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The Berenstain Bears
The Berenstain Bears Go Out for the Team
This classic Berenstain Bears story is a grand slam way to teach children about nerves and healthy competition!
Come for a visit in Bear Country with this classic First Time Book® from Stan and Jan Berenstain. It’s time for baseball tryouts and Brother is feeling the pressure. Will he be any good? Will Sister make the team over him? Includes over 50 bonus stickers!
Come for a visit in Bear Country with this classic First Time Book® from Stan and Jan Berenstain. It’s time for baseball tryouts and Brother is feeling the pressure. Will he be any good? Will Sister make the team over him? Includes over 50 bonus stickers!
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
73 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Stan Berenstain
878 books696 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 53 reviews
July 21, 2018
The Berenstain Bears are up for another episode. The bears want to join the baseball team. I think Baseball is the dying AMerican sport of today. There are still a few people interested, I know, but it's almost as boring to watch on TV as golf. Anyway, the bears make the team and it's a good little book.
The art is fun and the kids enjoy this book. My nephew gave this 5 stars! He loved it.
I can't believe I never read all these as a child. At least I can share them now.
The art is fun and the kids enjoy this book. My nephew gave this 5 stars! He loved it.
I can't believe I never read all these as a child. At least I can share them now.
December 16, 2020
Brother and sister bear play baseball in Farmer Ben's field. When mama and papa bear learn that both the cubs are good at baseball, papa suggests to try for the local league. Mama says that the tryouts involve a lot of pressure but they do go to the tryouts and end up making the team.
It's another good story for kids who want to play sports and go to tryouts and it introduces the word pressure for kids. Pictures are amazing as always but the story ended mid-game which felt too abrupt.
3 stars
It's another good story for kids who want to play sports and go to tryouts and it introduces the word pressure for kids. Pictures are amazing as always but the story ended mid-game which felt too abrupt.
3 stars
July 4, 2024
Mama Bear needs a break, so the Bears go out to eat. There's a long wait, Baby sister spills everything, and Mama makes the kids eat broccoli.
November 11, 2011
This is a good book to read if a lot of studnets play sports in the class. The book teaches about the importance of having fun not competition.
It also introduces the word "pressure". This is a good book to help students understand what it feel like and how to handle it.
It can be a mentor book to show students how to write as time passes. In the book, the autor was able to list what brother and sister did throughout the seasons in one page. The students can study this craft if they want to learn how to write as time passes.
It has a comment as being "sexist". I would you this as a time to talk to students (3rd grade and up) about what sexist is. I will inform them that it affects both genders and why it is a problematic generalization. I will leave it up to them if they wish to act in a way, but I want to inform them of their actions.
It also introduces the word "pressure". This is a good book to help students understand what it feel like and how to handle it.
It can be a mentor book to show students how to write as time passes. In the book, the autor was able to list what brother and sister did throughout the seasons in one page. The students can study this craft if they want to learn how to write as time passes.
It has a comment as being "sexist". I would you this as a time to talk to students (3rd grade and up) about what sexist is. I will inform them that it affects both genders and why it is a problematic generalization. I will leave it up to them if they wish to act in a way, but I want to inform them of their actions.
July 7, 2017
I meant to read this for the 4th, because I was going to a baseball game, and I wanted to get into the baseball spirit and then I forgot all about it, until this morning.
It started with the changing seasons and the sports that go with them, but it skipped summer.
The makeshift ball field at the back of Farmer Ben’s yard was cute, and the duck pond with the little ducks in it. Adorable! The rules that went along with the field were quirky and cute, too; there weren’t foul lines; you couldn’t slide into second base because it was a rock. Any ball hit into the duck pond was a ground-rule double (I wish I knew what that meant) and an automatic time-out until they got the ball out.
These illustrations are always cute; like the goat running away with the ball.
It’s funny the inside cover says ‘When little bears first show a will to compete, it’s hard for parents not to jump in with both feet’ and then when Papa tells them about tryouts for the Bear Country Cub league, she says “now hold on” and then says it’s a high-power league and there’ll be lots of pressure at tryouts, because they’ll be competing lots of other cubs and not everyone will make the team. What kind of encouragement is that??
