Deep In Bear Country – A Berenstain Bearcast
Let's talk about every single Berenstain Bears book, shall we?
When is a mystery *not* a mystery? When nothing mysterious happens! “The Berenstain Bears IN the Wax Museum” acts like a mystery, but it’s really a community drama about zoning ordinances. It makes a lot of promises it can’t keep and sets up plot points that melt like the wax in Madame Bearsaud’s statues, but I don’t care because KACIE GALYON is back to help me get through it! Welcome back to the show, Kacie!
*Hic* Kill me *Hic* Kill me *Hic* Kill me
This week, Ollie – my child and co-host of It’s Del Toro Time – joins me to talk about the Cub Club book “The Berenstain Bears and the Hiccup Cure!” Papa gets hiccups and… that’s about it. It’s a short one!
I’ve been alone so long! This week, I bring back two things that this show desperately needed: the Big Chapter Books and A GUEST! Yes, I am joined by author and screenwriter Mark Wheaton, the author of “Emily Eternal” and the Luis Chavez Mysteries. He’s here to help me pick apart a book about… filmmaking? The Hollywood machine? Cecil B. DeMille? It’s a mess; but a FUN mess!
FOUR YEARS AGO (!!!!!!!!) I had Bradley and Jeremy on the show to talk about “The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw – the Bears’ Thanksgiving special from 1980. Well, I’m BUSY so here’s this week’s show! It’s a RERUN!
What is color? Is it real? Why do colors? What am God? Where God does meet color? Why? I answer ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE in “The Berenstain Bears Learn About Colors” and the religious rewrite “The Berenstain Bears God Made the Colors!”
When is a get-together not a get-together? When it’s a reunion! Whether the Bear Family is getting together or reuniting, we’re meeting some new relatives in “The Berenstain Bears’ Family Get Together” and “The Berenstain Bears’ Family Reunion!”
“Bear Country exists in a state of temporal flux” is something I say in this episode about a children’s book about cheating. So, that’s something. It’s the final Merit Badge Mystery, the final Dr. Wise Old Owl, the final not-really-a-mystery mystery; it’s “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the White Water Mystery!”
This week, let’s all “Hug and Make Up!” It’s “The Berenstain Bears Hug and Make Up” from the 90s and the early 2000s and they are NOT the same books! They might LOOK similar, but they ain’t. Trust me.
This week, we’re back of the HALLOWEEN track with “The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old House!” And, it IS spooky but not for the reasons you probably think. Let’s talk death and widows and homelessness and squatter’s rights and RAGGEDY TOM! Please. Please, let’s.
Hey, Y’ALL! It’s time once again for a CUB CLUB BOOK LOOK MA I’M READING! This week, it’s “The Berenstain Bears and the Talent Show!” But, this time, the real talent isn’t ON the stage it’s . . . well, actually, it’s still on the stage. But also, it’s off? I don’t know. FIGURE IT OUT!
It’s nice outside, so let’s talk about dating!
Join me for another INCREDIBLE MYSTERY that doesn’t introduce itself until the book is nearly finished and that is then solved by a non-character in one page. That’s right! It’s a Berenstain Bear Scouts Merit Badge Mystery! But, like past Merit Badge Mysteries, it’s not much of a mystery. But, it’s still weird and fun. Join me for “The Stinky Milk Mystery” and discover my the milk may, in fact, be stinky.
This week, we’re going back to basics with “Big Bear, Small Bear” a book that, once again, completely lacks any mention of our Bear Family. But, what does that say about us? About spaghetti? About eating spaghetti on the beach? Anything? Hello?
Okay, how’s this for a weird throwback in style? “The Berenstain Bears In The House Of Mirrors” doesn’t even have any members of the Bear Family! It has two fill-in characters and a WHOLE LOT of mirrors!
This week, we’re gearing up for HALLOWEEN SEASON with our first MYSTERIES! That’s right! The Bear Detectives are here to liven up your week with the “Escape of the Bogg Brothers” and the “Missing Watermelon Money!”
Look who’s back! It’s Bradley Mariska and Jeremy Gloff – my collectors! Only this time they’re not talking collectibles, but an actual book! Brad and Jeremy join me to talk about “The Berenstain Bears Visit Uncle Tex” and “The Berenstain Bears Out West” which are, in fact, the SAME BOOK ALMOST!
Check out Jeremy’s website to preorder his new album and order his old albums! Check out Bradley’s Berenstain Bears Bibliography and see what his band is up to!
Also, if you’re in town, check out my one-man show!
This week, I’m taking a look at a book FILLED with BOOKS! It’s 2011’s “The Berenstain Bears Say Please and Thank You” and it’s NOT related to last week’s book at all! It’s a whole new thing entirely!
This week, we talk about “Please” and “Thank you” – the words, the concepts, the social contract. We look at where these ideas came from; what the words mean; and how they hold society together. We also look at what happens when “The Berenstain Bears Say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You!'”
Elana and sometimes Mitzi join me on vacation to talk about “The Berenstain Bears’ Bedtime Battle” a book with no real battles.
Hey everyone. Wanna get lost? Well, let’s go to a cave and get lost there. Which cave? *A* cave. Just . . . just a cave.
It sure is time outside! What time? ALL THE TIME! This week, we take yet another look at the seasons and ask whether they matter more or less if God was involved.
Let’s go fishin’ now, everybody’s learnin’ how, come on and go fishin’ with meeeeeeeee . . . and Godddddddddd!
This week, I’m taking you to a place from my childhood that I DREAD! The amusement park! Learn about why I hate amusement parks, a brief history of amusement parks and, oh right, what happens when the Bear Family visits an amusement park in “The Berenstain Bears Visit Fun Park!”
Boy, do I ever love to talk about going to the mall. I never even knew I loved it so much until I started doing this show. Anyways, here’s “The Berenstain Bears at the Giant Mall” featuring a couple of guest storytellers!
This week, I’m all by myself and talking about Cub Clubs! Yes, it’s “The Berenstain Bears and the Wishing Star” and I don’t have a whole lot to say about it!
This week, I am joined by two delightful souls, Christy Admiraal and Brian Skinner, as we traverse the completely off-season topic of Valentines Day! Who is an appropriate suitor for Sister? What’s a Thousand Legger? A Hop Toad? Whither fistball. We talk it all!
This week, I’m playing with a FULL HOUSE or FULL BACKYARD as I’m joined by not one, not two, not three but FOUR GUESTS! Yes, Elana is back and she’s brought her niece, Miriam, and her aunt and uncle Meryl and Evan for a backyard conversation about excuses and notes and “The Berenstain Bears and the Excuse Note!”
This week, it’s Father’s Day and I brought on a father very near and dear to my heart: Mark Sweeney! He’s back, y’all and he’s ready to talk about Papa’s weird obsession with not celebrating Father’s Day. Enjoy it.
Oops! This one is late! Sorry folks!
Boy oh boy, are you ever tired of hearing about the live show? I know! Well, this is it, folks. I’ve asked Elana and Mark back on the show to talk about how they felt the show went, to discuss the process and to play you a few clips! Courtesy of Mr. Bradley Mariska!
This week, I’m taking a look at a shocking recent revelation in Bear Country – Mama and Papa Bear’s pre-parental names!
This week, I am joined by toy designer Stefanie Eskander. Stefanie has been a part of the development of so many different toy lines, you wouldn’t even believe it if I told you. That’s why I have her on the show! So you can get it straight from the source! Honestly, Stefanie is incredible and it was an honor to speak with her.
You can find Stefanie’s design work on Instagram and at her personal website!
In which I pause to consider Bear Country.
Well, I thought I was going to get into the real meat of Easter – some real Easter Meat, if you will. Ham. I think ham is Easter meat. But, no. Sorry. It’s “The Berenstain Bears and the Real Easter Eggs.”
This week, I begin looking at Easter and its presence in Bear Country. Specifically, I finally get around to the 1981 special and the book it inspired.
This week, we’re going to the shore and exploring a haunted lighthouse! Haunted by ghosts? More like HAUNTED BY HISTORRRRYYYYYY! It’s “The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Lighthouse!”
Man oh man. They sure play T-Ball.
Papa get angry. Papa get mad. It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Report Card Trouble” and . . . it’s a retread of an older book really.
In which I have a big mope.
I’m back with a response to the reactions to last week’s episode “The Berenstain Bears Think of Those In Need.” The conversation I had with my guest pushed some buttons, and I thought I’d take a moment to address some of the comments I received. Also, I take a look at the Nelvana episode inspired by the book that seems to have heard our episode somehow in the future and taken all of our advice! It’s weird!
Man, those bears just won’t stop cleaning house! In this, our THIRD book about the Bear Family either getting rid of junk or helping people out, we finally see the culmination of all these ideas. It’s “The Berenstain Bears Think of Those In Need!” and to walk us through the bears’ actions and attitudes, I have on the show my friend Community Health Organizer and Advocate JoAnna Lund! JoAnna has a lot of strong thoughts about what Mama considers “thinking” and “those” and “need” and we really hash it out. It’s a good one, people!
Hey it’s just me again! In this super short episode, I look at the LIES behind “The Berenstain Bears Clean House.” Also, I get a bit loopy because of pain medication.
This week, we’re bleepin’ and bloopin’ and cursing up a storm! It’s “The Berenstain Bears and the Big Blooper!” where Sister Bear cusses a swear!
This week, we’re talking babies. Where do they come from? How did they get there? How do they GET OUT OF THERE? I’ll tell you . . . I don’t know. But, I found someone who *does* know!
Lindsey Hoskins is the Community Health Educator at Family Tree Clinic, a non-profit community clinic whose mission is “to cultivate a healthy community through comprehensive sexual health care and education.” They are amazing. Check them out. Lindsey addresses the book’s approach to explaining reproduction to children while offering her own informed insights into the matter. It’s a great conversation.
This week, I’m joined by Annette Gagliardi. Annette is an educator, poet and author who lives in the Twin Cities and was my teacher for several years in Early Childhood Family Education. I figured, heck, she knows her business when it comes to kids, so who better to walk us through “The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five?” The book where we finally meet Honey. And then immediately forget about Honey.
A little bonus conversation about “The Berenstain Bears Save Christmas” and some other random stuff.
Here on “Deep In Bear Country” we know that I do like to blather on about topics I have no training in, especially religion! But, I’m breaking with tradition this week by inviting onto the show the Reverend Lauren McLeavey!
Lauren and I talk about “The Berenstain Bears and the Big Question” and . . . what is this question. Well, it’s about God. Capital G God. Sister gets all “asky” about the guy and Mama sets her straight by dragging the family to church. Along the way we talk about church architecture, Quakers and seminary. It’s a roller coaster of a talk! Check it out!
Do YOU have Beary Bubbies? Well, Brian Skinner, co-host of Predict-O-Cast, sure does. And he’s joined me to discuss Beanie Babies, Toy Crazes and anything else that passes through our old addled brains.
It’s pretty bold to start an episode by coughing directly into the mic, but that’s the kind of seat-of-your-pants entertainment you can expect from Deep In Bear Country in the New Year!
This week, Elana joins me once again to talk about “The Berenstain Bears Lend a Helping Hand!” Brother and Sister must overcome their extreme apathy to help Miz McGrizz clean out her attic and they must do it with the promise of nothing more than the pleasure of helping others and possibly the acquisition of tens of thousands of dollars in collectibles.
And with this, the fourth episode in our Holiday Extravaganza, we *end* our Holiday Extravaganza. And what an ending to go out on “The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving.” This book has it all: pageants, Jesus, presents, malls, Santa, Bearbie. It has everything you could possibly hope for in a Berenstain Bears Christmas book.
And I have everything I could possibly hope for in listeners like you. Merry Holiday everyone!
Things are getting Christmas-y up in here! We’re back with more Christmas explorations as we tackle “The Berenstain Bears and the Christmas Angel.” Now, this is a Zonderkidz book, but don’t let that scare you, man; let that free you! Take a look at how Mike addresses the existence of angels and their myriad heavenly responsibilities. Also, Snowbears: more progressive than our gendered human counterparts?
Hey, you guys wanna hear some more INTERESTING CHRISTMAS FACTS?! Well, buckle up, buttercup, because here comes “The Berenstain Bears’ Night Before Christmas!”
It’s the Season of Giving, the Season of Cheer, the Season of Something, Christmas is Here! And with the Christmas comes the Christmas episodes!
This week, I’m taking a hard look at a hard nut. Or, a hard nutCRACKER! It’s “The Berenstain Bears and the Nutcracker” and I get to the book at about the 25 minute mark. In the meantime, I give a bit of backstory of the tale of the nutcracker itself. Join me join me!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
As many of you know, I do not tend to follow the vagaries of the sporting life. And so, when it comes to Berenstain Bears books on sports, I’m usually at a loss. Thankfully, I have the ever eager David Kalan on speed-dial to talk about sports while I listen and absorb his knowledge. This week, David joins me to talk about “The Berenstain Bears Get their Kicks” and everything that entails!
We’re back with an ACTUAL BOOK! It’s exciting! You know what else is exciting? Homework. Wrong! It’s Brian Skinner! Brian Skinner is exciting and he’s back on the show to talk about taxes, homework, radio shows, peanut butter and not doing your assignments! It’s a meandering conversation that sometimes comes back around to “The Berenstain Bears and the Homework Hassle!”
Check out Brian and his lovely co-host Josh on their Show Predict-O-Cast!
Let’s talk for a few minutes about a name.
Like, seriously, what *is* this thing?
Nick Wood, from “Stranger Still” and “Limited Cel” returns to Bear Country to help me confront my fears and to talk about 1994’s “The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Shadows!” Does this book teach a good lesson about fear? Did Sister learn to weaponize shadows? Do Bear Country bears grow an extra finger at puberty? Join us to find out!
What’s sadder than a baby chipmunk who’s been abandoned by his mother? Maybe a pocaster sitting in his car on a rainy day talking about a baby chipmunk who’s been abandoned by his mother? Maybe? What if he talks about THREE different incarnations of the story? How would that make you feel?
I have two more Jellybean Books to get through and my COLLECTORS have joined me in this bizarre and satisfying task!
Brad and Jeremy phase in and out of reality as we talk about “Scardies!” and “Twitchies!” and “CROTCHIES” because CROTCHIES IS CANON! CROTCHIES IS CANON! CROTCHIES IS CANON!
To see Brad’s full list of Berenstain Bears books, visit his website! To buy Jeremy’s music, visit his website! To join the Collectors and Fans Group, visit the Facebook page!
This week, I’m taking a look at three books in the Random House Jellybean Books series “The Berenstain Bears Get the Screamies” “The Berenstain Bears Get the Noisies” and “The Berenstain Bears Get the Don’t Haftas.” Why have you never heard of these books? Because they tend to not stand out. Why *should* you have heard of them? Because they might be amazing.
⛥ Ǹ̷̘̝̞̰͍͆̀o̴͈̅̽̑̉̚t̷̬̹͖͕̃̿̃͂̈́ ̴̨͙̿ŕ̴̪͇̘ȩ̴̬͙̣͉͒ả̶̪̠͚̙͆͂l̴̥̔͑͆l̷̡͈͎̜̊̔y̵͚̤̒̌̇͠ ̸̙͎̲̄̆̋͊͝ś̶̚͜u̶̱͒̋͐̚͝r̸̰͘͠ͅe̵̙͓͒ ̴̧͈͉̼̯̅͋̏w̵̮̰̆́̏̚͝ͅh̴̩͖̯̆͘͠ả̶̮̈́̒̄̽t̶̡͓̾ ̷̛̟͉͇̹̌ͅt̴̮̺̩̀̂̓õ̶͓̖͚̳ ̵̤̍w̵̩̝̳̙̎̓̄͝r̴̝͆í̷̝̙͔́͛t̴̖͉͘͠e̶͙̿̀̀̏̕ ̶̨̡͙̹͚͛͛a̸̧̪̯̰͐͘b̶̭̱͖̰̌͌͒́̚ơ̶̫̳ǔ̶̡̥̺̉̆̒t̷͙̹̃̊̈́ ̵̢̟̇̓͛̉̚t̷̨͙̜͎̀͒̇ḧ̵̢̢̛͕͉͝í̷̧̛̟̠s̵̢͈͕͂ͅ ̴̘͉̟̪́̆͝o̷̝̯͇̾̌͜n̷̲͇̂e̶͖͇͈̥̽̃̏͌.̶͍͉̇͋̓̃͠ ̸͉̮̈́̕̕͜I̶̡͖̖̼̒́̚t̵̳̅͝’̷̩̝͊̊̃͝s̷̻̰̣̊̐͠ͅ ̵̲̪͋͆̅͒k̴̝̂i̵̠̯̱̺͋͗ͅǹ̸̼d̷̛̩̾̄͜ą̴̫͖͎̆͝ ̸̝̰͚͙̃̌̋m̶̡͎̩̼̣̂͛̎ẻ̸̦̥̲̒͌š̸͕̩̮̭͌ş̸͈̣̙̮͠e̶̙̊d̴̠́̓̽ ̷̡̲̪̒̽̊͂̕u̷̘̤͙̾̑̍͝p̷͚͓͝ ̷̢̃̈́̅͐̾a̵̬̻̍͜ṅ̴͈͇̼̯̔͘d̸̟̈́ ̸̭͉̟͊̾̇͜Ỉ̶͇́̃̍’̶̻͍͛̀̉̐m̵̫̟͓͔͔̅̚͠ ̵̡̜̊h̴͚͕͒̂̈́á̵̘͍v̶̜͚͂̀͋͊ì̴̮̺͊̇̉͜n̴̢͍͓̼̆̾̓́̃g̸̨͍̃̅͒͊̆ ̴͎̝̾̀̆t̴̰͓̣̦̀͂ŕ̶̳̖̙̱̲͆͊̂ȍ̸̖̲͂̈́̇͐ủ̸̯͝b̷̨͔̈l̵̢̨͔̟̗̆ê̷̱̲̼̝̕ ̴̫̖̌͗̉g̸͇̞͖̰̈͑͝ë̴͙͔́̌͘ţ̸̛̫̰̳̱͂̆͋́t̴͔̻̮̖̉̄͒į̶̟̠̺̐́͆̓̕n̸̡̩̽ͅg̸̖̞̬̓́̎ ̴̡̺͠m̴̟͚̭̗̘͆̆͂͝ỳ̵̳̪͔̰̹̔̾̀ ̸̧͇̪̀̉́̑́t̸̪̳͕̃́̇h̸̞̜͉͂̅̈́͜͝ō̴̥͆ữ̸͓̺̾̓ġ̵͎͒̑h̶̜̬̠͆̉t̸̢̑̉̽̀͝s̸̯̾͒͌ ̸͖̹͕́̐̓t̶̹͖̯̹͂̈́̄̎͠ò̴̟̜̠̋̒̆g̷͙̮̲͙̻̃̏͋̃͘e̷͇̯̼͆̋̍̕̚ṭ̴̜̮̋͐h̵̞̭̞̺́́̒͌̕͜e̸̡͇̥͆͘̚̕͜r̸̯̟̭͔̐̚ ̴̋͋̚͜ơ̶̢̯̣͕̭̄̀n̶͙̹̏̎̈́ ̷̛̮̖̯̻̀̅̇i̵̡͒͛̚͝t̷̨̲̦̐̍͊͜.̶̢̣̂̄̓͠ ☠
When is a book *not* a book? When you can’t figure out what the heck point it’s even trying to make. This week, Christy Admiraal from Nerdist and The California Diarists Podcast joins me to talk about(?) “The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game!” It’s a book that almost ceases to be a book and ends up being just a bunch of pieces of paper. It’s weird. Why is this book?
When is a story *not* a story? When it’s TWO stories! Elana joins me to discuss these two stories and how they don’t really add up or connect or ever speak to each other in “The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings.” Does the beginning of the book forget about itself? Does the thunderstorm make the cubs forget about toys? Are there poor people in Bear Country? Who knows?! We sure don’t!
Join me over on Patreon! Become a patron and enjoy bonus episodes and more!
Psst! Hey everyone! You, uh . . . you wanna learn about vermiculite? Shh! Don’t let everyone hear, or they’ll all want in on this. Well, I got a book for you that not only mentions vermiculite about a dozen times, but doesn’t really explain what it is! Sound good? Hello? Oh, you left.
THIS WEEK, I have on my show two very good friends, Aaron and Melanie, who know a LOT about vermiculite as well as farming and growing plants and being generally incredible friends. They’re here to fill me in on the fine art of GROWING FOOD and PLANTS and OTHER THINGS related to the book “The Berenstain Bears GROW-IT! Mother Nature Has Such A Green Thumb!”
My collectors are back! Brad Mariska and Jeremy Gloff have joined me to discuss a book that is the worst thing and that should not exist. “The Berenstein Bears and Too Much Tequila” is dumb, bad and dumb and bad and I hate it. I hate it. I hate that I’m even discussing it in a public forum. I hate it. Enjoy!
This week, I answer a question from Patreon Subscriber Michael, who asks, “What do you think the Bear Country police blotter looks like on a typical day (let’s say big chapter books continuity since that’s where we are)?”
This week! My dear college friend, writer, director, performer, monologist, cartoonist Brad McEntire joins me to talk about “The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster!” And, boy do we ever talk about it! And, a lot of other things!
Check out Brad’s many projects at his website! He always has a dozen things going on.
In this excised excerpt from the upcoming “The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster” Phil and his guest Brad McEntire go off on a long tangent about Scouting and Camping. It has nothing to do with the book and everything to do with Phil’s neurotic aversion to the Great Outdoors.
Let’s go WAY back in time to EPISODE 15! That’s right! I remember thinking “Oh, man, I’ve done maybe a MILLION of these shows!” But, I hadn’t. Just the fifteen. My guest was Rachael Schlee who is currently appearing in Medusa at the Minnesota Fringe Festival!
We talk all about Kindergarten and prepping for school. The sound isn’t great becuase I still didn’t understand how microphones worked! Still don’t really. Ah well.
It’s a SUMMER RERUN from LAST SUMMER!
Meghan Griffin of Judging Book Covers and Fableulous Retellings joins me to talk dress codes, law enforcement and a Berenstain Bears book that gets way more political than we were anticipating!
It’s July and I’m BEAT. I had a birthday; now my girlfriend’s having a birthday; I gotta clean the stove; there’s summer camp, doctor’s appointments, school shopping, UGH! Time for a rerun.
This week, let’s go back and enjoy a Deep In Bear Country CLASSIC! Brian Skinner joined me in my steamy backyard to talk about ACTION FIGURES. And DREAMS. And HORRIBLE LAUGHING.
This week, I am very excited to welcome Jason Bucklin onto the show. Jason is the LGBTQ Programming Director for Minneapolis Public Schools and he’s here to talk about “The Berenstain Bears and the Bully” a book I’ve been excited yet nervous about for three years. Jason walks us through what bullying is, how parents can constructively address bullying with their children and the longterm effects of unaddressed bullying.
This week, I’m joined by Erin Ayers – one half of the Over the Table Top podcast – to discuss a tale of fraud and dinosaurs. It’s “The Berenstain Bears and the G-Rex Bones!” How far will Ralph go to secure a million dollars? Pretty far! Will he sell out his own personal values and ruin the reputation of a fine upstanding bear like Actual Factual? Sure! Will any of this plot make a lick of sense? Nope!
Ollie is back, my partner in crime from It’s Del Toro Time! and we’re talking about . . . something. What even are these? It’s the first two Merit Badge Mysteries “The Missing Merit Badges” and “The Search for Naughty Ned” and, well, animals talk? Dr. Mr. Wide Old Owl? Naughty Ned? It’s clear we’re in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CONTINUITY AGAIN. Oh well.
When is a book NOT a book? When it’s a sequel to a book YOU’VE NEVER READ! Yes, this week I discover the peril of not knowing which book comes after which as I delve into the second part of an apparent two-parter that isn’t actually that difficult to understand; it’s a book for children. It’s “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Evil Eye!”
Joining me to talk about this confounding book is the completely confounded founder of the celebrated Twitter account Best of NextDoor, Jenn Takahashi! Jenn is confused by everything going on, but that’s fine because she has been mentioned in an article in The Atlantic and have the Berenstains? Well, yes actually. They have on a number of occasions. Still, Jenn has been mentioned MOST RECENTLY!
This week, Jamie Tyler, author of the “Cowabloga” Ninja Turtles blog, is BACK to talk about the most convoluted, frustrating, fascinating and satisfyingly unsatisfying Big Chapter Book I’ve read in a while: “The Berenstain Bears and the Perfect Crime (Almost)!” Yes, get that parenthetical in there; it’s important. Jamie and I work ourselves up to a fever pitch as nothing makes sense, adds up or resolves in any way resembling logical or even dramatically resonant. It’s amazing. And I love it.
Boy oh boy! Milton Chubb! Who is Milton Chubb, you ask? Only the strangest cub introduced in these here books. He’s introduced TWICE actually, in “Too Much Teasing” and in “The Love Match.” Two different formats that tell essentially the same story but in wildly different ways and for wildly different reasons.
To commemorate this event, I’ve brought John McCoy – host of the Sophomore Lit podcast and my co-host on Klickitcast: A Beverly Cleary Podcast – onto the show to try and suss out the point of these two books. Does the first one teach us anything about teasing? Why are Too-Tall and his gang so bad at it? Does Milton have parents, really? Do pigs have armpits? Who knows?! Not us!
It’s been over a year and FIFTY EPISODES since I’ve had a proper Collectors Corner with Brad and Jeremy, so HERE WE ARE! And we are talking about EVERYTHING. So, kick back, relax and enjoy the ride!
You can find Brad’s complete list of Berenstain Bears books here and Jeremy’s music here.
This week, I celebrate THREE YEARS of “Deep In Bear Country” by bringing back my first ever guest, Mitzi! And she’s . . . less than enthused by this week’s book. It’s the “Berenstains’ A Book” and it’s about the letter A! Hooray?
This week I am joined by not one, not two, not three, but FOUR GUESTS! It’s a veritable ROUND TABLE as I welcome back Elana, Corinna, Andrew and Scott – from Episode 55(!!!) “The Berenstain Bears Get Stage Fright” – to talk about “The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble With Grownups!” And, seeing as how we all have kids and we all do theater, I think we’re more than qualified to discuss a thing or two!
This week, I’m joined by the delightful Drew Stewart to rock out to “The Berenstain Bears Go Platinum!” It’s the gripping tale of Stan and Jan Berenstain really wanting to stick it to the music of today!
This week, I’m joined by Emily Bennett of Best Acquaintances to talk about the insidious nature of young jealousy! Like, seriously, it’s a pretty solid book that deals with a pretty serious topic for adolescent kids. I know!
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This week, I am joined by Justin Harrison of Birth. Movies. Death. to talk about the incredibly long and detailed “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Sinister Smoke Ring!” This is a huge one, folks, and we talk about the influences of the story, how it came to be written, the interwoven plot threads, the mean attitudes of the denizens of Bear Country and many many other things in between. It’s DENSE and LONG and amazing.
Oh boy oh boy oh jeez. This book, I swear . . .
I’m joined this week by Alexandra Bowser of Arthur, Mommy, Movie Time! to talk about the bizarre, sad, terrible, horrifying, rushed and ultimately satisfying “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Run-Amuck Robot!” What is Robow? Is he alive? Are any of us? Why was Ralph stripped naked and arrested? Why the lightning? Why is Gus? What is book?
