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The Berenstain Bears
The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
Explore the wonders of nature with the Berenstain Bears! This treasury of knowledge, accompanied by funny rhyming stories and colorful illustrations, is packed with fun facts, activities, and adventures to engage the whole family. Get ready for hours of imaginative play and joyful reading time with The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature !
Discover fun facts about the natural world in the company of the Berenstain Bears and their friend, Professor Actual Factual, the foremost bear scientist of his time! This treasury of knowledge includes a complete almanac of the seasons and intriguing information about animals, plants, insects, and fish — plus fun for the whole family with simple science projects .
Three big adventures begin with The Berenstain Bears' Almanac, presenting a year in Bear Country that's brimming with holiday celebrations, changes in the weather, and signs of the seasons. The Berenstain Bears' Nature Guide takes a leisurely stroll through the woods as well as an underwater excursion for close-ups of the plant and animal kingdoms. At The Berenstain Bears' Science Fai r, discover a variety of machines and how they work with plenty of projects, experiments, and interesting things to learn, make, and do.
Discover fun facts about the natural world in the company of the Berenstain Bears and their friend, Professor Actual Factual, the foremost bear scientist of his time! This treasury of knowledge includes a complete almanac of the seasons and intriguing information about animals, plants, insects, and fish — plus fun for the whole family with simple science projects .
Three big adventures begin with The Berenstain Bears' Almanac, presenting a year in Bear Country that's brimming with holiday celebrations, changes in the weather, and signs of the seasons. The Berenstain Bears' Nature Guide takes a leisurely stroll through the woods as well as an underwater excursion for close-ups of the plant and animal kingdoms. At The Berenstain Bears' Science Fai r, discover a variety of machines and how they work with plenty of projects, experiments, and interesting things to learn, make, and do.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
21 people are currently reading
1075 people want to read
About the author
Stan Berenstain
905 books699 followersStan 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 7, 2014
Bright pictures, funny characters with the rhythm & rhyme make this a hit with our children (especially our 4 year old boy).
Enjoyable to read this is a good introduction to God's awesome world (though the book is very much materialist in outlook*). It also opens up some of the 'grammar' of understanding and classifying a wide range of the creation (or nature as the book calls it!). :)
*Classic quote: 'Nature is all there is, all there was and all there will be'.
Enjoyable to read this is a good introduction to God's awesome world (though the book is very much materialist in outlook*). It also opens up some of the 'grammar' of understanding and classifying a wide range of the creation (or nature as the book calls it!). :)
*Classic quote: 'Nature is all there is, all there was and all there will be'.
August 3, 2012
This is a fabulous book for children to learn basic science. It is simple, fun, and has some great activities for children to experiment with. MY 4.5 yr old now knows different types of matter as well as energy by heart. He discovered that we are animals (mammals). What better way to learn than with favorite childhood characters of the Berenstains?
July 22, 2018
Very fun! I don’t “like” science, but this book made it fun for me to read to my 3 year old son. We both liked all the pictures. I will either be checking it out from the library yearly, or buying a copy of my own to have for our homeschool.
I took off one star because we are Creationists with a Young Earth view, so I changed some words as I was reading. Not a big deal, though!
I took off one star because we are Creationists with a Young Earth view, so I changed some words as I was reading. Not a big deal, though!
March 21, 2011
This one is always a favorite!
August 14, 2015
Read again. Still really enjoy this book!..krb 8/14/15
September 23, 2020
My 4-year-old loves this - he finds it hilarious, enjoys the rhyming text, and is very interested in learning about the subjects. I find the explanations well-pitched for this age group, easy to understand and a good starting point for further learning.
My only problem with it is the American-ness and slight superficiality of the Almanac part. This isn't a criticism of the book itself, but a drawback for readers who aren't North American and/or who want their kids to develop a deeper appreciation of the passing of the seasons in nature. The 'holidays' in the Almanac are the ones that are important in the US (Thanksgiving, 4th July...) plus some odd ones like April Fool's Day, with almost no mention of feast days like Easter that are widely celebrated in the UK (where we live). It also says, over-simplistically, that winter starts in January (and spring starts in April, etc), and gives the impression that winter = 3 full months of snow (which may be true in the place where the book comes from, but definitely not in most of the UK). And there's no mention of the change of day-length over the year, not to mention solstice and equinox, which are important to my family (though probably not to the majority of people, I realise).
