Wabi Sabi Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I was looking at a Berenstain Bears book that I thought my children might enjoy. The book is not very widely available anymore but Sonlight sells it since it's a book that one of their packages uses. (Side note: This isn't the first time I've noticed this. How is it that Sonlight is able to source books that seemingly aren't available anywhere else?) Anyhow, I thought that maybe I'd just order it from Sonlight even though I don't use their materials. I went to their page and found this: NOTE: We are well aware of the general concerns about the portrayal of family dynamics in the Berenstain Bears books, which is why you will find we do not carry any others except this one. We feel this volume is a step above other Berenstain Bears' books because it casts Papa Bear in a generally positive light. Plus, it covers some pretty sophisticated science that appeals especially to preschoolers. Well, color me confused! People have issues with the Berenstain Bears? If anything, I've always found that their heavy-handed dose of morals present in the books is a bit on the tiring side. Can anyone explain what concerns other people may have with the Berenstain bears? What kind of questionable family dynamics are they talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Usually Papa is portrayed as a well... a bumbling idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I see the Berenstein Bears as very wholesome. Maybe I missed the memo? Or is this one of those things like how evil Mickey Mouse is by a certain group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 We have a bunch of them but I am constantly pointing out to my two sons how these books cast the father in a bad light. They make him seem like the idiot and the mom is in charge of the family. Sometimes she treats him like one of the kids......sadly enough, this is the culture today and we see it on TV all the time, both in sitcoms and commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Usually Papa is portrayed as a well... a bumbling idiot. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVA Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Usually Papa is portrayed as a well... a bumbling idiot. :iagree::iagree: Exactly this. We purged our shelves of them when our oldest was about 3.....Papa Bear was an idiot and Mama Bear was the saviour/intelligent/calm/clear-thinking one with all the answers. It was one way we saw feminism creeping in- and rather incidiously. Yes- they do present some good moral lessons. But, for my dh and I, the overt male-bashing out-weighed the good. (When Papa Bear's folly is pointed out and the children make fun of him- those were the worst instances of it) I realize it's a personal decision and not everyone saw/sees it like we do/did. That's fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Yippy, I found a article about the subject: http://housewifeofcommonsense.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/the-berenstain-bears-and-the-degredation-of-the-modern-father/ Now to read it. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) We have a bunch of them but I am constantly pointing out to my two sons how these books cast the father in a bad light. They make him seem like the idiot and the mom is in charge of the family. Sometimes she treats him like one of the kids......sadly enough, this is the culture today and we see it on TV all the time, both in sitcoms and commercials. Some of the time I treat my husband like one of the kids! - Don't leave your shoes in the middle of the floor, I nearly killed myself - The bin is right beside you, do you have to litter the benchtop? - Don't talk with your mouth full - Don't Mumble - Speak clearly and enunciate - I have no idea what your talking about, slow down -Calm Down! - SHhhhhhhhh - Get your elbows off the table - Don't you at me like that! - I don't have 8 arms! - Aww *cuddles* its alright, I'll kiss your boo-boo better :D :lol: Maybe I should have my own sitcom. DH reminds me SO much of Will Ferrel in his movies. He is a bumbling idiot (he's super smart in the area of Mechanical Enginering and Product Design, actually extremely geeky and knows too much:p but he has that awkwardness that smarter people tend to have in everyday situations), but he's all mine, and I love him. And he makes me laugh, SO much. Back to the thread in question: We have only used a couple of Berenstein Bears books, but I remember one from when I was younger where Papa Bear always seemed to be yelling or pointing....he scared me :tongue_smilie: My kids LOVE Berenstein Bears Big Book of Science & Nature (we did this last year) its what got my daughter TOTALLY into science. You say science, and she squeals the roof down and starts a clapping thunderstorm. :D :lurk5::lurk5: Edited April 13, 2012 by Ecclecticmum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Usually Papa is portrayed as a well... a bumbling idiot. We are proudly a family of feminists but Papa in these books is too dumb. I don't want my son growing up thinking he is supposed to be a complete, dangerous idiot when it comes to the care of his children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Some of the time I treat my husband like one of the kids! - Don't leave your shoes in the middle of the floor, I nearly killed myself - The bin is right beside you, do you have to litter the benchtop? - Don't talk with your mouth full - Don't Mumble - Speak clearly and enunciate - I have no idea what your talking about, slow down -Calm Down! - SHhhhhhhhh - Get your elbows off the table - Don't you at me like that! - I don't have 8 arms! - Aww *cuddles* its alright, I'll kiss your boo-boo better :D :lol: Maybe I should have my own sitcom. DH reminds me SO much of Will Ferrel in his movies. He is a bumbling idiot (he's super smart in the area of Mechanical Enginering and Product Design, actually extremely geeky and knows too much:p but he has that awkwardness that smarter people tend to have in everyday situations), but he's all mine, and I love him. And he makes me laugh, SO much. Back to the thread in question: We have only used a couple of Berenstein Bears books, but I remember one from when I was younger where Papa Bear always seemed to be yelling or pointing....he scared me :tongue_smilie: My kids LOVE Berenstein Bears Big Book of Science & Nature (we did this last year) its what got my daughter TOTALLY into science. You say science, and she squeals the roof down and starts a clapping thunderstorm. :D :lurk5::lurk5: You must have met my huband lol. Mine is like that too. It does seem to have something to do with the overly smart, engineering minded set (dh is a geeky programmer). Anyway, I never noticed the thing with papa bear, nor do my kids. Maybe they just assumed he is very smart like daddy. :D I learn something new everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Wow, I must not have been paying close attention--or we don't have very many BB books. Now I'm going to check! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I never noticed it either and we have a ton of BB books. My son loves them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) I've never thought about what it is I hate about these books. After reading a few to my kids, I just can't stand them (they make me want to scream) and they go out the door or in the trash. eta: it's been quite awhile so I don't remember my exact objection, just that it was strong -I decided I didn't like them when my older's (all in their 20's) were little. Edited April 13, 2012 by gardenmom5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) nm Edited April 13, 2012 by theYoungerMrsWarde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I never noticed it before but I guess they are right: Papa is the silly one and mama is the sensible one. Hmmm, I probably never noticed it because that's the way it was for me growing up and that's the way it is in my house now. :D My dh is my best friend, a respected member of the community, and an overall wonderful person. However, before my kids go to someone else's home, I have been known to tell them, "Okay, if something upsets you and you need to react, ask yourself: 'What would mom do/say?' and 'What would Dad do/say?' Then go ahead and do/say what mom would, just to be safe." :lol: I don't know. Papa bear is silly but he's no Homer Simpson. We have one book in which Papa is the level-headed parent (for most of the book) while Mama totally loses her cool about a broken vase. I always saw the books as portraying a family that works together, despite each others' faults. I'm a fan, but to each his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Personally, I'm sick to death of fathers being portrayed as clueless, inept, and absent when it comes to being involved w/their kids. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Usually Papa is portrayed as a well... a bumbling idiot. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I'm glad you asked this because I was wondering the same thing. I knew from the SL forums that the BB were not loved, but didn't know why. I loved the berenstain bears growing up and I have a very large collection of the books. We read them to DD all the time. I guess they do often portray papa bear that way, after seeing it pointed out. I've never thought anything of it in the stories, though. Honestly, it doesn't really bother me. And DH reads them to her all the time and has never been bothered by anything. I read them all the time as a child and I never had the feeling that fathers were supposed to be bumbling idiots. And I didn't have an awesome role model of a father to thank for that. He was horrible, but in different ways. He wasn't/isn't an idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I never noticed it before but I guess they are right: Papa is the silly one and mama is the sensible one. Hmmm, I probably never noticed it because that's the way it was for me growing up and that's the way it is in my house now. :D My dh is my best friend, a respected member of the community, and an overall wonderful person. However, before my kids go to someone else's home, I have been known to tell them, "Okay, if something upsets you and you need to react, ask yourself: 'What would mom do/say?' and 'What would Dad do/say?' Then go ahead and do/say what mom would, just to be safe." :lol: I don't know. Papa bear is silly but he's no Homer Simpson. We have one book in which Papa is the level-headed parent (for most of the book) while Mama totally loses her cool about a broken vase. I always saw the books as portraying a family that works together, despite each others' faults. I'm a fan, but to each his own. Also in the one about the messy room, Mama is the one who goes nuts and starts throwing everything away, and Papa is the level headed one who helps to organize the room. My mother says that the Berenstein Bears books are more for parents than for kids... the moral lessons go over the kids' heads, but they teach the parents what to do in all these situations! I think she has a point... I always do what Mama Bear would do, LOL. The one book I don't like is the "No Girls Allowed" book, because I don't like how it's presented that the boys are resentful because Sister Bear is a girl. I wish they concentrated more on them being jealous because she's younger, or because of them being annoyed by her bratty "poor winner" behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 We are proudly a family of feminists but Papa in these books is too dumb. I don't want my son growing up thinking he is supposed to be a complete, dangerous idiot when it comes to the care of his children. I agree. It's not "feminism" so much as portraying either parent as an incurable buffoon, worthy of group ridicule. (I wouldn't care for it any more if one of the children or other characters was portrayed as such, either, quite frankly) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I