The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Grownups (First Time Books)

Rating:
Summary: A change of perspective.
Review: The book opens with Papa and Mama Bear in grumpy moods. Papa yells at Brother for taking the sports section of the paper, Mama yells at Sister for talking on the phone too long, Mama and Papa yell at the cubs for playing with their food and for not giving them notes from school on time. The cubs go to school the next day and have to prepare for the Parent's Night Talent Show. After talking with their friends, they decide to put on a play called The Trouble With Grownups, which is the hit of the night. The show reminds the parents what it was like to be a cub. In the morning, the parents switch roles with the cubs so that they can see what it's like to be a parent. At the end they remind the cubs that they will probably be parents someday too, which gives the cubs something to think about.

The book never explains why Mama and Papa are so grumpy. However, most children can probably relate because people don't always explain why they are in a bad mood. However, Sister Bear's creation of a bowl from mashed potatoes for gravy was a brilliant example of creativity and it seemed more confusing to me that she got yelled at about it.

As a sidenote, I enjoyed this book a little more than I thought I would because it also briefly explains all the work that goes into putting on a play.

Overall, this is a good book for both parents and children to read together; it may help children see what it's like to be an adult and it may help parents remember what it's like to be a kid.

Rating:
Summary: Trouble With Kids
Review: The Trouble With Grownups is a book that teaches you about the hard leason every child has to over come, that yes sometimes their parents will say,"No" or "Don't Do That." This book is a great book to read to your child. It will help them understand that parents have a hard time as much as children do. It is a fully illistrated book that has a great story that can capture the child's imagination. I to read this as a child and it helped me to respect my parents and family. The greatest part in this book is when the parents turn around and start acting like children, to show the cubs how hard it is to be a parent. Maybe, if every parent did this we would have more respectful children. All in all this is a great book to read and highly recomend people to read the other Berenstain Bears books.

Rating:
Summary: The Trouble With Children
Review: The Trouble With Grownups is a good book that every parent should read to their child. Brother Bear and sister bear feel that their parents are to hard on them and let them do nothing. Like most kids they don't relize that it's hard being a parent to. Brother Bear and sister bear get a taste of their own medicine when their parents start acting like them. Finally the cubs relize what things their parents can go through. I think this is a good book because it can teach a child the means of respect in words they can understand. This is a fully illistrated well written book. I to read this as a child and it help me understand the importance of parents and respect. Every child should pick up this book and read it because maybe it will teach them to me a little better to their parents.

Rating:
Summary: The Trouble With Children
Review: The Trouble With Grownups is a good childrens book that every child must read. It will teach them the importance of respecting their parents and show them that even though they may think their life is hard.Their not alone parents also can have a ruff time. In this book brother and sister bear learn this and learn how they've been acting. Their parents start acting like them to show them what it would be like the other way around. I to read this as a child and I to learned my leason. Kids have it to easy these days maybe if they read this book it will teach them the importance of parents and respect.

Rating:
Summary: The Trouble With Children
Review: This presents the kind of "moral lesson" familiar to those who have read other books in the series. (The moral is presented as a rhyme on the title page: "Grownups and cubs get quite a surprise when they see themselves through the others' eyes.")

The book opens with some very grumpy parents getting angry (and petty) with their kids: Brother: "What eating him?" Mother: "...and furthermore, I'll thank you not to refer to your father as 'him.'" Five pages later, Father "roars" at brother, "Food isn't supposed to be interesting...it's supposed to be food."

The kids, who "had no doubt that their parents loved them, [but] they were a little difficult to get along with sometimes," then enact a play to show their parents what it all sounded like to them. Fine, and there's a few nice lines about getting costumes ready, but then the adults give their kids the same medicine they received: The next day, wearing oversized version of Brother and Sister's clothes, they complain, scream, jump up and down, and leave things strewn all over the living room. Yes, sinking to the children's level is ALWAYS a mature, adult way to handle your kids. (Please note sarcasm here.)

It's not exactly harmful, nor does the book pretend to be a parent's guidebook, but I found this version of "perspective-taking" contrived and annoying. The book isn't very clever, and the pictures are flat and lacking in imagination. Only for a real Berenstain Bears fan.