Comments on: Religious Conversion and the Children’s Literary Series

By: Jan Berenstain, Creator of the Berenstain Bears, Dies at 88 - My Blog

Jan Berenstain, Creator of the Berenstain Bears, Dies at 88 - My Blog — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:56:12 +0000

[...] The Berenstain Bears went on to turn a vital party franchise, starring in books, films, a low-pitched museum production, and recently, an app (see SLJ‘s apps blog, “Touch and Go,” for a review). With a announcement of The Berenstain Bears and a Big Question (Random) in 1999, the dual longtime collaborators also began to try spirituality with a array of books that includes The Berenstain Bears Show God’s Love (Zonderkidz, 2010). (For a contention of a series, revisit SLJ blogger Betsy Bird’s May 16, 2011, post on Fuse #8.) [...]

By: Gail Gauthier: Bears In Church « NESCBWI Kidlit Reblogger

Gail Gauthier: Bears In Church « NESCBWI Kidlit Reblogger — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:13:58 +0000

[...] to the Berenstain Bears: I learned today at Facebook that Besty Bird did a Fuse piece last year on religious conversion in some popular works read by young people. A big section was devoted to a more overtly religious [...]

By: The Artolater » Friday Links

The Artolater » Friday Links — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:49:58 +0000

[...] * Religion and children’s books and comics. [...]

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:57:20 +0000

There was a Bears book from the 90′s called the Berenstain Bears Ask the Big Question, in which Sister asks Mama about God and they end up going to church with the grandparent Bears. I guess that was the beginning of their religious awakening.

By: Lindsey Carmichael

Lindsey Carmichael — Wed, 18 May 2011 07:35:24 +0000

The Bears might not be advertising online, but when they come in to the bookstore, we put the secular titles and the religious ones together. Which has resulted in some unfavourable feedback from non-religious parents who were shocked by content they didn’t expect. Fortunately, the religious ones all have a “Living Lights” icon on the cover, which makes it easy for both kinds of families to distinguish.

By: Elizabeth Bird

Elizabeth Bird — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:43:03 +0000

Katy Kelly . . . I am now envisioning an uber-Christian Lucy Rose title.

By: Adam Rex

Adam Rex — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:26:32 +0000

I have five or six of those Christian Archies (sent to me by Katy Kelly, as is so happens) and there is some amazing stuff in there.

By: Jennifer Schultz

Jennifer Schultz — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:46:48 +0000

The Christian Berenstain Bears are very, very generically Christian. I don’t even remember a reference to Jesus-just one or two throwaway references to “God” and “faith” in each story (the Sunday School one is a bit different, but it’s still quite generic). Don’t really know why they bothered, if they wanted to create a Christian series. We have several (most are currently checked out at our branch), so I’m going on what I remember.

By: marjorie

marjorie — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:10:02 +0000

there was a new yorker piece on the “jew/not-a-jew” berenstain factor not long ago…ah, here: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2010/10/the-berenstain-bears-get-an-app-and-find-god.html

By: Elizabeth Bird

Elizabeth Bird — Mon, 16 May 2011 11:17:28 +0000

My husband assumed that he was since he didn’t realize that it’s “Berenstain” rather than “Berenstein”. But I don’t know if there’s a connection between one name and the other.