The Berenstain Bears Go to School

In my opinion, The Berenstain Bears Go To School was a great book for K-2nd grade.I liked the characters of the book because they were easy to connect to, even though they are bears. The bears are personified to represent emotions that children have on the first day of school. An example of this is the change in emotions of brother bear from excited for the first day of school then to sad because he wanted to go back to summer break after the first day. I also liked the plot of the book because it showed changed in emotion to create a message in the book. Sister bear was scared to start school but after trying school and spending a few days there she was able to see it's a fun place to be. The change in emotion created an organized but show more suspenseful plot to show the reader that trying could change your mind on a subject. I also liked the illustrations because being able to see the bears allowed me to see them as personified to connect to each character. An illustration that I connected to was Brother Bear dragging Sister Bear onto the school bus on the first day because I remember my first day of school and having my brother leading my way onto the bus. The overall message of the book is to try something before creating negative feelings towards the subject. show less

I liked this book for many reasons. First off, I thought the characters were very believable and the roles they took on were very realistic. The younger sister, who is just starting kindergarten, is portrayed as being very worried and afraid. This is often the way people act when trying new things. However, after being reassured by her mom, brother, and teacher she realizes that school is not scary at all and that she actually likes it a lot. I also, liked the illustrations in the book. They were very detailed and portrayed a clear picture of what was happening in the story. While there was a lot going on in the illustration of Sister’s first day of school, I liked that is showed all the different and fun things children can do in show more kindergarten. The central message of the story is that it is okay to be a little nervous when trying new things but it is important to realize that without trying new things you could be missing out on something really great. show less

I think the Berenstain Bears Go to School is a great book to have in the classroom. I like this book for two reasons. First, I’ve noticed that all Berenstain Bears books open with a nice riddle on the first page. For example “When summertime ends, and the weather turns cool, most little bears are ready for school…..” I like that these sentences typically rhyme but also have to do with the theme of the book. Second, I like how real this story is presented. For example, sister is nervous to start school and on her first day she felt intimidated on the bus. When she arrived in the classroom everyone started playing but there were kids fighting over toys and kids making big messes, and other bears (students) who were scared to be in show more the classroom. I thought this illustration as well as story goes along great with an actual first experience at school. Some students are nervous, some are overly excited, and some don’t fully understand the concept of school and sharing and quiet time, etc. The purpose of this book is to introduce the concept of school to the youngest Berenstain bear, and explain that although school can be frightening, it is also very fun. show less

It's just another year for Brother Bear, but Sister is heading to her first year of kindergarten, and she is not as excited as her brother. She likes her time at home with Mama and Papa bear, and her own way of doing things. Her fears are a little alleviated when she meets Miss Honeybear, her upcoming teacher, but the morning of her first day brings all the worries crashing back. And everything turns out just wonderful. She meets new friends, plays games, reads stories, and even has snack and nap time. In a few days, Sister Bear is the one dragging Brother to the bus, excited to be off for another day of school.

This story is one of the first Berenstain Bears books, and a good one. Children of school age will definitely relate to the show more story, and the text is descriptive but simple, not overloading young readers with too many words. Dialogue and humor spice up the narrative. The illustrations in this series have stood the test of time; they are cartoony, friendly, and comforting. This is a wonderful choice for early readers, and especially appropriate for children who are about to start school for the first time. show less

I love the Berenstain Bears books; I remember them from being a child. I chose this book because I was creating lesson plans for one of my other classes and used this book in one of them. I think these books have so many life lessons that are applicable to children growing up and children should be exposed to these books. In this book specifically, it is about the Sister Bear who overcomes her fear of starting Kindergarten and what Mama Bear goes through during the process of her children going back to school. Since Berenstain Bears books are so prominent in elementary school classrooms. I used this book in a lesson plan as an example to create a found poem. I’d use this book along with other Berenstain Bears books (since they all show more have the same tone, structure, wording and lessons) distributed to the table groups in the class and use these books to create a found poem. This is a great book to read on the first day of school. show less

This early/beginning reader book is perfect for Kindergarten and 1st grade. It's Sister's first school experience, entering Kindergarten. Before her first day, Sister and Mother visit the school. The visit eases Sister's nerves, but only temporarily. The morning of her first day, Sister is a bit anxious, and worries she might not like school. Luckily, she enjoyed Kindergarten very much and had a great first day. She learns that Brother was right when he told her that school is fun. This book is perfect for early readers at a 1st grade level. The story line and sentence structures are simple, and the text is made up of recognizable words. Children would also appreciate the lively illustrations which aid the story and give context clues show more in case they have trouble with the text. This would also be an excellent book to read aloud at the beginning of the school year, and could easily open up a discussion on first day jitters and experiences. show less

Sister Bear is nervous about school when Brother mentions that he wishes summer vacation would just be over already. (That is *so* unrealistic.)

But her mother takes her to meet her new kindergarten teacher, and that goes all right. Then we get a quick review of Sister's first day of school, including the various things a child might do in kindergarten, and finally we see that she's excited about school.

This book would do well to calm a nervous child going off to school for the first time.