see the Berenstein Bears as very wholesome. Maybe I missed the memo? Or is this one of those things like how evil Mickey Mouse is by a certain group. I missed the memo too. We like the BB. DS really likes the audio books, it has been a great way to ease him into audio books. My kids LOVE Berenstein Bears Big Book of Science & Nature (we did this last year) its what got my daughter TOTALLY into science. You say science, and she squeals the roof down and starts a clapping thunderstorm. :D Thanks, I will check that out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Never had a problem with them. My kids love them. They just think it is hilarious all the situations Papa Bear gets into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottonmama Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 My #1 objection is that they're not very well written IMO. My #2 objection is the way the father is portrayed. Honestly they're not a great fit for our family culture. They seem to be a very mainstream American family, with a strong sense of morals. Just my impression from a couple of the books that I've read as an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I like some of them. I have absolutely no problem with some of them. At first I couldn't figure out why people didn't like them. Then I got a large bunch from the library. I just don't like them because I couldn't depend on them to be good the way I could with other series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 These books always gave me the creeps. I never bought them and avoided them at the library. I'm curious-- to those who disapprove of the father, do you also dislike/ ban The Simpsons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 It was one way we saw feminism creeping in- and rather incidiously. Yes- they do present some good moral lessons. But, for my dh and I, the overt male-bashing out-weighed the good. (When Papa Bear's folly is pointed out and the children make fun of him- those were the worst instances of it) Feminism is not the same as man-bashing. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 These books always gave me the creeps. I never bought them and avoided them at the library. I'm curious-- to those who disapprove of the father, do you also dislike/ ban The Simpsons? I wopuld think it is safe to say that if people have issues with the bears they sure aren't going to let their kids watch Simpsons! I have no issue with the bears and I don't like my kids watching the Simpsons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 My #1 objection is that they're not very well written IMO. This is my biggest peeve with the books. When I tried reading them aloud, it just didn't flow. So I avoided them. It's interesting to read this thread to see there is so much more about them! I feel compelled to grab a few from the library to see what I missed the last time when I was too busy whining about the writing style! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 These books always gave me the creeps. I never bought them and avoided them at the library. I'm curious-- to those who disapprove of the father, do you also dislike/ ban The Simpsons? This will be a spin off but, my kids are busy playing so I have the time. We don't ban the Simpsons, but we don't have tv so I suppose we ban everything. I wouldn't mind if my kids watch it, but I doubt they will since they don't like watching tv. But I will have them at least watch the opening credits of a episode because... When I was a kid we had just moved across the country. It was one of the first nights in the new house and since we weren't settled in yet we were going to eat in front of the tv on tv trays. So myself, my older brother and my Dad were sitting with out own empty tv trays facing the tv waiting for a new show to come on. My Mom walked into the living room holding a tray full of our dinners. She looked at us then looked at the tv. ... On the TV in walked Marge Simpson she looked at her family at then turned to look at the tv. It was a mirror image. Us and the Simpsons. My Mom dropped the tray of food and ran out of the room and swore she would never watch that devilish show again. (She did) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 It seems like the more recent BB books portray Papa as a better dad and husband than the ones written before Honey Bear was born. Maybe it has to do with the change in authors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofsbandeg Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The one SL sells is fantastic. Its definitely worth buying. I dont really worry about my kids forming opinions about all men based on limited exposure to a book series about oddly garbed bears without proper given names. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Feminism is not the same as man-bashing. Laura It often is. Perhaps your view/ brand of feminism isn't, but much feminist thought contains both man bashing and maternalism/ SAHM bashing. I grew up in a feminist household with a feminist aunt ("old school" 1960s feminists). I attended a highly regarded, all women's college that openly calls itself a feminist institution. We were fed man bashing and motherhood-in-lieu of work bashing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The one SL sells is fantastic. Its definitely worth buying. I dont really worry about my kids forming opinions about all men based on limited exposure to a book series about oddly garbed bears without proper given names. I sort of agree. I wouldn't mind the occasional book. But the way we usually did picture books is to read them all! For example when we were reading the Franklin books I got at the time all 36 out from the library and would read at least a dozen a day. I would not have been able to take that much of Papa bear. So with the exception of a few of the books the kids picked I just avoided them. It wasn't that I banned them, I just didn't want to spend time reading