PUBLICATION DATE: JANUARY 16, 2012

he Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story by Jan and Mike Berenstain is a child’s book about the story of Jesus. It talks about His miracles, His life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection, and then His ascension. Brother and Sister Bear go to Sunday school. Missus Ursula takes them to watch the older kids practice their play for Easter Sunday. They learn that though Easter candy is fun, that Jesus is the real reason we celebrate the holiday.

When I was a child, The Berenstain Bears stories were usually about sharing, lying, watching too much TV, and things of that sort. Now that Jan’s son Mike is on the team, there seems to be more Bible-based themes, which I like. It’s missing the family element, but I don’t think most readers will mind. It’s nice to know that whatever your kids (or you) have questions about, that there’s a Bears book for you.

This book is a no-apologies, Jesus is the son of God, and this is the life He lived kind of book. It’s a great beam of truth amongst many other watered-down stories. Jan Berenstain passed away not that long ago, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind about which path her eternity has taken. This book is just one more nugget of gold in the Berenstain family’s legacy that leads to better family communication and the truth about Jesus. I recommend this children’s book to anyone who has a child, or even anyone who just wants to read a good kid’s book.

–Mary Twomey

rother and Sister Bear can’t wait for Easter this year. Well, they can’t wait for the candy.

When the older bear cubs at church present a play telling the true Easter story, Brother and Sister learn that there is something much sweeter than candy – the truth of our Savior who died and rose again!

The Berenstain Bears have been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and I like them even more now that I am a parent. When I was young, the books had good stories with good morals. But now so many of the Berenstain Bears books revolve around God and the truth of the Bible, which makes them even better.

This particular book is a nice telling of the true meaning of Easter. There are no Easter bunnies in this one, unless you count the chocolate ones at the beginning when the cubs are dreaming about candy. I liked how the story was presented, and the words and phrasings are easy for a young child (3-7) to understand. The only thing that was missing was that the Last Supper/Passover was not mentioned. The story skipped from the Triumphal Entry to the arrest in the Garden.

When I asked my three-year-old daughter what she liked best about this story, she said, “the He is Risen part and the stickers.” (Oh yes, this book also has a pull-out page of stickers, which was a big hit with my daughter!)

The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story is a good book to reinforce the true meaning of Easter with your children.

–Sara Shoop