That said, we love this book, and I especially appreciate the Nature and Science Fair sections, though Papa Bear's role as teacher of the little bears, with Mama Bear following quietly behind, does date it. I'm now on the look-out for some other book that covers the passing of the seasons in a way that works better for us (though I probably won't find one that my little boy likes as much as the Bears).
My only problem with it is the American-ness and slight superficiality of the Almanac part. This isn't a criticism of the book itself, but a drawback for readers who aren't North American and/or who want their kids to develop a deeper appreciation of the passing of the seasons in nature. The 'holidays' in the Almanac are the ones that are important in the US (Thanksgiving, 4th July...) plus some odd ones like April Fool's Day, with almost no mention of feast days like Easter that are widely celebrated in the UK (where we live). It also says, over-simplistically, that winter starts in January (and spring starts in April, etc), and gives the impression that winter = 3 full months of snow (which may be true in the place where the book comes from, but definitely not in most of the UK). And there's no mention of the change of day-length over the year, not to mention solstice and equinox, which are important to my family (though probably not to the majority of people, I realise).
That said, we love this book, and I especially appreciate the Nature and Science Fair sections, though Papa Bear's role as teacher of the little bears, with Mama Bear following quietly behind, does date it. I'm now on the look-out for some other book that covers the passing of the seasons in a way that works better for us (though I probably won't find one that my little boy likes as much as the Bears).
February 12, 2021
I have always loved these books as a child. This book would be great in an K-3 classroom to help students learn about the seasons and the months. This book provides and illustrates for the students to be able to see differences in nature and understand why some things are they way they are during certain seasons. They have many activities that are tied to this book all over google and especially on amazon!
March 10, 2019
This is one of those kids books that took my by surprise because even though it is Berenstein Bears, it actually does a decent job of early exposure to scientific musings for young kids. All of mine have enjoyed this book and it kept their attention because of the characters.
November 10, 2025
This is such a really cool book. I so adore this book and all the illustrations.
I know that the child who gets this book will really like it. It's a book that I wish I could keep for myself - even though I am an adult. But, I can't keep every book.
I know that the child who gets this book will really like it. It's a book that I wish I could keep for myself - even though I am an adult. But, I can't keep every book.
October 3, 2017
Took us almost exactly an entire year to read this but we loved it!
March 21, 2018
This was wonderful fun for my children and I.
May 24, 2019
Perfect for preschoolers who love science and the BBs.
January 4, 2020
Best Bernstein Bears book ever!! Read it and you'll enjoy everything about nature, science, and the environment!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2021
Read this with my girl & enjoyed it so much. She was sad it came to a finish & asked that we start over. We just might.
June 29, 2022
I bought this for my daughter's homeschool. This is an excellent and fun book for elementary students! Highly recommend!!
November 25, 2022
This is a wonderful introduction to science, nature, and how things around us work for preschoolers and young children.
September 21, 2024
I loved this book! They say funny things, and the papa bear is funny. I learned about months, seasons, animals, and a lot more.
February 26, 2025
Great read-aloud, first science book for kindergarten.
December 14, 2025
cute way of presenting some scientific facts. similar to the series inspired by dr seuss
February 27, 2017
This has been my four-year-old's favorite book in pre-K, so far this year. It's nice to read something with characters he's already familiar with from the Berenstain Bears series, and they serve as the "tour guides" in each of these books. There is also a new character called "Actual Factual Bear," who supplies much of the more precise scientific information.
This book is divided into three sections. The first is the Almanac, which covers the months of the year, seasons, major holidays, and various aspects of weather.
The second is the Nature Guide, which is an overview of what is included in the term "nature": animals (and some descriptions of further classifications, such as mammals, etc.), plants, and geographic features.
The third is the Science Fair, which covers machines and a few simple machines, matter and its states (solid, liquid, gas), and energy. There are also some simple science activities that children can do with an adult. I know I read this section as a child (though probably as a separate book since I have no memory of the others), so it's been fun and nostalgic for me as well.
