- Age Range: 4 - 8 years
- Series: Berenstain Bears/Living Lights
- Paperback: 24 pages
- Publisher: Zonderkidz (July 29, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0310734819
- ISBN-13: 978-0310734819
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9
In this new Berenstain Bears 8x8 book, Blessed are the Peacemakers, Brother and Sister have a wide circle of friends at Bear Country School and they get along with pretty much everyone. But not all their friends get along with each other. Too Tall and his bullying gang, for instance, are often in conflict with Cousin Fred, Ferdy Factual, and their friends. So what happens when the cubs all need to work together on the annual school play? Brother and Sister have to decide whether they should “mind their own business” or get involved as peacemakers and try to calm the troubled waters.
My Thoughts:
I grew up reading the Berenstain Bears books and watching the shows, so I adore that my kids also love to read these amazing books. The Berenstain Bears were created by the late Stan & Jan Berenstain with over 300 published titles. The authors' son, Mike, is continuing the franchise by writing and illustrating new books for a new generation that are just as impactfull as the ones I grew up with by his parents. I appreciate how Mike does not back down from tough topics that he knows needs to be addressed at an early age and this book was the the exception to that.
Bullying is a hard subject to discuss and deal with at any age. Mike did a wonderful job implementing the realities that bullying is prevalent in our society and no one is immune to it, including brother and sister bear. What impact you allow bullying to have on you and others though you do have control over as the bears learned. The morale of this story is really simply; in all relationships try and be the peacemaker, not the cause of trouble. My favorite part of the book thought was the Activities and Questions from Brother and Sister Bear at the end. This really opened the door for some deeper discussions on thee topic of bullying and what my kids have seen and done about it in their own lives. Although I don't necessarily think that the bullying was handled in a realistic way in the book, these questions led to discussions on other ways this situation could have been handled as well..
About the Author: Mike Berenstain lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he continues to write and illustrate wonderful new adventures for Mama, Papa, Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of BookLook Review Crew.
Comments