Brother, Sister and Papa look cute as they drove away in the car. the illustrator just used dots for their eyes.
I don’t know much about baseball at all, and I don’t really understand the rules, so when it said ‘choke up on the bat against fast pitching’ I didn’t know what that meant.
Brother says “The worst that can happen is if Sis makes the team and I don’t!” and Sister says “I consider that a sexist remark!” which I don’t think a kid would say. I don’t think kids reading this would understand it either.
I’m surprised at Mama’s response “Well, not completely” and that Brother was older and proud of his skills. First she’s making it seem like they won’t make the team, then she’s saying it wasn’t a sexist comment. That was just a random thing to put in there, because it wasn’t explored further. You turn the page and it was at tryouts so the conversation was over.
Based on the illustration, I’m guessing ground ball is when it hits the ground before you catch it.
This went over my head: ‘The catcher dropped the third strike and she ran to first base even though she had struck out.’
It’s an odd way to say it: “Don’t you think we ought to drive over and check up?” Check it out would make more sense.
I’m surprised the ever-practical and voice of reason Mama bear would scream during the game “That was no strike! It was wide by a mile! Call yourself an umpire!”
Are you kidding me?! Brother misses a ball, Mama yells, Sister tells her to calm down, it’s only a game, and she says “Sorry about that.” Then she sits down and enjoys the rest of the game. THAT’S how this ends? I really hate that children’s books seem to have a page limit, and the story just cuts off whether it’s finished or not.
It should have ended more conclusive. Did Brother ever hit the ball? How did Sister do? Did they win the game? This is the most sudden ending I think I’ve read from them.
Because of the abrupt ending, it felt like I was missing a complete story. Because of that, this was just 2 stars. It's odd how some of the books rhyme, and others are in regular story format, and some of them are funny and clever, and others, like this one, didn't have any humor in it. It would have been nice if this had been rhyming, and there had been funny things happening during practice and the game.
Without humor, or some kind of lesson, this was just kinda flat. It sounded like it would have a lesson, when the mom said if they don't make it they can always try out next year, and Sister repeated it, although it sounded odd for her to say, because before it seemed like she really wanted to be on the team and would be upset if she didn't make it. And then mom, of all people--because she's always perfect--actually yells during the game like one of those annoying parents at sports events, and then Sister makes a comment about it, and the mom realizes her error and then that's it. Nobody had time to think things over, to impart a lesson. BAM it was over.
I think kids who are really into baseball would like this book, and those who'll understand what the terms mean.
This was just ok.
It started with the changing seasons and the sports that go with them, but it skipped summer.
The makeshift ball field at the back of Farmer Ben’s yard was cute, and the duck pond with the little ducks in it. Adorable! The rules that went along with the field were quirky and cute, too; there weren’t foul lines; you couldn’t slide into second base because it was a rock. Any ball hit into the duck pond was a ground-rule double (I wish I knew what that meant) and an automatic time-out until they got the ball out.
These illustrations are always cute; like the goat running away with the ball.
It’s funny the inside cover says ‘When little bears first show a will to compete, it’s hard for parents not to jump in with both feet’ and then when Papa tells them about tryouts for the Bear Country Cub league, she says “now hold on” and then says it’s a high-power league and there’ll be lots of pressure at tryouts, because they’ll be competing lots of other cubs and not everyone will make the team. What kind of encouragement is that??
Brother, Sister and Papa look cute as they drove away in the car. the illustrator just used dots for their eyes.
I don’t know much about baseball at all, and I don’t really understand the rules, so when it said ‘choke up on the bat against fast pitching’ I didn’t know what that meant.
Brother says “The worst that can happen is if Sis makes the team and I don’t!” and Sister says “I consider that a sexist remark!” which I don’t think a kid would say. I don’t think kids reading this would understand it either.
