What do you think?
Rate this book
The Berenstain Bears
The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Commercials
Brother and Sister Bear are not greedy children, but all the toys and candy on TV look so great! Mama Bear has to find a way to teach her cubs that they can't believe everything they see . . . before that pile of unused toys gets any bigger.
32 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2007
About the author
Stan Berenstain
954 books711 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 7, 2022
The lesson of staving off materialism to preserve finances and maturity gleams through this book. Countless people are enslaved to constantly buying items. Any age can identify the pointlessness of that habit and learn to avoid it. Kudos to Stan and Jan Berenstain!!!
February 7, 2022
If anyone wants to read this book as an antidote to the commercial-gimmes - I have one suggestion at the bottom of this review.
I do enjoy the general theme of this book. It gets caught in one area though - we need our children to trust that the Berenstain Bears experience is what their experience will be.
Whereas in reality I'd say the sugary cereals DO taste good. These days the toys advertised on TV aren't likely to fall apart right away. These days the toys on TV do come with a lot of bells and whistles.
It's true that TV makes these toys look WAY more fun than they are - but not true enough that I'd be willing to say, "I'll buy you one so you can play for a month and admit how unfulfilling it is."
Luckily, my 5 year old didn't go the, 'Let's try that' route. Probably because we don't have a TV, and the places where we do watch videos don't tend to have ads geared towards children.
ANTIDOTE:
My son does get the sugary cereal at other people's houses, and does see it in the store.
That stuff is garbage for your body, but in the spirit of the middle path, I decided to include sugary cereal in our life this year.
I bought 12 of the tiny travel boxes, and put them somewhere out-of-sight. I let him know that he can have 1 a month, whenever he chooses.
It's beautiful now that when he sees a big box at the store, I can gently remind him he does indeed have his own at home, and he agrees happily, then let's go of that 'want' and can go about his day.
I do enjoy the general theme of this book. It gets caught in one area though - we need our children to trust that the Berenstain Bears experience is what their experience will be.
Whereas in reality I'd say the sugary cereals DO taste good. These days the toys advertised on TV aren't likely to fall apart right away. These days the toys on TV do come with a lot of bells and whistles.
It's true that TV makes these toys look WAY more fun than they are - but not true enough that I'd be willing to say, "I'll buy you one so you can play for a month and admit how unfulfilling it is."
Luckily, my 5 year old didn't go the, 'Let's try that' route. Probably because we don't have a TV, and the places where we do watch videos don't tend to have ads geared towards children.
ANTIDOTE:
My son does get the sugary cereal at other people's houses, and does see it in the store.
That stuff is garbage for your body, but in the spirit of the middle path, I decided to include sugary cereal in our life this year.
I bought 12 of the tiny travel boxes, and put them somewhere out-of-sight. I let him know that he can have 1 a month, whenever he chooses.
It's beautiful now that when he sees a big box at the store, I can gently remind him he does indeed have his own at home, and he agrees happily, then let's go of that 'want' and can go about his day.
December 29, 2022
This book was written in 2007, which was before streaming services became popular. Kids these days would probably better relate to the word "ads."
In the book, the kids drive their mother crazy by requesting everything they see in commercials. For some awful reason, she buys them everything that they ask for. The book literally says that they pester her so much that she buys them the stuff to keep them off her back. (Sorry, Mama Bear- that's a bad idea!)
Finally she decides that something has to change. She and Papa decide that they are still going to give them everything they ask for (what?) but they have to finish what they start first- for example, they need to finish one box of cereal before asking for another one. This solution works really well for their family, as the kids soon realize that the products they've been pining over aren't as great as they seemed.
I appreciate the creative problem-solving, but it's definitely unique to their family dynamics. If you ask me, when Mama says no the first time, there ought to be consequences for pestering her further.
In the book, the kids drive their mother crazy by requesting everything they see in commercials. For some awful reason, she buys them everything that they ask for. The book literally says that they pester her so much that she buys them the stuff to keep them off her back. (Sorry, Mama Bear- that's a bad idea!)
Finally she decides that something has to change. She and Papa decide that they are still going to give them everything they ask for (what?) but they have to finish what they start first- for example, they need to finish one box of cereal before asking for another one. This solution works really well for their family, as the kids soon realize that the products they've been pining over aren't as great as they seemed.
I appreciate the creative problem-solving, but it's definitely unique to their family dynamics. If you ask me, when Mama says no the first time, there ought to be consequences for pestering her further.
Read
November 7, 2019My copy of this book says it was published in 2007, which is strange because I swear I remember this exact Berenstain Bears book from my childhood. Maybe there was a similar one? Anyway, it follows the standard Berenstain Bears formula. I do think it's an unrealistic solution, though. I'm fairly certain my kids would be vaguely disappointed with all of the products and then go right back to requesting stuff anyway. Ha!
September 23, 2019
A good book that can teach kids about TV commercials.
July 6, 2023
Mama and Papa's plan for resolving Brother and Sister's commercial obsession (who thinks commercials are better than the shows?) is actually clever.
August 13, 2023
I wish someone had given me this to read in kindergarten because I think it would have changed the trajectory of my life
March 14, 2018
The Berenstain bear cubs are constantly wanting and begging for all the toys advertised on TV. Once they get it they soon lose interest and move onto the next big thing. Their mom and dad teach them a valuable lesson that helps put a stop to their unhealthy pattern.
Levels
Lexile: AD540L
Guided Reading: L
Traits
Voice & Idea
Levels
Lexile: AD540L
Guided Reading: L
Traits
Voice & Idea
June 30, 2013
This tale teaches young ones to think critically about what they see on TV and not buy into ideas which may be exaggerated. The Berenstains do a good job of illustrating that children and adults alike may fall prey to commercialism and naiveté. These authors know how to portray believable and flawed adult characters. They also include a short poem in the beginning of some of their books which describe the moral of the story, this reminds me some of how Aesop would leave a moral at the end of some of his fables.
February 20, 2015
Brother and sister want everything they see on the commercials, but after one of Mama bear's lessons they learn that things aren't always like that they see on TV.
This one is one of the in the middle Berenstain Bear books. Not one of my favorites, but still a good read.
This one is one of the in the middle Berenstain Bear books. Not one of my favorites, but still a good read.
March 14, 2014
This is a good book to help teach your children the importance of not believeing everything they see on tv, especially when it comes to spending money on things they may not need. Momma and Papa figure out a way of teaching Brother and Sister that lesson.
April 27, 2009
Good moral, as with all the Berenstain Bears stories.
May 30, 2012
Seriously, it was good. I just found it on the desk for Art and I read it. It's good.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews