The Berenstain Bears and the Slumber Party

The Berenstain Bears

by Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

Sister Bear's first slumber party at Lizzy Bruin's gets out of hand with pillow fighting and soda squirting--and then Brother Bear and Cousin Freddy show up. Lizzy's parents have no choice but to end the party, and Brother and Sister receive a valuable lesson in behaving away from home.  

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Family, Young Adult, Kids

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1990

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

[Sophia Triad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many out of date elements in the story. The bears are actually using cassette tape player LOL And they are using an ancient phone without push buttons.
Also I didn't like much the story. Why was the little bear responsible for someone's else party going wrong? She didn't invite all those troublemakers. It could have been a nice story for privilege and responsibility. But it wasn't.

[Cassandra Gelvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Went in one ear and out the other.

Sister Bear goes to a slumber party, but the host's parents aren't home and the host ends up inviting a jillion people and some others crash the party and somehow Sister's parents blame her.

Mama Bear doesn't give Sister any actual advice or think about what kinds of situations she could get into, only tells her that she has responsibility. What that responsibility is, is never mentioned. Is this like Spider-man? Is she supposed to catch criminals?

The best part, Mama Bear's entire pre-party lecture: “You know, sleeping over at a friend's house is a kind of special privilege. And something that goes with privilege is responsibility. Do you know what those words mean?” “Sure. Privilege means being allowed to do stuff, and responsibility means not messing up.” Later, Papa: “Now, you remember what your mama told you about privilege and responsibility.”

For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.

[↜ƈɦǟռ☂ɛℓℓɛ↝ · Rating 2 out of 5]

★★The Berenstain Bears and the Slumber Party by Stan and Jan Berenstain
This was not one of the better ones. It was ok when, I was little, but so out of date now. Even the term slumber party, is out. All I heard is what kind of phone is that, I've never seen one. What's a BoomBox? What do you do with a cassette tape, and where does the cd go? So she was just to distracted by the 80's and 90's to focus.
Sister gets invited to her first sleepover. But as kids are kids, I know, it happened in my house tonight, they tend to do what they want. My girl opens her mouth, and many kids finds out. So this small sleepover, turns in to a out of control train wreak.
This does teach responsibility and trust.

[Liesl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Papa with the win here as the rare voice of reason! Also, these elementary school cubs throw quite the rager.

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange one. The little bears effectively throw a raging kegger (minus the beer, of course) and the police bust the party and everyone gets into trouble. The cops showing up to a children's slumber party is obviously a really unlikely turn of events, but the idea that such a thing could happen would have definitely scared me into good behavior as a kid. Maybe that's the point?
Also, I'm noticing a trend in these books that both the kids and the parents learn a lesson each time. It's a nice touch for kids to see that their parents aren't perfect know-it-alls either.

[Flannery · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, there are many reasons why I don't like this book very much. And, don't get me wrong, although this is the third Berenstain Bears book I have criticized, I like most of them. But criticizing is way more fun.
1. This book is extremely outdated. The first sentence is basically "you never know who's going to be on the phone until you answer it." Not only does this have nothing to do with the story, it also is completely obsolete in our modern world, where you can match names with numbers on your phone and get alerts about scammers before you even answer.
2. So the plot is that a bunch of elementary school kids throw a party so wild that the neighbors call the cops. Like what? How is this possible? I mean, maybe the neighbors are like super-Karens or something. I'm going with the Karen thing, because it seems like they're just throwing around food and playing music too loud.
3. This is somehow ENTIRELY Sister's fault, and Mama gives her a crazy punishment. Mama's response "After all I told you about privilege and responsibility." But Mama doesn't really talk to Sister about privilege and responsibility at all, she just kind of asks her if she knows what they mean. That's IT.
4. You see a mother leading away a child that were just quietly reading a book the whole time. So apparently, being at the slumber party is a crime, too.
The two redeeming qualities are
1. Papa gets to be the voice of reason this time instead of Mama, which is a nice change
2. Mama does see that grounding Sister for a week just for being at a slumber party is ridiculous and changes the punishment to helping Lizzie clean up.