I’m surprised at Mama’s response “Well, not completely” and that Brother was older and proud of his skills. First she’s making it seem like they won’t make the team, then she’s saying it wasn’t a sexist comment. That was just a random thing to put in there, because it wasn’t explored further. You turn the page and it was at tryouts so the conversation was over.
Based on the illustration, I’m guessing ground ball is when it hits the ground before you catch it.
This went over my head: ‘The catcher dropped the third strike and she ran to first base even though she had struck out.’
It’s an odd way to say it: “Don’t you think we ought to drive over and check up?” Check it out would make more sense.
I’m surprised the ever-practical and voice of reason Mama bear would scream during the game “That was no strike! It was wide by a mile! Call yourself an umpire!”
Are you kidding me?! Brother misses a ball, Mama yells, Sister tells her to calm down, it’s only a game, and she says “Sorry about that.” Then she sits down and enjoys the rest of the game. THAT’S how this ends? I really hate that children’s books seem to have a page limit, and the story just cuts off whether it’s finished or not.
It should have ended more conclusive. Did Brother ever hit the ball? How did Sister do? Did they win the game? This is the most sudden ending I think I’ve read from them.
Because of the abrupt ending, it felt like I was missing a complete story. Because of that, this was just 2 stars. It's odd how some of the books rhyme, and others are in regular story format, and some of them are funny and clever, and others, like this one, didn't have any humor in it. It would have been nice if this had been rhyming, and there had been funny things happening during practice and the game.
Without humor, or some kind of lesson, this was just kinda flat. It sounded like it would have a lesson, when the mom said if they don't make it they can always try out next year, and Sister repeated it, although it sounded odd for her to say, because before it seemed like she really wanted to be on the team and would be upset if she didn't make it. And then mom, of all people--because she's always perfect--actually yells during the game like one of those annoying parents at sports events, and then Sister makes a comment about it, and the mom realizes her error and then that's it. Nobody had time to think things over, to impart a lesson. BAM it was over.
I think kids who are really into baseball would like this book, and those who'll understand what the terms mean.
This was just ok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2016
Contains some strange baseball-related terminology.
January 11, 2020
My sister-in-law, Mavel, gave us some new-used books and Arely and Jecel were excited to see a new Berenstain's Bears book which is a feat in this house as we have many of these. The kids and I love these books. The moralistic stories are fun and educational and the illustrations are awesome! This book was about the time honored tradition of kids wanting to play a sport and be on a team and the hard work it takes to get there. As always the whole family gets involved with getting Sister and Brother prepared to try out for the baseball team and they made the team and life goes on for the Berenstain family. Jecel was disappointed as he was expecting to see the kiddoes get into some kind of struggle with the team, losing games, etc..., but it just ends with them happily getting on the team and no real drama. Except for Mama bear gets heated about a call and yells at the ump and Sister bear has to remind her to keep her cool. Sort of a twist of plots for the Berenstain's as it is usually Papa bear misbehaving, so it was nice to see that Mama bear could also get heated up and act out of impulse. A great book to read with the kiddoes!
July 7, 2017
I thought the phrase "choose up sides" was odd. I think "choosing sides" would've sounded better.
It's clear they expected the audience to know baseball and I know barely anything about baseball so I was lost even in this kids' book! When they said foul lines I was like what is that? I had to stop and think, and then I realized it's the outer line where the ball can't go past or else it's considered out. I only know that because I went to two baseball games this summer. I felt stupid but I had to take a second to think about what base paths were too!
It was cute the way it was tailored to fit Farmer Ben's field. How there was a rule not to slide into second base because it's a rock, and if the ball went into the duck pond it was an automatic time out while they fished it out. That was so cute! I didn't know what "ground-rule double" meant but that was what it was considered when it went into the pond.
It was cute that when Sister hit the ball and it went in the pond, they said all of the cubs and even the ducks were surprised.
It was kind of stupid how, after their cousin Freddie skipped second base on his way to third, Sister tagged second and got him out, then said those are the rules and "isn't that right?" and asked Farmer and who was suddenly standing at the fence. In a precious page he had been on his tractor, but all of a sudden he was watching the game. And declared it was "Right as rain." It was too much.