This book is divided into three sections. The first is the Almanac, which covers the months of the year, seasons, major holidays, and various aspects of weather.
The second is the Nature Guide, which is an overview of what is included in the term "nature": animals (and some descriptions of further classifications, such as mammals, etc.), plants, and geographic features.
The third is the Science Fair, which covers machines and a few simple machines, matter and its states (solid, liquid, gas), and energy. There are also some simple science activities that children can do with an adult. I know I read this section as a child (though probably as a separate book since I have no memory of the others), so it's been fun and nostalgic for me as well.
September 1, 2011
The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature is fabulous fun and information all at once! It's like a rhyming, illustrated calendar for the first 64 pages (the Almanac) and then it's a rhyming Nature and Science book for the rest. There's a Nature Walk and a Science Fair, all with the lovable characters my son already knew from a Berenstain Bears video. The illustrations are busy and informative, including things animals really do in nature and ways the bear children can interact with their surroundings. The Nature Walk begins with Papa Bear getting caught in a spider's web just after he told the kids to pay attention to everything around them. Any book that gets my four-year-old son excited about reading and learning is a great book! Put this on your shelf! You won't regret it.
February 14, 2013
My brother had The Berenstain Bears' Almanac when we were kids, and I have very fond memories of it. Unfortunately, it is out of print and the only affordable copy I could find was considerably damaged.
Then I learned it was now part of this collection along with The Berenstain Bears' Nature Guide, and At the Berenstain Bears' Science Fair.
There are interesting facts, fun rhymes, sight words--all kinds of things to help kids learn about the seasons, nature, and basic physical science.
I'm hoping my kids enjoy it as much as I did!
Then I learned it was now part of this collection along with The Berenstain Bears' Nature Guide, and At the Berenstain Bears' Science Fair.
There are interesting facts, fun rhymes, sight words--all kinds of things to help kids learn about the seasons, nature, and basic physical science.
I'm hoping my kids enjoy it as much as I did!
January 19, 2022
Excellent science introduction which also makes a great early reader. My youngest begged daily to be allowed to read this book during science time! We usually don't read Berenstain Bears books because there are many better quality books, but this particular one has so much good information that we keep it around. (Some people don't like how Papa Bear is portrayed as bungling all the time. We figure that if we aren't conveying that attitude toward men at home, then it will not transfer to our children's conception of reality.) Ages 4+
June 23, 2021
Apparently this was not a book when I was a child (says it was published in 1997), but I definitely remember reading The Berenstain Bears with my mother. My young children absolutely loved this book. It was the one they picked over and over again from our stack at reading time. I love that they love science. This was a great introduction.
August 29, 2012
The Berenstein Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature- had great illustrations and perfectly age appropriate answers to dozens of science questions. My kids liked all of the scientific books in the Sonlight program but this was by far the favorite.
April 22, 2013
This book can be read in segments based on the science topic that is being introduced. it can be used for students of all ages.This is a fun an amazing way to teach students about different science lessons such as , weather, seasons, etc.
April 16, 2013
This is a great book for students to read in the classroom. Although this is a science book, this can be incorporated in a writing lesson. The students can make a t-chart and list everything they learned about the content in the book.
July 21, 2019
Great early introduction to science topics for young children. Especially if they are already familiar with the Bear family. Fun illustrations and we always wonder what Papa Bear will get into next. :)
Still a favorite around here. As I was reading to my 4yo, my oldest wanted to listen in again.
Still a favorite around here. As I was reading to my 4yo, my oldest wanted to listen in again.
February 6, 2015
This book was part of our science studies in the P4/5 Sonlight curriculum. The kids and I really enjoyed this book. I think it is a great way to introduce basic science concepts to kids early on. I look forward to reading it with them again and to my younger children in the future.
September 26, 2016
I read this a couple pages a day to my five-year-old. It's a great introduction to science and nature, and it's not annoying like the current/new books in the Berenstain Bear franchise.
Read-aloud. Boy, age five.
Read-aloud. Boy, age five.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews