The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food

Stan and Jan Berenstain's The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food is a family story for 5 year olds about snack time getting out of hand in the big tree house.

What happens

Brother and Sister Bear have got into the habit of snacking. In front of the TV, at the cinema, at the mall. Mama notices the cubs have got a little chubby, from the side, the front AND the back.

So all the sweets go into the freezer, to be forgotten about. Papa isn't pleased. Especially when he bends down to rescue his Sugar Balls and Choco Chums and splits the seat of his overalls!

"And what are we supposed to drink?" asks Papa. "Try this," says Mama. "It's called water." That little exchange will probably make a few parents smile.

A trip to the supermarket takes them past Dr. Grizzly, who invites the whole family into her surgery. The cubs are sure she's going to give them an injection. Instead she gives them a slide show about how their bodies work, with nerves, blood, muscles and bones, and what different foods do for them.

It's a very clear little explanation for small children. And it's not all about saying no. Mama has apple slices for the TV, nuts and raisins for the cinema and frozen yogurt at the mall. The family starts jogging, and they enter a three-mile race together.

Papa is the star, as usual. He puffs along behind the cubs and then tries to celebrate at the end by raiding the freezer (you can guess how that goes).

Worth knowing before you hand it over

The cubs are called chubby, and the doctor explains that sweets "pile up as extra fat" while she pinches a handful of Papa's middle. Some families prefer to talk about healthy food without talking about body size, so it's one to read yourself first.

What to read next

If it goes down well, the Bears' shopping trips carry on in Get the Gimmies, where Brother and Sister make a fuss at every checkout until Mama and Papa have had enough.