[Ame · Rating 3 out of 5]

“One of the most interesting things about a telephone is that when it rings you don’t know who’s calling until you answer it.” That's so quaint to read these days, and that was one thing I particularly hated about phones growing up, so technology is a wonder.

I find it pretty funny that elementary school-aged bears throwing such a rager of a party that the bear police have to step in, but clearly Sister Bear and Mama Bear both have learned more about responsibility and privilege. The goofy thing is that Mama Bear pre-sleepover only asks Sister Bear if she knows what the words responsibility and privilege mean, not how those words would apply when sleeping over at a friends' house (ex: cleaning up after yourself, not being so loud the bear police will show up, etc.).

[Sayo -bibliotequeish-]

The Berenstain Bears books were a staple in my house.
Often being bought by my parents to teach me a lesson.

Luckily for my parents I never went to a slumber party gone wrong because I hated slumber parties, I was the kid whose parent was called at 10pm to please come pick up your crying child

Once I went to stay at my friends house who lived 45 minutes away, and as this was before cell phones, my dad pulled into our driveway after dropping me off, only to be told by my mom to get back the car and go get me.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly enough I never thought it would be Sister Bear who would do the whole wild party thing, but sure enough, when the slumber party she was invited to has a whole lot less parental supervision than expected, she's right in the thick of things. They trash the house and things get crazy. I like how the clean up responsibility was handled, and that we see the downside of this kind of party without glorifying the rest.

[Scout Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Overall this was an okay book. However, as another reviewer mentioned, Sister keeps getting reminded about Mama's lecture on "privilege and responsibility" (and how old is Sister by the way?? Kind of big words) even though Mama simply asked Sister if she knew what those words meant and she explained she did. Kind of silly.

(SPOILER) I think the police being called for a noise complaint is realistic in a small neighbourhood like the Berenstain Bears live in.

[Jess El-Zeftawy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the Berenstain Bears but wow is this dated. I had to explain a "boom box" to my preschooler which lead us down a rabbit hole of explaining 80's technology like what a cassette tape was. I didn't explain it well... "music was printed in a tiny tape wound up." My favorite part of the book was when Mama Bear gives a lecture about privilege and responsibility and Sister Bear forgets everything she said pretty much immediately. In one ear and out they other. Typical.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a Little Free Library find. It is a classic Berenstain Bears story. In this book, sister is invited to her first slumber party. Things get out of hand when parents leave a babysitter in charge, and a bunch of uninvited guests show up. Chaos developed quickly. Sister learns a valuable lesson and readers may gain insights if they end up in a similar situation.

[Katie Perlmutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love the Berenstain Bears books in our house. They are always filled with great moral stories to help guide children. This time, Christian learned about being responsible and making good decisions! <3

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sister goes to her first slumber party and it gets out of hand. Though why Lizzie's parents would ok a slumber party for a night they wouldn't be there seems strange to me to begin with.

[brynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

mama should have been more angry at the irresponsible parents than her 6 year old child for attending a party....

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love the moral lessons and guidance often found in these books.

[Mari]

I like how the mama bear got a good lecture from papa bear and i did Nott like how the blame was put on sister bear.

[sillynichegirl sy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite berenstain bear books!

[Lynnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shows young readers the consequences of bad ideas and how to take responsibility for messing up. It's fine.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, and it's very mature to recognize how kids can get into trouble, but their actions are not completely removed from the parents.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten that there was a book where Papa Bear calmly and reasonably defuses a conflict. Well done, Papa Q. Bear. I hope to see more of this.

[Kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

36 pages not 32

[TJE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Berenstain Bears but this one went over Tea's head. Will try again when she is older. Technically they are 3rd/4th grade reading level but the plan was to read aloud to her in 2nd grade.