them when there were, IMHO so many better options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 These books always gave me the creeps. I never bought them and avoided them at the library. I'm curious-- to those who disapprove of the father, do you also dislike/ ban The Simpsons? Yup. Honestly, we don't watch much 'popular' programming...so many times parents are portrayed as clueless idiots, fathers esp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MischiefManaged Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I have a ton of books in my home and limited shelf space and limited time. The B bears don't make the cut. besides the unacceptable family dynamics, "The Nerdy Nephew" being taught to dumb himself down as a homeschooler really ticked me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 We used to own a ton of Berenstain Bear books, and we loved them. My dh would read them to the kids and he never noticed or complained about the father being portrayed badly. I never noticed it either. Hmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I thought the Nature/Science one in the Sonlight PK package was great. The one I don't care for is the one where a previously homeschooled student joins the school and the teacher explains that everyone needs to be patient with this poor loser because he doesn't know how to get along with anyone... or am I imagining this? I have it pretty clear in my memory but I tried to find it by searching the web but didn't turn anything up. If I have this wrong, I apologize to the Berenstain Bears! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I missed the memo too. So dumb! (no pun intended, Papa). Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The one SL sells is fantastic. Its definitely worth buying. I dont really worry about my kids forming opinions about all men based on limited exposure to a book series about oddly garbed bears without proper given names. snort I read them as kids. As an adult I find the bad rhyme scheme and preachiness to be not so great but I don't make an effort to avoid them. I find the comments on this thread amusing. Don't worry, though, there's lots of books with submissive mothers to balance out whatever "corruption" the Berenstain bears might offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I dont really worry about my kids forming opinions about all men based on limited exposure to a book series about oddly garbed bears without proper given names. :iagree: I feel like my family has been reading incorrectly because we have never been influenced by literature the way other parents say their children are influenced. I was warned not to let my dd read Junie B. Jones because she would adopt bad grammar and learn that bad manners was acceptable. I was warned to not read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle because it taught kids that their parents didn't have a clue and only the kind lady down the street had any true authority and knowledge of kids. I was tsked tsked for letting my kids read Amelia Bedelia because it mocks people with special needs. Now I'm hearing that Berenstain Bears teaches kids that dads are idiots. I don't know whether to be happy that my kids aren't influenced by stories or sad that if they are missing out on those things, what else might they not be picking up on as well. I guess I've just never seen books as a way to teach my children anything. We've always read stories to enjoy stories. We just don't pick up on such deep meanings. We must be kind of stupid. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I feel like my family has been reading incorrectly because we have never been influenced by literature the way other parents say their children are influenced. I was warned not to let my dd read Junie B. Jones because she would adopt bad grammar and learn that bad manners was acceptable. I was warned to not read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle because it taught kids that their parents didn't have a clue and only the kind lady down the street had any true authority and knowledge of kids. I was tsked tsked for letting my kids read Amelia Bedelia because it mocks people with special needs. Now I'm hearing that Berenstain Bears teaches kids that dads are idiots. I don't know whether to be happy that my kids aren't influenced by stories or sad that if they are missing out on those things, what else might they not be picking up on as well. I guess I've just never seen books as a way to teach my children anything. We've always read stories to enjoy stories. We just don't pick up on such deep meanings. We must be kind of stupid. :confused: :iagree: Maybe we're bumbling idiots, and that's why we can relate to Papa Berenstain... ;) My ds was never "influenced" by any of his children's books, either. And he even watched (:eek: :eek: :eek:) Teletubbies when he was little, and amazingly does not now, nor has he ever, wished to carry a handbag like Tinky Winky did. (Remember the "Tinky Winky is gay" controversy several years ago? :D) I can't waste my time getting upset over non-issues like the inherent evil of the Berenstain Bears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 :iagree: I feel like my family has been reading incorrectly because we have never been influenced by literature the way other parents say their children are influenced. I was warned not to let my dd read Junie B. Jones because she would adopt bad grammar and learn that bad manners was acceptable. I was warned to not read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle because it taught kids that their parents didn't have a clue and only the kind lady down the street had any true authority and knowledge of kids. I was tsked tsked for letting my kids read Amelia Bedelia because it mocks people with special needs. Now I'm hearing that Berenstain Bears teaches kids that dads are idiots. I don't know whether to be happy that my kids aren't influenced by stories or sad that if they are missing