Type Book
Date 1985
Tags picture book, children's book, fiction

The Berenstain Bears on the Moon

The Berenstain Bears

The Berenstain Bears on the Moon tells a story of how Brother and Sister Bear went to the moon, and what they saw and did there.

This one is written in verse, rather than prose, and considering the limited story, it's a good thing: "The bears put up a flag, took notes, and collected rocks." wouldn't be nearly as nice to read as "Then they fly their flag./They take moon notes./They collect moon rocks/in their moon rock totes." Not that the poetry is that great, but at least it's a little more interesting this way.

The art isn't bad, but there aren't very many details in the scenes: lots of featureless, dark blue skies fill the background of the pages. The only Berenstain Bears book I've seen with less detail was Inside Outside Upside Down.

I don't believe there's any lesson to be learned from this one. The whole thing is absurd--the Bears have a rocket, Papa drives a tanker full of rocket fuel up to it to fill it, and Brother and Sister (and a dog) go to the moon, play around a bit, and then come back. It's more like a dream than any real event, in the context of these books.

The Berenstain Bears on the Moon isn't too bad, but it's just not up to the standard of the other books--it hasn't got a story to match The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Vacation, a lesson to match The Berenstain Bears and the Truth, comedy to match The Bear Scouts, or art to match... pretty much any of them. Maybe that's why there's no Kindle edition of this one. I wouldn't avoid this one, but I wouldn't go out of my way to acquire it, either.

Name Role
Jan Berenstain Author
Stan Berenstain Author