This week, we get mired in ATOMIC MAGIC. Seriously. There is ACTUAL MAGIC in this episode. Or, is it science? Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I have Megan Sunday from In The Attic here to help me through it. And, man, once Grizzly Gramps starts yelling, things get a bit unhinged.
It’s ME! I’m all alone for this episode, so you know what that means: CONSPIRACY THEORIES! OLD RELIGION! FRACTURED REALITIES! ALTERNATE TIMELINES! OLD GODS! ANCIENT FAITHS! DOOMSDAY! THE END OF THE WORLD! RANTING! RAVING!
WELCOME.
Elana and Mitzi are back! Or, are here because they’ve never been on together!And we’re talking “Giant Bat Cave!” It’s a Berenstain Bear Scouts book and may, in fact be the *first Berenstain Bear Scouts book but, then again, maybe it’s not? Also, Elana gets really excited to talk about local politics and then has to settle for talking about bats.
Helen LaStar, one of the hosts of Falling In Love Montage, joins me this week to peel back the layers of “The Berenstain Bears and Queenie’s Crazy Crush!” What happens when a young girl cub falls in love with a grown man and plots to trick him into coming over to her house when her parents are – you know what? I’m going to just leave that right where I found it. Just . . . just walk away from that one.
Gena Radcliffe – one half of the Kill By Kill Podcast duo – joins me to talk about the decidedly NON-SCARY “The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride!” There’s no haunting but there IS a hayride although it is very short and they don’t go into a lot of details about it. Still . . . there it is.
Also, you can find Gena’s writing on a ton of different subjects here and I strongly suggest that you do!
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This week, Meghan Griffin is BACK and this time we’re not talking dress codes or drama, we’re talking . . . classic cars. I mean, I guess Bear Country has cars. And, some of them are really old. So . . . classic cars.
You can find Meghan at any of her three podcasts: Judging Book Covers, Fabelulous Retellings and A Handbook for Handbook for Mortals.
This week, I’m joined by Kacie Galyon to talk about one of the most surprisingly enjoyable books I’ve read so far in the Big Chapter Book series, ‘The Berenstain Bears and the Bermuda Triangle.” Kacie and I are taken somewhat aback by the mature handling of themes in this book, the twists in the plot and the revelation about Too-Tall’s age! Also, Bermuda . . . is that a good first name?
Let’s close out this chunk of Bear Scouts books with “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Terrible Talking Termite.” This one was based on an episode of the cartoon and it shows and shows and shows. It makes little sense and to help me figure it out, I have Christy Admiraal, from Nerdist and VICE and the California Diarists podcast here to pick over this . . . plot? Ralph is in it, so that’s cool. Also, the termite? Not so terrible. Plus, do the authors understand what “insurance fraud” really is?
Wendy Mays from “Pet Cinematary” joins me to talk about the illogical happenings that occur when someone puts a remote control into helium-inflated pizza dough? Or, something? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but Wendy is here to help me try to puzzle at least SOME of it out.
Oh boy! Erin Gambrill from Ladies Who Library is here to talk about a book that COMPLETELY CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD! Like, seriously. There is so much going on in this one I needed to bring in a friend just to help me get through it.
This week, I’m joined by Patrick Hamilton, one half of Kill By Kill, to talk about “The Berenstain Bear Scouts Ghost Vs. Ghost!” What happens in this book? Would you believe crime and deforestation? Probably. Would you believe GHOSTS! Well, calm down. Patrick and I puzzle over the book’s incredibly detailed look at survival skills, card catalogs and hucksterism, and it’s surprisingly short focus on ghosts. Also, a BIG SWITCHEROO! This book has everything! And by that I mean it doesn’t have much.
I’m joined this week by Master of Pollution, Mark Sweeney! He gets it! He KNOWS. Mark Sweeney understands the complicated nature of pollution in bear country and the gentle grace with which the topic is handled in “The Berenstain Bears Don’t Pollute (Anymore)” parenthetical and all. Get to know us through the fine art of POLLUTION.