I had no idea what it meant to choke up on the bat against fast pitching...and I still don't.
Mama Bear irritated me the way, as soon as Papa said they're good and they should try out for the team, she said it's a tough team and cubs from all over will be trying out and not everyone will make it, and that it will be a lot of pressure. Gosh she is annoying.
Out of nowhere the authors thought they would tackle an even bigger issue. Sexism. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Brother said the worst that can happen is if Sister makes the team and he doesn't and she snapped that it was a sexist remark. Oh boy. And if Sister didn't understand what pressure meant just two pages earlier, I doubt she would know what the word sexist meant. Mama, ever the know it all, but at least defending Brother, said not completely. He's older and he's proud of his skills.
It was amusing that the day of tryouts the league officials wore sunglasses so you couldn't tell what they were thinking.
I didn't know what a single meant. I assumed it meant where he could only run to a single base. It wouldn't have hurt the authors to explain things so we would actually know what was going on.
It got even more complicated with no explanations coming. Sister was at bat and the catcher dropped the third strike and she ran to first base even though she's been struck out. That's just delving too deep. If you don't know baseball then you not only get nothing out of it, you get confused.
It was so annoying how Mama asked them how they did and Sister said they weren't the worst, after Brother said they weren't the best, and "Anyway--it's only a game and the worst that can happen is that we won't make the team." And Brother said they can always try again next year. All they did was repeat what their mom had said verbatim. How annoying is that. We're supposed to believe they went from caring so much to not in that short amount of time. I guess the lesson is to just feel how your parents feel about something.
I was actually surprised when Papa said "Talk about pressure" and he wiped his brow when the cubs went to check the board to see if they made the team, and Mama said "Indeed" and was fanning herself. That says a lot about the authors that I was surprised and then sarcastic about her agreeing with her husband for what felt like the first time ever.
I was blown away that Mama bear got up during the game and was yelling, saying "That was no strike! It was wide by a mile! Call yourself an umpire!" Did you confuse Mama and Papa? Mama doesn't make mistakes; she's always right, and she knows everything. But, they did seem to make her the baseball expert because she had been the one teaching the cubs.
And it took Sister to tell her to calm down, that it was only a game. Since when did the kid and the mom trade places?? That came out of nowhere. But then I remembered the inside cover that said "When little bears first show a will to compete, it's hard for parents not to jump in with both feet" which had clued me in to the parents becoming those infamous sports parents.
Mama apologized, sat down, and enjoyed the rest of the game. And that was that. It was so unfinished.
I had expected the lesson to be that you won't always make it, so having both cubs make the team was unexpected. I didn't think either cub would make it and they'd have to accept that, or at least one getting in and the other having to learn to be happy for them. But nope, they both made it and all as well. It's like they didn't know what lesson they wanted to teach because they tackled several things and none of them were resolved. The cubs having to practice to try out for the team, Mama bear not encouraging her kids to try out at first, learning what pressure meant (was this a vocabulary lesson??), the topic of sexism coming out of nowhere, then Mama turning into the crazy sports parent in the audience, and the kids turning the tables around and reminding the parent what they taught them. This book didn’t know what it wanted to be.
It's clear they expected the audience to know baseball and I know barely anything about baseball so I was lost even in this kids' book! When they said foul lines I was like what is that? I had to stop and think, and then I realized it's the outer line where the ball can't go past or else it's considered out. I only know that because I went to two baseball games this summer. I felt stupid but I had to take a second to think about what base paths were too!
It was cute the way it was tailored to fit Farmer Ben's field. How there was a rule not to slide into second base because it's a rock, and if the ball went into the duck pond it was an automatic time out while they fished it out. That was so cute! I didn't know what "ground-rule double" meant but that was what it was considered when it went into the pond.
It was cute that when Sister hit the ball and it went in the pond, they said all of the cubs and even the ducks were surprised.
