Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA book for the big kid
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2015
I grew up with the Berenstain Bears books and my daughter loves this book as well. The fact that the characters are bears doesn't confuse her and calling brother bear just small bear doesn't confuse her either. At the end of the book when sister bear is born I "change" the words of the book to call him brother bear so she gets the idea. This book seems more appropriate than the newer version with the birds and the bees. It doesn't go through a lot in regards to the changes that brother bear will endure after sister bear is born but it does go through a typical day in the life of small bear and how he doesn't notice how big mama bear has gotten. Papa bear takes small bear out to build a new bed and mama bear stays behind to deliver the new baby (which isn't mentioned, sister bear just appears in the last few pages). I like how it relates a lot of siblings in the sense of how the older child's "stuff" is passed down to the younger sibling. My daughter got a new bed and is now waiting the arrival of her baby brother so he can go in her old crib (just like in the story). It doesn't explain how to be gentle to the baby and how everything is going to change for small bear but I honestly like that because in most cases other than having a new baby in the house, the toddler isn't going to up and change his/her ways just because a baby is around. I still expect my daughter to run rampant in the house when her brother is sleeping and expect me to take her to the park in 100 degree weather with the baby (and we will)! Other books seem as though the older child's life has to get flipped upside down due to the birth of a baby while this book insinuates that brother will have a part in sister's life but his life will remain unchanged because his needs are still just as important as they were prior to his little sister being born.
