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Mama Bear's reminders about the true meaning of Thanksgiving are left in the dust as the spirit of competition takes over and Papa Bear and the cubs begin a campaign to win first prize in the Thanksgiving Pumpkin contest.Tags
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Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear get a little carried away in their desire to see their pumpkin, 'The Giant,' win first prize at the upcoming Thanksgiving Festival. Mama Bear tries to remind them that Thanksgiving is about being thankful, but her family is too busy sneaking into Farmer Ben's pumpkin patch, in order to spy on the competition, to listen. When 'The Giant' only wins third place however, they do their best to accept the result graciously, and walking home through their beautiful country, they realize that Mama was right...
I recall reading a number of books in the Berenstain Bears series as a child - The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree stands out in my memory - but The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin show more was not one of them, being published some time after I had moved on to other books. It's a cute story, following the standard formula of these books (as I remember them, anyhow), offering a story in which the Bear Family learns a lesson. This time, that lesson is about Thanksgiving and (one presumes) not becoming so insanely competitive that it takes over your life. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for Thanksgiving stories, or for stories about having a healthy approach to competition. show less
I recall reading a number of books in the Berenstain Bears series as a child - The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree stands out in my memory - but The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin show more was not one of them, being published some time after I had moved on to other books. It's a cute story, following the standard formula of these books (as I remember them, anyhow), offering a story in which the Bear Family learns a lesson. This time, that lesson is about Thanksgiving and (one presumes) not becoming so insanely competitive that it takes over your life. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for Thanksgiving stories, or for stories about having a healthy approach to competition. show less
One of those Berenstain Bears books where Papa Bear acts like a jerk -- this time he goes overboard trying to beat Farmer Ben in a pumpkin contest -- and Mama Bear comes off all self-righteous as she looks askance at his behavior. Not my favorite formula.
FOR REFERENCE:
Rated "Indifferent" in our old book database by Rod; rated "Good" by Adelia.
FOR REFERENCE:
Rated "Indifferent" in our old book database by Rod; rated "Good" by Adelia.
Mx and Ms both enjoyed this seasonal book. Lesson about being a good looser and being thankful even when things don't go your way.
First grade reading level. This is a good book to read around Thanksgiving. This book would be a great tool when teaching students about the holiday. Not only does the book teach about Thanksgiving, it also sends the message that great things can happen as a result of working hard. Also has a small family/teamwork undertone. Classic Berenstein bears illustrations and rhyming.
This book is great because it teaches kids about being a good sport and what is really important in life. The book shows that no matter what your family always comes first
Papa Bear becomes obsessed with winning the pumpkin contest and beating out long-time champ Farmer Bear. The cubs are into it too, but Mama Bear is pretty sick of the whole thing. They come in third (Farmer Bear gets second and an old lady wins), but they get to eat their pumpkin as pies- first place doesn't get to because their pumpkin is on display.
One of my favorite children's series of all time. The Berenstein Bears are a wonderful family that all children should have the opportunity to know!
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546+ Works 175,614 Members
Stan Berenstain was born in 1923 in Philadelphia, the same year and place as his future wife, Jan. They met as students at the Philadelphia College of Art. World War II delayed their career plans: Stan joined the army as a medical assistant while Jan supported the war effort by working in an airplane factory. They married in 1946 and together show more began drawing cartoons for the McCall's/Good Housekeeping It's All in the Family series. They worked on this feature from 1956 through 1990. The Big Honey Hunt, published in 1962, was their first book for children. This book about a family of bears, written for Dr. Seuss's Beginner Books series, was so popular that Dr. Seuss himself, Theodore Geisel, encouraged them to write more stories. Geisel's advice launched the Berenstains on life-career writing and illustrating the very successful Berenstain Bears books. The Berenstain Bears' New Baby, published in 1974, was the beginning of the First Time Books series. The Children's Choice Award was given to The Berenstain Bears' New Neighbors in 1995. The Berenstains were also honored for their work in children's literature when they received the Ludington Award in 1989. There have been television shows based on the Berenstain Bears books, as well as CD-ROMs and videos. Stan Berenstain passed away on November 26th, 2005, after a lengthy battle with lymphoma. He was 82. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
565+ Works 193,596 Members
Jan Berenstain was born Jan Grant on July 26, 1923 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She met Stan Berenstain on their first day of classes in 1941 at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. During World War II, Stan served as a medical illustrator in an Army hospital and Jan worked as a draftswoman in the Army Corps of Engineers and as an show more aircraft riveter. They married in 1946 and together began drawing cartoons for the McCall's/Good Housekeeping All in the Family series. They worked on this feature from 1956 through 1990. They also published artwork in magazines like Colliers and the Saturday Evening Post. The Big Honey Hunt, published in 1962, was their first book for children. This book, which was written for Dr. Seuss's Beginner Books series, was so popular that Dr. Seuss himself, Theodore Geisel, encouraged them to write more stories. His advice launched them on a life-career writing and illustrating the Berenstain Bears books. The Berenstain Bears' New Baby, published in 1974, was the beginning of the First Time Books series. She wrote more than 300 books during her lifetime. The couple received numerous awards including the Children's Choice Award for The Berenstain Bears' New Neighbors in 1995 and the Ludington Award in 1989 for their work in children's literature. There have been television shows based on the Berenstain Bears books, as well as CD-ROMs and videos. She died after a stroke on February 24, 2012 at the age of 88. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin
- Original publication date
- 1990
- People/Characters
- Papa Bear [Berenstain Bears series]; Mama Bear [Berenstain Bears series]; Brother Bear [Berenstain Bears series]; Sister Bear [Berenstain Bears series]; Ralph Ripoff (as Raffish Ralph Ripoff); Farmer Ben (show all 7); Miz McGrizz
- Important places
- Bear Country
- Important events
- Thanksgiving
- Epigraph
- 1st Prize, 2nd Prize,
3rd Prize or none—
At Thanksgiving time,
more than a contest is won. - First words
- “Pumpkins are just like everything else in nature,” said Papa Bear as he and the cubs finished weeding the pumpkin patch.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)As the laughter faded and the Bears thought about the blessings of family, home, friends, and neighbors, they knew deep in their hearts that there was no question about it -- indeed they did have a great deal to be thankful for.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 2,214
- Popularity
- 9,087
- Reviews
- 11
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English, Korean
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 16
- ASINs
- 6