"The Berenstain Bears' Caring and Sharing Treasury" by Jan and Mike Berenstain

I’m addicted to Berenstain Bear books. So of course when I saw Jan and Mike Berenstain’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Caring and Sharing Treasury,” I wanted to read it. The collection contains five books. All of the books are faith stories and part of the “Living Lights” series.

The first book, “Jobs Around Town,” because of its simple, almost lack of, a plot, is geared toward three year olds, whereas the other stories in the collection would please 4-8 year olds. The narrator in this story is ambiguous. Is it Brother? Is it the author? I couldn’t tell. All of the illustrations were full-page and vibrant. The story is simple—it’s reads as a series of observations rather than as a story.

The second story, “Get Involved,” was a more substantial story. Dialogue kept the story engaging and progressing. This story, as well as the rest, also had vibrant, full-page illustrations.

“Love Their Neighbors,” the third story, was a clever retelling of the Good Samaritan story. I appreciated that this book was a thorough story with an overt moral message.

The fourth story, “Gossip Gang,” is my favorite. The storyline is smooth and thorough, and the authors articulately tackle a big issue that kids have.

“The Biggest Brag,” the final story, also has vibrant, detailed illustrations and a clearly-presented message which could have been enhanced with more Bible references.

At the end of the Treasury are the “Talk about it” and “Get out and do it” sections that correspond with each story.

I recommend this collection to others.

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The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.