The Berenstain Bears

Sad to hear Jan Berenstain passed away a few days ago. (Stan Berenstain passed away in 2005). Though their Berenstain Bears series got a bit saccharine in later years, I did so love those early ones- The Big Honey Hunt, The  Bike Lesson, The Bears Vacation, The Bears Picnic and Bears in The Night...they were always must reads on my visits to the library!

Out of all of the "I Can Read" books, those Berenstain Bear books were the ones that attracted me more than any Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham stuff. In fact, some of my earliest Children's Book memories are of having "Old Hat New Hat" and "Bears On Wheels" read to me. As I recall, these were part of a gift subscription an Aunt got for us, and I remember just sitting there soaking in the illustrations- Just mesmerizing to this impressionable youngster!

Taking out these books again to scan some of them for this post has got me all nostalgic again..the visuals these books have are so endearing to me...just looking at all the colorfully depicted hats in Old Hat New Hat sparks long forgotten feelings tucked away in the back of my mind, like a return to childhood!