The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Habit (1986)

great explanation of what bad habits are to help children understand ( )

a great book to introduce that some habits, are not wanted, and how to act appropriately in different occasions
1 book

Genre: Fantasy
Plot Summary: Sister Bear was enjoying her time at school until it started to get a little stressful here and there. The little bears in the classroom all had ways of coping with the stress of school work, but Sister Bear had the idea of nibbling on her finger nails. The other little bears start picking on Sister Bear and Momma Bear starts to think of ways to save her nails. Momma Bear tries putting tape on Sister Bears nails, but soon finds out that method doesn’t work. Papa Bear and even Brother Bear both make comments about the situation. Papa Bear tries the method of rewarding her. Momma Bear explains to Sister Bear the meaning behind a “habit” and a bad one for that matter. Gran comes up with the best idea so far. If you want to find out if Gran’s idea works for Sister Bear to overcome her bad habit of nibbling her nails, read the book!
Character Analysis:
Sister Bear—Forgetful, curious, and embarrassed, Wants to break her habit, but doesn’t know how, Eager to try all the ideas and methods that her family brings to the table
Brother Bear—Picks on his sister about nibbling on her nails, Clever and sneaky (i.e. when at the end of the story thinks he should start biting his nails to gain money)
Papa Bear—At first he comes across as stern because of his method of punishment but soon he changes his idea to rewards instead
Momma Bear—Good mother to her cubs, Honest, caring, patient,Corrects Sister Bear,Teaches her what a bad habit is and tries put different ways to help her break it
Gran—Clever and wise (i.e. when she thinks of a way to break Sister Bear’s habit
Personal Evaluation: I love this book! I think it is a fun book for children from k-2nd age range. It is interesting and will keep their attention, but also relatable. Most every child has a bad habit and can relate to that concept of trying to break it or getting pestered by family/friends because of it. I know when I was growing up I had a problem biting my nails, just like Sister Bear in this story. ( )

series - 1st grade. This is a story about Sister Bear and her bad habit as she bites her nails. She tries to break this habit by taping the fingers up, dipping her nails in lemon juice and several other ideas.

Another great way to discuss a vocabulary word.