The Berenstein Bears and the Ghost of the Forest

By Jane E. Gerver

Dad	Mom	2 year old Girl	1 year old Boy

Mom's Review
Our children have wits enough to label this story as scary, but they request it over and over. It’s an interesting story of a father trying to tease and scare his two children during their campout but being scared and teased back by the kids’ troop leader and his wife. Kind of an odd story put so briefly. The ending remarks by the troop leader seem preachy and don’t really sum up the meaning of the book. My husband and I always laugh at Troop Leader Jane for her nerdy “moral to the story.” But we are not so put out that we refuse to read the book. There are enough fun vocals for us to perform with the howling ghosts and frightened reactions that we read the book over and over willingly. Even our one year-old can vocalize the book’s long title well enough that we know which book he wants. We own the book, but when our daughter saw it at the library, she insisted we bring it home. We are fans of the illustrations of this bear family, and the story rhymes, which add to its listening pleasure. Not our favorite book for meaning and message, but the kids find it fascinating—probably for its tame introduction to the strange and supernatural. Click Here to Buy The Berenstein Bears and the Ghost of the Forest

Dad's Review
I like this book for the fact that it shows the parents involved in their kids' lives while at the same time portrays the struggle the kids face in trying to be more independent as they get older. It also presents the idea of ghosts, which are a very real concern for older children. I like the fact that in the end everyone is laughing that it was all a big joke and there was no real ghost of the forest, but like my wife said, it's not our favorite. Click Here to Buy The Berenstein Bears and the Ghost of the Forest

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