RIP Stan Berenstain, although with a reported 260 million books in print, your throwback gender-stereotyped, put-upon, begrudgingly disinterested papa bear will live on for quite a while.
Stan Berenstain Dies; Co-Creator of Books On Berenstain Bears [washpost]
Man - you are bitter
[not even, I just have to balance my sheer uninterest in a massive children's book brand that's rolls along with momentum it gathered looong before I was born--never mind my kid--with my human urge to sympathize when anyone dies or loses a parent. That said, kudos to the Berenstains for making a go of a family business, but still. -ed.]
How many of those stupid books have you read aloud, over and over? Greg didn't go nearly far enough.
Weak.
At least post something in response that your wonderful beautiful, fantastic and great children should read such as d'Aulaires, Watterson or Sobol.
"You are so learn-ed, Papa Slotkey."
"It's pronounced 'learnd.'"
I'm not a Calvin & Hobbes fan, and Encyclopedia Brown skews too old to be useful at the moment. We happen to have a first edition of d'Aulaire's Norse Mythology, a gift from one of the wife's best friends when the kid was born.
It's been eight months since I posted about Pixar animator Sanjay Patel's self-published Hindu deity primer, Little India, and so far, I haven't heard of a better one. I'm not sure how karma works, but I DO know I'm glad I don't have to answer personally for 260 million treacly bear books.
Thanks Pepe - but actually I'm not into the wog religion but if I'm ever up for looking for a Hindu primer - that'll be the one.
[hm. is it common practice for someone posting from the Berenstain Bears' publisher to use racial and religious slurs when making ad hominem attacks against critics of their cash cow? I've known too many decent people at Random House to imagine they're ALL racist pricks, but if you're trying to prove me wrong, go ahead. I'll put my correction on the front page. -ed.]