“So in everything, do to others what you would have them to do you” – Matthew 7:12. This is the Bible verse at the beginning of this holiday book, published by Zonderkidz, the children’s book division of Zondervan. And The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree manages to teach children about this Christian value in a way that is simple and fun.
The story, written in easy-to-understand rhyming language with simple words, explains how important it is to think of others and treat them the way you would want to be treated.
The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree is the heart-warming story of Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Brother and Sister Bear and how they look for the “perfect” Christmas Tree to hang their decorations. Papa Bear seems to forget the spirit of sharing and togetherness as he hunts up and down Bear Country for the ideal tree instead of simply buying one. However, when he sees a tiny snowbird decorating a tiny twig with his family, he remembers everything that Christmas stands for and heads back home to buy a tree. Unfortunately, all the trees are sold out, leaving Sister Bear in tears. So, do they get that “perfect” Christmas Tree? Snuggle up with your child and a cup of hot cocoa as you read The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree to find out.
About the Authors – Stan and Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain
The authors of the Berenstain Bears series are Stan and Jan Berenstain, joined by their son, Mike. They introduced the Berenstain Bear family to readers in 1962. Although Stan Berenstain passed away in 2005, Jan and Mike have kept the Berenstain Bears series going, enriching the lives of children all over the world. The Bear family is lovable, kind and thoughtful and each of the books illustrates a simple yet important value in a way that is fun, easy to grasp and interesting.
Readers can visit the official Berenstain Bears website and learn more about the Bear family. Children can enjoy the site’s interactive games, such as dressing up the Bears and creating their own Berenstain Bears coloring book.
The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree – A Good Book for Christmas
The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree is a good addition to the Christmas books section of your family library. In talking about decorating the tree together as a family, it brings out an important aspect of Christmas celebrations – decorating the house and the tree together. It shows how having the “perfect” Christmas tree is not as important as being together on Christmas day, thus focusing on the value of family and traditions.
The Berenstain Bears Make Holiday Reading Fun and Educational
Aimed at the 4-7 age group, the book has beautiful illustrations that show Bear Country in all its colors and captures emotions on the faces of the Bear family and the various animals they meet. Using rhymes, the book explains how the real spirit of Christmas is in thinking about others, about sharing and being with family and friends as Papa Bear spares trees that look good to decorate but are homes to many other small animals and birds. It illustrates the Bible verse perfectly and is indeed, a good holiday read for your child.
I found The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree a warm and lovable tale and truly one that demonstrates the Christmas spirit. If you’re looking for a holiday book for your 4-year old son or a Christmas book gift for your 7-year old niece, I recommend you take a look at The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree.
The Berenstain Bear’s Christmas Tree was provided to The Untrained Housewife for the purposes of review.
Just a heads up to fans of the original book, this one is VERY different from the 1980 edition. I am a Christian and celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, but was very disappointed to see that this classic was changed so drastically. I bought it to read to my kids, but will be returning it and buying the original book.
Thanks for the heads up about that change. I didn’t realize they had changed the books so much from the originals I remember growing up with. Our library has the older versions – I’ll bet Amazon has the older versions too.