This cartoon series is based on the children's books by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The Berenstain Bears was co-produced by PBS and the Canadian animation firm Nelvana. The setting is Beartown, a busy community in a most suburban-looking forest, where the Berenstain Bear family - Papa, Mama, Brother, and Sister - live in a fashionable hollow tree. Based on the original stories, the 15-minute segments emphasized pro-social values in an entertaining, easy-to-take fashion.

This collection of episodes from the Berenstain Bears contains six different tales. Despite the fact that the heroes of the show are bears, all of them focus on activities and situations that kids will relate to. The show demonstrates the value of family and displays creativity which makes the stories a lot of fun.

The conflicts addressed in these episodes will touch on some themes that will be familiar to your little one, such as spending time with grandparents or mom going to work. The bears demonstrate that change is a part of everyday life, and they suggest ways that will help kids understand the situations that are taking place around them.

All of the episodes on this DVD are short, so most children will be able to watch several in one sitting. My niece, Audrey, was in a sad mood one day because all she wanted to do was play outside, but unfortunately it was raining. Despite her wealth of energy and lack of attention span, this show managed to cheer her up and hold her interest.

--Eve