out on those things, what else might they not be picking up on as well. I guess I've just never seen books as a way to teach my children anything. We've always read stories to enjoy stories. We just don't pick up on such deep meanings. We must be kind of stupid. :confused: :iagree: What does that say about us?:001_huh::D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I find the books to be overall very annoying. They seem overly simplistic. The plots are often rather shallow: Mama is tired, so they go eat at a restaurant. Unfortunately, my kids love them. Thankfully, my oldest is reading well enough on his own that I instituted a new rule that he can borrow them from the library, as long as he reads them himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) Usually Papa is portrayed as a well... a bumbling idiot. :iagree: He's a Homer Simpson sort of character, and it gets pretty old quickly. ETA: I don't care if my kids read the books. I just find them tiresome. Edited April 13, 2012 by WordGirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 snort I read them as kids. As an adult I find the bad rhyme scheme and preachiness to be not so great but I don't make an effort to avoid them. I find the comments on this thread amusing. Don't worry, though, there's lots of books with submissive mothers to balance out whatever "corruption" the Berenstain bears might offer. Is it bad to admit that I snickered out loud? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 :iagree: I feel like my family has been reading incorrectly because we have never been influenced by literature the way other parents say their children are influenced. I was warned not to let my dd read Junie B. Jones because she would adopt bad grammar and learn that bad manners was acceptable. I was warned to not read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle because it taught kids that their parents didn't have a clue and only the kind lady down the street had any true authority and knowledge of kids. I was tsked tsked for letting my kids read Amelia Bedelia because it mocks people with special needs. Now I'm hearing that Berenstain Bears teaches kids that dads are idiots. I don't know whether to be happy that my kids aren't influenced by stories or sad that if they are missing out on those things, what else might they not be picking up on as well. I guess I've just never seen books as a way to teach my children anything. We've always read stories to enjoy stories. We just don't pick up on such deep meanings. We must be kind of stupid. :confused: :001_smile: I'm a little anxious because the girl next door has told our son that she will loan him all of her Captain Underpants books ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 :001_smile: I'm a little anxious because the girl next door has told our son that she will loan him all of her Captain Underpants books ! :lol: After I agreed with Night Elf, I started thinking about the Captain Underpants books we have read. We are doomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 :001_smile: I'm a little anxious because the girl next door has told our son that she will loan him all of her Captain Underpants books ! Don't worry -- he won't be scarred for life if he reads them! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The one SL sells is fantastic. Its definitely worth buying. I dont really worry about my kids forming opinions about all men based on limited exposure to a book series about oddly garbed bears without proper given names. :iagree: FTR I do not read BB to my kids if I can help it because the writing style grates on my nerves. I do not, however, stop them from checking them out and reading them. (I just breathe a prayer of thanks that they are reading for themselves.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 We used to own a ton of Berenstain Bear books, and we loved them. My dh would read them to the kids and he never noticed or complained about the father being portrayed badly. I never noticed it either. Hmm. :iagree: We own nearly every BB book; I read them as a kid, my big kids collected them when they were little and read them nightly, and we are all looking forward to sharing them with little dd. They all adore the animated series as well. Aside from the "homeschooled nephew" story (which I had never seen/heard of), I love the messages/morals taught and enjoy the plots. I would expect some slight non-PC comments in the older books, and efforts were made to come out with books addressing more current issues as they arose (ie: Mama bear opening a quilt shop=working mom). As for Papa bear being portrayed as a dunce, well, it has been a while since I've read the books, but I see the TV program daily. True, he does seem clueless about a lot of things, and he learns some lessons from Mama. However, the show focuses on home/family life, where the mother typically would run things and dad may be a bit clueless. He is also protrayed as a skilled furniture maker whose work is in high demand and he is able to work hard and fulfill a last-minute order in a pinch. I agree with the PPs whose engineer dhs excel in their fields, but tend to flake in other areas. I am in awe of my dh's math, science and negotiating skills, but he is severely lacking in the household and family management field. I don't find the portrayal of Papa upsetting in general. I like the fact that he is a human, fallible, endearing family man (bear). I prefer his character over a formal, reserved, revered iconic father figure. It is more realistic, honestly. What my dh hates is the portrayal of men in most media (TV, movies) as always fearing the wrath of their wives. Walking on egg shells, fearful of saying the wrong thing, buying the wrong gift, etc. It makes the men look like spineless wimps and the women petty overly-emotional dictators. That bugs me. Papa being imperfect? Not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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