Jan Berenstain

I posted back in January about the Berenstain Bears and the autobiography of Stan & Jan Berenstain I was reading.  The Berestain Bears are very close to my heart, so I'm sad to post that Jan Berenstain passed away Friday, February 24, 2012.  Stan Berenstain passed away in 2005, so the creators of the Berenstain legacy are no longer with us.  But the Berenstains and their Bears will forever live on in the hearts and minds of children and adults. 

Photo source

The Berenstain Bears Celebrate 50 Years!

If you're like me you grew up reading The Berenstain Bear books!  They are classic and I still read the chapter books on occasion when I want a light read.  I think my favorite ever Berenstain Bear book is No Girls Allowed!  The reason I loved the book so much as because the illustrations showed the clubhouses the boy bears and girl bears played in. (When I was a kid I LOVED anything to do with really cool clubhouses and tree houses...ok, I actually still love treehouses!) 

I opened my email today and there was a News from the Berenstain Bears email in my inbox (yes I'm almost 25 and subscribed to the Berenstain Bear newsletter).  The email announced that 2012 in the 50th anniversary of the Berenstain Bears.  Throughout the entire year Stan and Jan Berenstain will be celebrating the 50th anniversary and sharing fun facts and info about the books. 

Here's some interesting details about Stan and Jan creating the Berenstain Bear concept and writing the first book.

Photo source (also includes some interesting facts)