Social Conditions

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I really enjoyed reading this book because it was informative but also not losing touch of the fictional theme. It is important for students to know at a young age to not talk to strangers and I feel like that theme was emphasized very well throughout the book. It allows the reader to comprehend strangers and safety. As a student, attending schools opens them up to the world and they are too young to understand how scary and dangerous it can be, that is why this book should be read early on so it is implemented sooner than later. The way the book was worded and illustrated is the perfect audience for K-3rd grade. The story explains how “you can’t always tell from the outside which are the ‘bad apples.’” The mother bear cuts the apple open and show how a worm is growing in the apple. This visual example is far easier to show students how even if a stranger looks trustworthy that you cannot always tell. The big theme to take away from the book is that that not all strangers are trustworthy, using common sense is the best bet. ( )

I am in general no fan of the Berenstain Bears books,* which annoy me on multiple levels: didacticism, role-based names ("Brother" and "Sister" and "Mama" and "Papa"), gender-stereotyped parental roles .... but this one was pretty well done for the "don't talk to strangers" genre. It addressed not just the "don't go with strangers", but also how not to be unnecessarily afraid of strangers, too, which I appreciated.[return][return]* Note -- My 6yo has loved these Berenstain Bears books since discovering them at 3yo. So, I read them even though I'm not a fan. Her perspective is at least as important as mine, in this review! ( )

I liked this book for a number of reasons. It's informative and an engaging way to teach kids about stranger danger. As with all of the Berenstein Bears books, the illustrations do such a great job with reinforcing the story as well as adding depth to it. Mama uses apples as a metaphor to explain stranger danger which I think gives children a very good visual. The story finishes by listing a set of rules when it comes to interacting with strangers. Overall, I think this is a great book with a great message for children! ( )