[Cierra Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Berenstain Bears and the slumber party is a picture book written by Stan Berenstain for children ages two to Seven years of age. This book is a classic children book that's been around for ages. to give a brief description The Berenstein bears and the slumber party is focused on sister bear wanting to attend a friends sleepover for the first time. Her mother was unsure at first because this would be sister's first time sleeping away from home. Mama and papa bear allowed sister to stay but always reminded her of being responsible and always reminding her of the consequences that comes with being careless. Sister Bear was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The party ended early with parents and police being called due to reckless behavior. Sister bear was punished by her mother because of her carless actions. Both mother and daughter learned a valuable lesson. Sister learned to take responsibility for her own action and mother bear should have been more aware of the setting and environment that she allowed her child to attend.
I would rate The Berenstain Bears and the slumber party a four star. This book teach young children a valuable lesson in being responsible for yourself because life will have major consequences. Reading this book as an adult today I view the importance of teaching children early that your decisions in life will always affect your future. It’s is important to always make the right decisions when it comes to school, friendship and your environment. This is a great example for young children to learn to obey their parent and to listen to their advice because they want the best for you and your life.

[Tessa Hensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Students will get into trouble at home, at school, and everywhere in-between. Sometimes it is their fault, other times it isn't, but lots of times it is a combination of things that happen in order for something to go wrong. This book would be good to read to show students how a seemingly okay situation can turn bad, especially in the upper grade levels. Yes, this is a book for small children, but if you read this in a high school or middle school class you could relate it perfectly to their social lives outside of school and teach them what can happen. This can also be applied to bad behavior in the classroom, this book can show students that when they do something wrong they need to take ownership for their actions and fix what they did. This can involve cleaning up a mess like Sister Bear, or even just apologizing for something. No matter what, students can learn from this book. And activity to do with your class can involve role play. Read students a scenario where something bad happens, then assign roles and have them reach a satisfactory conclusion with minimal input from the teacher. This is a good way to build problem solving skills, and give them a close second to real life experience.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Sister Bear is invited to a slumber party that goes out of control.

This book is very useful for starting a conversation with kids about privilege and responsibility. The Berenstain Bears books have always been wonderful tools for teaching kids lessons about everyday situations, and I read a LOT of them when I was a child. Now that my son is starting to read books with a little more advanced vocabulary, and he is needing some of these lessons, the Bears are an old friend I can turn to in a time of need.

The plot is straightforward enough- through a lack of communication, bad things happen to kids who meant well. The really cool thing about this particular book, though, was that it brought up the idea that the parents were just as at fault for making assumptions instead of communicating effectively themselves. For children, the idea of earning privileges through meeting responsibilities is of paramount importance, so this book really can help an adult begin that ongoing conversation with a child in terms the child can understand.

Here's to hoping for success in that teaching...

[Gala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is for children on a higher reading level with more words to read. The story starts off with the use of a telephone the old fashioned ones that do not have caller identification. The little sister gets invited to a slumber party with other friends over someone else house.The news spread about the party because of the telephone. There were no adults to limit the invitations and the party was out of control.This lesson was for parents taking responsibility for over punishment and not always the child's fault.

[David Natiuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm... I usually like the Berenstain Bears books, but this one doesn't seem to fit. Sister going to a sleepover where a raging party happens? It's a plot lifted right out of a Hollywood movie. Sure, it has a good message, but it just doesn't work when everything surrounding the message doesn't feel like it should.

Yeah, I could be reading into this too much. I just think with tapes and boom boxes and telephones without caller ID, etc. it just is sorely outdated for kids growing up today.

[Shacoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 8th Berenstain Bears book that I have read. I love the first line of this book about telephones. It shows that clearly these books were written in a simpler time before caller I.D. and cell phones and such. lol. Now if someone calls you know exactly who it is. This book was pretty interesting. I don't really think sister bear was to blame for the wild party. She didn't even know it was going to happen. She just thought she was going to a little sleepover.

[Stef · Rating 3 out of 5]

How fun does this cover make slumber parties look? Queenie and Too-Tall are like the Rizzo and Kenickie of Berenstain Bears. Sister goes over to Lizzy Bruin's for a slumber party, which gets out of hand, and Mama Bear gets huffity puffity about it because these first-graders were having more fun than she ever had in her entire life. Amazingly, Papa Bear is the voice of reason this time: He tells Mama to chill and that they failed as parents by letting Sister go to the party.