Jan and Stan Berenstain
Teacher Resource File

Welcome to the Internet School Library Media Center Jan and Stan Berenstain page. You will find biography, selected bibliography, and lesson plans here. For other children's authors, see Authors & Illustrators of Books for Children and Young Adults. The ISLMC is a meta-site for librarians, teachers, parents and students. You can search this site, use an index or sitemap. Page revised 7/8/00.

Brief biography by Sylvia Crawford

Berenstain Bears

[Biography] [Other Biography Links] [Lesson Plans]
[ERIC Resources] [Bibliographies] [References]

Biography

Authors and illustrators of the beloved Berenstain Bears, Jan and Stan Berenstain have had a long and distinguished career. This page has a brief biography, a bibliography and links to other pages. Visit your school or public library to find books by and about the Berenstains.

If you would like to read more about the Berenstains, you might like to read The Berenstains; The Young at Heart by Julie Berg. You'll find information on the book in the bibliography. The book is for young people ages 9 through 12.

You might also want to visit their official page at The Official Berenstain Bears Website which has activities, a post office, library, theater and other fun things.

Janice Grant Berenstain was born on July 26, 1923, in Philadelphia, PA. Stanley Berenstain was born on September 29, 1923 in Phildelphia. The Berenstains met at the Philadelphia College of Art and were married on April 13, 1946. They live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They have two sons. Their son Michael is also children's book illustrator. He has illustrated many of the Berenstain's books, including Berenstain Bears Meet Big Paw. He has also written and illustrated many books of his own, such as Faster, Slower, Higher, Lower from Western Publishing Company. You'll find a bibliography of Michael's books below. Their son Leo is a writer. They began their career as cartoonists for their series, "It's All in the Family."

Their sons liked Dr. Seuss's books because they were funny. The Berenstains thought they might enjoy writing funny childen's books, too. Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, gave them a job writing for the Beginner Books series. Their first children's book was The Big Honey Hunt in 1962. It is a great book for beginning readers. Their second book was Nothing Ever Happens at the South Pole. It was never published! Dr. Seuss wanted more bear books since The Big Honey Hunt was so popular instead. Dr. Seuss was a big help to the Berenstains at the beginning of their long career. The Berenstains have been writing for Random House Publishers, the company which bought Dr. Seuss's Beginner Books, ever since. Their books are published by Scholastic.

In 1974, the Berenstains published The Berenstain Bears' New Baby, the first of their "First Time Books." These were books to be read to children. Children could learn about things which happen in life in these books. The Berenstains use their own real life experiences for ideas in writing these books. But you must be able to laugh about the experience. Humor is important to them.

Both Stan and Jan think up story ideas. Whoever thinks of
a story first writes down all of the text. Then Stan organizes
the words and pictures on layout paper. Jan usually
does the pencil drawings and Stan applies the ink. (Berg, p25)

Many of the Berenstains' books have been done on CD-ROM, film and video. Their Berenstain Bears have been made into television shows. They prefer doing books because video is so much work. For their first show, they worked for nine months making 15,000 drawings!

They don't worry about running out of ideas for their books. After all, they have produced about twenty cartoons a week for their "It's All in the Family" cartoon strip. Also, their lives are always changing so they have new things to write about.

Children love the Berenstain Bears and will continue to read them as long as the Berenstains produce them. Thank you Jan and Stan Berenstain.

The Berenstains have received many awards for their books. The Berenstain Bears New Neighbors was a Children's Choice Award winner in 1995. They received the Ludington Award for their contributions to children's literature in 1989.

[Back to Top]

Other Biography Links

Stan and Jan Berenstain
Biography, selected works, professional references from Educational
Paperback Association
Jan Berenstain
Biography, booklist and interview transcript from
Scholastic.
Stan Berenstain
From Scholastic
Bear Country. Stan and Jan Berenstain
Biography, information about their books;
has a Berenstain Bears Mailing list
BookPage Interview January 2000: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Jan and Stan Berenstain
Biography from Kidsreads.com
Write on Reader. Expert Advice. Jan and Stan Berenstain
The Berenstains answer questions; from ThinkQuest
Jan and Stan Berenstain
pdf file; interview from Readin.org

[Back to Top]

Teacher Lesson Plans

The Playful Community
Grades K-2 social studies; lesson on the family; uses a variety
of Berenstain Bears books; from learningtogive.org
Unit of Study on Elections
U.S. politics, elections unit plan by Megan Hughes
The Berenstain Bears and the Big Election
The Berenstain Bears Learn about Strangers
Correlations with Grade 2 Michigan Model health lesson objectives;
correlations for other books, BBs and Trouble with Friends,
BBs Visit the Dentist, BBs Go to the Doctor; BBs and Too Much
Junk Food; BBs Don't Pollute (Anymore); BBs and Mama's New Job
Honesty
Grades 1 and 2; honesty; from AskERIC;
The Berenstain Bears and the Truth
What Sound Does the Letter "Bb" Make?
Grade 1; reading; from AskERIC; Berenstain's B Book
Using an Egg Hunt to Teach about Nutrition
Pre-school to grade 2; health, nutrition; from AskERIC;
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food
Character and Citizenship Education
Grades 2 to 5; civics, character education; from AskERIC;
The Berenstain Bears to the Rescue
The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money
Encourages children to save money. Lesson plans, discussion questions
Dinosaurs
Featured Authors - Jan and Stan Berenstain
Grade 3; use Internet for research; by Chastity Madejski,
Viterbo University

[Back to Top]

ERIC Resources

Occupation and Activity Gender Trends in the Berenstain Bear Series
Content analysis of their books for occupation and gender activities.
Values in Literature : Primary
Offers strategies for providing students with thinking tools
to help make sound decisions.
Promoting Positive Attitudes toward Aging among Young Children through Literature: A Reading List (Preschool-Third Grade)
Annotated bibliography
Once Upon a Time...Celebrating the Magic of Children's Books in Honor of the Twentieth Anniversay of Reading Is Fundamental
Edited by Victoria Rock; ED282233

[Back to Top]

Bibliographies

By & About the Berenstains

[Back to Top]

References

References

[Back to Top]

Picture courtesy of MediaMart. CD-ROM


Return to:
Childrens & Young Adults Authors/Illustrators
Childrens Literature