It was kind of stupid how, after their cousin Freddie skipped second base on his way to third, Sister tagged second and got him out, then said those are the rules and "isn't that right?" and asked Farmer and who was suddenly standing at the fence. In a precious page he had been on his tractor, but all of a sudden he was watching the game. And declared it was "Right as rain." It was too much.
I had no idea what it meant to choke up on the bat against fast pitching...and I still don't.
Mama Bear irritated me the way, as soon as Papa said they're good and they should try out for the team, she said it's a tough team and cubs from all over will be trying out and not everyone will make it, and that it will be a lot of pressure. Gosh she is annoying.
Out of nowhere the authors thought they would tackle an even bigger issue. Sexism. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Brother said the worst that can happen is if Sister makes the team and he doesn't and she snapped that it was a sexist remark. Oh boy. And if Sister didn't understand what pressure meant just two pages earlier, I doubt she would know what the word sexist meant. Mama, ever the know it all, but at least defending Brother, said not completely. He's older and he's proud of his skills.
It was amusing that the day of tryouts the league officials wore sunglasses so you couldn't tell what they were thinking.
I didn't know what a single meant. I assumed it meant where he could only run to a single base. It wouldn't have hurt the authors to explain things so we would actually know what was going on.
It got even more complicated with no explanations coming. Sister was at bat and the catcher dropped the third strike and she ran to first base even though she's been struck out. That's just delving too deep. If you don't know baseball then you not only get nothing out of it, you get confused.
It was so annoying how Mama asked them how they did and Sister said they weren't the worst, after Brother said they weren't the best, and "Anyway--it's only a game and the worst that can happen is that we won't make the team." And Brother said they can always try again next year. All they did was repeat what their mom had said verbatim. How annoying is that. We're supposed to believe they went from caring so much to not in that short amount of time. I guess the lesson is to just feel how your parents feel about something.
I was actually surprised when Papa said "Talk about pressure" and he wiped his brow when the cubs went to check the board to see if they made the team, and Mama said "Indeed" and was fanning herself. That says a lot about the authors that I was surprised and then sarcastic about her agreeing with her husband for what felt like the first time ever.
I was blown away that Mama bear got up during the game and was yelling, saying "That was no strike! It was wide by a mile! Call yourself an umpire!" Did you confuse Mama and Papa? Mama doesn't make mistakes; she's always right, and she knows everything. But, they did seem to make her the baseball expert because she had been the one teaching the cubs.
And it took Sister to tell her to calm down, that it was only a game. Since when did the kid and the mom trade places?? That came out of nowhere. But then I remembered the inside cover that said "When little bears first show a will to compete, it's hard for parents not to jump in with both feet" which had clued me in to the parents becoming those infamous sports parents.
Mama apologized, sat down, and enjoyed the rest of the game. And that was that. It was so unfinished.
I had expected the lesson to be that you won't always make it, so having both cubs make the team was unexpected. I didn't think either cub would make it and they'd have to accept that, or at least one getting in and the other having to learn to be happy for them. But nope, they both made it and all as well. It's like they didn't know what lesson they wanted to teach because they tackled several things and none of them were resolved. The cubs having to practice to try out for the team, Mama bear not encouraging her kids to try out at first, learning what pressure meant (was this a vocabulary lesson??), the topic of sexism coming out of nowhere, then Mama turning into the crazy sports parent in the audience, and the kids turning the tables around and reminding the parent what they taught them. This book didn’t know what it wanted to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2015
In the classic Berenstain Bears book, Brother and Sister try out for their little league baseball team! It started off as a friendly game of baseball, but when Mom and Pop saw how well they have progressed in the sport they suggest trying out for their local team. Nervous at first, Brother and Sister mess up a few times, but quickly get the hang of it and are able to make into the team!
My favorite thing through the whole book was the way the author tied in the parents feelings about Brother and Sister trying out for the team. For parents reading this book to their children it was something for them to relate to as well. I enjoyed the humor it added to the book, and it might be something you wouldn't catch until reading it through a second or third time.
