Bear family learned during their vacation. This is an important lesson that you can use in many parts of your life, whether you're at school, at home, or playing outside.

Remember, always be aware of your surroundings and think about safety. This way, you can have lots of fun and adventures while staying safe and sound.

Love,
Dad & Mom

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recall loving these books as a kid but they seem very different than memory. I must have read the bootleg versions because there was a sister and I don’t think the name was spelled like this or the bears looked like this 🤔 At any rate, the rhyming schemes irritated me because they weren’t consistent. And for one the meter was different in the second line. Probably not something a child would notice but why not make each couplet the same throughout the story?

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don’t enjoy the bumbling Papa Bear books, but this one strikes me as funnier than the others. Papa Bear explains all the dangers at the beach to Small Bear, but he isn’t very good at taking his own advice. In fact, Small Bear often acts as the voice of caution, and many kids will enjoy how he’s always proved right in the end.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was certainly a blast from the past. I used to love reading these books on the bears and the illustrations were and are still amazing. This book is about the Bears' going on holiday and the father bear teaching the small bear about the rules in and around water with some hilarious results. I think small bear could easily have taken care of himself as he did his father.

[Lindsey Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is cute. The Berenstain Bears go on a vacation to the shore. Papa Bear decides to share how to be safe at the shore with Small Bear. It is one crazy adventure for them. It is a good book to share with kids getting ready to go on vacation or just in general. It helps to teach safety & that following rules can keep you safe no matter the circumstances.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1968 book is more nostalgic than anything else. I remember all the pain the dad goes through as he teaches his son how to be safe by doing all the dangerous, stupid things kids normally do because they don't know any better. It is funny when the dad does it because he's the dad and should know better.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Papa Bear is full of his usual chaotic antics in this installment of the Berenstain Bears. This time, the Bear family is on vacation and Small Bear has to learn some safety lessons before playing at the beach. The story is full of silly antics and some important messages about beach safety. The illustrations are fun and engaging.

[Emily Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this beginner book. It is so much fun to read to my girls. It shows a father telling his son how to be safe on their vacation by the sea and all the problems they get in with the father not paying attention to his own rules. Very humorous. I love the berenstain bears!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid, and I'm even more delighted at the fact that it is available on Cloud Library for young readers to check out from our digital library resources. It's so cool to see the "brain child" behind the Berestain Bear family, and the original drawings. Awesome!

[Logan Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute book that helps kiddos understand how to be safe at the beach — at the expense of poor Papa Bear! The rhyming in this one is simple and easy to follow for you gets kiddos and the illustrations are adorable and delightful. Such a fun nostalgia read.

[Danette · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't care for the "Dad is an idiot" theme.

2/18/17 Read with Naomi

[Yokfah S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and funny way of teaching your son not to do somethings while on vacation.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are always a treat for the kids, and the reading is easy too.

[Smita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny. Teaches safety in a hilarious way. Great for learning rhyme.

[summerside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.Interesting and can teach children how to keep safe.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books so much!!!

[Talea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had us all cracking up over Papa bears lesson catastrophes. Classic Papa bear from my childhood.

[Locke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another series of lessons from a very clumsy father.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hapless dad tries to teach Brother Bear about swimming safety. What about Sister Bear? Everyone should know swim safety. Ehh, this was meh. Oz liked it, but he wasn't overwhelmed by it.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book. I learn that you need to be careful when swimming, diving, and exploring in the water.

[Tejana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first Berenstian bear book which I have rated so low.
All other books r so we'll explained . This one has only rhymes.

[Alicia (aliciasalwaysreading) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does Father Bear seem like such a loser?!

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and practical too! (Telling me what not to do)