- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
A Millennium Baby For the Berenstain Bears
By Donna Smith
Exciting things are bound to come with the new millennium. Will we be jetting around in hovercrafts? Having robots cook our meals? Probably not, but there's one exciting event that is sure to make the news: a new baby for the Berenstain Bears.
Jan and Stan Berenstain's newest addition to the phenomenal series of children's books, The Birds, The Bees and The Berenstain Bears, hits book stores this month. For years, the writing duo have been receiving requests from parents for a "facts of life" book.
"The very first title in our extensive First Time Book series, which deals with the range of interesting, challenging, even traumatic experiences the family goes through, was The Berenstain Bears' New Baby. It told about the arrival of Sister Bear," said Jan Berenstain. "The story was from the viewpoint of Brother Bear and dealt with the problem that he had outgrown his little trundle bed that had served since he was a baby."
The story goes on to have Papa Bear and Brother Bear build a new "big" bed. Parents often use the building of this new bed as a way to introduce the new baby to the expectant sibling. The couple received a letter from one mother who read The New Baby to her child.
"One mother wrote us that while reading New Baby to her 3 1/2-year-old, she tried to stimulate her daughter's curiosity by asking, 'What do you suppose is growing in Mama's tummy?' Her daughter thought for a moment, then answered 'a new bed?'" said Stan Berenstain. "We decided to take our courage in our hands and respond to those requests. The Birds, The Bees and The Berenstain Bears is the result."