Something else I noticed in the book was the bright colors that the illustrator added. The author used a lot greens and yellows to bring in that exciting aspect of playing sports. I thought it was cool that the color of the uniforms was red, a color showing power, energy, and activeness. I thought was clever, because Brother and Sister probably a new sense of power to themselves after making it on the team. This book is a classic, and it's fun to always find Brother and Sister on new adventures in each of the books.
My favorite thing through the whole book was the way the author tied in the parents feelings about Brother and Sister trying out for the team. For parents reading this book to their children it was something for them to relate to as well. I enjoyed the humor it added to the book, and it might be something you wouldn't catch until reading it through a second or third time.
Something else I noticed in the book was the bright colors that the illustrator added. The author used a lot greens and yellows to bring in that exciting aspect of playing sports. I thought it was cool that the color of the uniforms was red, a color showing power, energy, and activeness. I thought was clever, because Brother and Sister probably a new sense of power to themselves after making it on the team. This book is a classic, and it's fun to always find Brother and Sister on new adventures in each of the books.
April 5, 2018
A decent story about the expectations we have when we want to try out for a sports team, and some of the realities in doing so. Again we revisit the idea of what boys and girls can do, and which makes me a little sad that this is even still an issue. Overall this isn't a bad story, that promotes the idea of hard work being part of any sport, and also introduces the idea of what it's like to feel under pressure about something, as that's going to very much be a part of any participation in team sports.
September 8, 2011
A great book for baseball fans. We see an examples of practicing in your own backyard, organizing a pick-up game with the neighborhood, and trying out for the city league. I especially enjoyed the attention on rules that the casual baseball player may not know, such as how to steal first base. Something of an abrupt ending, but that didn't ruin the book for me!
July 10, 2012
I liked reading the Berenstain Bears books when I was an early reader. They aren't as much fun as picture books to read aloud to someone, but they are cute books to introduce children to common childhood experiences. Each one teaches a simple lesson (in this case, it's about handling the pressure of a competitive little league team in a healthy way).
January 18, 2010
I liked this book. It shows that being nervous about something is ok as long as you try. It also shows that girls can do anything boys can do. It teaches that as long as you try, you might succeed.
August 25, 2010
Brother and Sister Bear decide to get involved in team sports and try out together. I wish when I was a kid that I'd had a chance to get involved in more sport but sadly those options weren't available to us!
August 12, 2013
Maybe it's the baseball player in me,
but I loved this book as a kid.
The pressure of trying out for a team?
Totally relatable.
And is it just me,
or do more parents need to chill out at their kids sports games?
That's addressed in here too!
but I loved this book as a kid.
The pressure of trying out for a team?
Totally relatable.
And is it just me,
or do more parents need to chill out at their kids sports games?
That's addressed in here too!
May 28, 2016
This is a good story about setting realistic expectations when "going out for the team"--for both kids and parents. The end includes a very short, but obvious, reminder to parents that it is just a game.
April 1, 2015
The cubs try out for the Berenstain equivalent of little league, and learn the important lesson that no matter what happens, a game is just a game. It's been a while since I read one of these books, and I almost forgot how well done they are. They are always so full of positivity.
August 19, 2007
I loved reading the Berenstain Bears to my kids. The stories are great and the illustrations are fun.
February 15, 2008
One of my childhood favorites. :)
October 31, 2008
I like this book cause it teaches children that baseball is just a game. It also goes through the feelings of being accepted into a team sport at tryouts.
Read
June 18, 2009JAR4-Ber
March 20, 2009
I made an 80 on the AR Test
April 23, 2010
Great book to teach students that it's okay to be nervous and that girls can do anything boys can do and vice versa.
Read
December 7, 2010it was a good book. i kinda liked it. it was not that interesting.
December 10, 2010
it was ok when i was 5555555555555
June 22, 2017
Because of this book (and maybe others) I was one of the few kids who made a conscious effort to pick people who weren't popular early. Perhaps also because I wasn't so popular myself.
April 13, 2012
We love all berenstain bear books!
April 20, 2012
My son loves this book! It combines 2 of his favorite things: baseball & The Berenstain Bears!
March 4, 2013
good story
May 21, 2016
aedg
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews