Tag: mp3

Episode 519 – Sister Bear Learns to Share | Brother Bear Loves Dinosaurs!

After more than a decade in Bear Country, Becca Peter is still finding Berenstain Bears books that have completely escaped my attention.

This time, we’re exploring Sister Bear Learns to Share and Brother Bear Loves Dinosaurs: two overlooked board books featuring peculiar rhymes, unfamiliar cubs, and a potentially alarming explanation for Brother’s love of dinosaurs.

Does Sister actually have anything to learn about sharing? Who are Jason and Melanie? Is the pterodactyl being a little too showy?

Plus: vintage coloring books with actual plots, our dreams of Berenstain Bears graphic novels, and the joy of discovering there’s still more Bear Country to explore.

Find Becca on TikTok at tiktok.com/@defectivebecca

Episode 517 – The Berenstain Bears’ 12 Days Of Christmas

Merrrrrrrrrry Happy! It’s Christmastime, y’all! At least it is as far as COMMERCE is concerned and we’re got a new Berenstain Bears book! It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ 12 Days of Christmas” and it’s a little bit religious, a little bit secular, and a whole lot I-don’t-think-a-mayor-is-allowed-to-do-that. It’s a bunch of fun!

Episode 511 – The Berenstain Bears The Messy Room/The Terrible Termite!

Let’s kick off Season 2 of The Berenstain Bears with the classic “Mama Gets Angry” episode “The Messy Room” and follow it up with the Raffish Ralph classic “The Terrible Termite!”

Episode 507 – The Berenstain Bears In the Dark/Ring the Bell!

This week, we’re watching along with The Berenstain Bears In the Dark and Ring the Bell. The last two segments of Season One! WOO HOO!

Also, standwithminnesota.com is still the best place to go for donations but there’s also https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-south-high-school-families to directly support the familes of South HIgh students primarily with rent support.

Episode 506 – The Berenstain Bears LEARN ABOUT STRANGERS and THE DISAPPEARING HONEY!

You ready to LEARN ABOUT STRANGERS? You ready to DISAPPEAR SOME HONEY?! Let’s go, then, bruh!

Help out in Minnesota!

standwithminnesota.com

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-south-high-school-families

Episode 503 – The Berenstain Bears Kong for a Day/Blaze A Trail!

After a small break, I’m back! It’s The Berenstain Bears “Kong for a Day” which is barely a title and “Blaze a Trail” which is yet another Papa makes a fool of himself and everything works out okay anyways, plot. Won’t you watch?!

Episode 501 – The Berenstain Bears Knight to Remember/The Super-Duper Bowl

We BACK! And it’s episode… 7? Of The Berenstain Bears. Let’s get SPOOKED by a suit of armor and DUPED by Raffish Ralph! It’s “Knight to Remember” and “The Super-Duper Bowl!”

Episode 496 – The Berenstain Bears Too Much Birthday/To The Rescue

This week, it’s all birthdays and bull dodging with “The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday” and “To The Rescue!”

Episode 486 – Berenstain Bears: The Bears’ Picnic

This week, I head outside—despite my deep hatred of bugs, gnats, and all things “outdoors”—to talk about The Bears’ Picnic, the third “I Can Read It All By Myself” book by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It’s a classic tale of a well-meaning family picnic gone hilariously wrong, with Papa Bear dragging the family across bear country in search of the perfect lunch spot. Spoiler: they end up where they started.

Along the way, we’ll get into:

  • The surprisingly non-racist origins of the word picnic
  • Why Minnesotans will eat outside literally anywhere (including parking lots)
  • How the Victorians ruined everything for all of us
  • Papa Bear’s flawed but sincere planning
  • My personal tolerance for nature (spoiler: it’s not high)

Also, my upcoming one-man show at the Minnesota Fringe Festival is this August! It’s not about the Berenstain Bears—it’s darker, more personal, and definitely not for kids. With a poster design by the amazing Mads Torres!

Episode 483 – The Berenstain Bears’ The Bike Lesson!

Riding a bike? Never learned. Feeling like an outsider? Always.

In this episode of Deep in Bear Country, I get personal — and a little philosophical — about why bike riding has always baffled me, and how The Berenstain Bears’ Bike Lesson accidentally became a warning about life, failure, and stubborn optimism.

Plus: a weird history of bicycles you didn’t know you needed. Volcanoes? Hobby horses? Middle-class German inventors? Oh yes.

Let’s dive back into one of the earliest Berenstain Bears books!

Episode 481 – Tax-Wise: A Pictorial Romp Through the Tax Form by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Before they created the beloved Berenstain Bears, Stan and Jan Berenstain were drawing… THIS?! Tax-Wise: A Pictorial Romp Through the Tax Form (1952) is a bizarre, hyper-specific IRS humor book filled with visual gags, surreal scenarios, and more gendered 1950s weirdness than you can shake a W-2 at. In this episode, I (Phil Gonzales) walk you through the entire book — panel by panel — and try to make sense of its wild humor, historical context, and what it tells us about the Berenstains before they became family-friendly legends.

This was a personal request from Mike Berenstain himself, and honestly, it’s the perfect unhinged way to celebrate tax season.

Episode 477 – The Berenstain Bears’ St. Patrick’s Day

This week we’re diving deep into The Berenstain Bears’ St. Patrick’s Day—and wow, do we have a lot to unpack. Apparently, Ireland doesn’t exist in Bear Country?! This book raises so many questions, like: How does St. Patrick’s Day fit into the world of the Berenstain Bears? Why does Brother Bear have zero clue what St. Patrick’s Day is? Is this book reinforcing cultural stereotypes… or just having fun? What’s the real history behind leprechauns, corned beef, and Irish-American traditions? And most importantly—what does The Great Bear War have to do with any of this?!

Episode 476 – The Berenstain Bears: God Made You Special

Buckle up, Bear Country—this one’s a doozy. This week, we dive into The Berenstain Bears: God Made You Special, a book that on the surface has the best of intentions but stumbles hard into some serious pitfalls. What happens when a children’s book about faith and differences accidentally reinforces inspiration porn, infantilization, and outdated disability tropes? A very uncomfortable discussion.

Sources Referenced:
📖 Special Olympics Inclusive Language Guide
📖 Disability Rights UK on “Inspiration Porn”
📖 Ashley Shew’s Against Technoableism

Join the conversation! Drop your thoughts in the comments, share your own favorite (or least favorite) books about disability, and let’s talk about how we can create a more inclusive Bear Country.

Episode 474 – The Berenstain Bears’ New Neighbors!

Did The Berenstain Bears’ New Neighbors really tackle racism? Or was it just another 90s attempt at a “message book” that missed the mark? In this episode of Deep in Bear Country, we take a deep dive into the 1994 classic that started it all—literally! This is the book that launched this podcast, but I’ve never properly covered it… until now.

What we’ll uncover:

  • Is Papa Bear actually racist?
  • What does this book say about prejudice and inclusion?
  • How does Bear Country’s “specism” reflect real-world biases?
  • The wild history of octagon houses (it’s relevant).
  • Why did this book disappear from my show for SO MANY YEARS?

PLUS: We’ll explore how The Berenstain Bears’ New Neighbors still holds up in today’s world, why it feels eerily relevant now, and what lessons we can take from it.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 460 – The Berenstain Bears Bears On Time Solving The Lateness Problem!

When the Bear Family finds themselves overbooked and running late, they turn to one of the Biblical Prophets(?) to solve(??) the lateness problem(???). It’s “The Berenstain Bears Bears On Time Solving The Lateness Problem!”

Episode 455 – The Berenstain Bears’ BIG HALLOWEEN PARTY!

The Berenstain Bears have a LOOONG history with Halloween. Those bears LOOOVE to Trick and they love to treat and they love to combine the two and trick and treat. But, sometimes, it’s all about the party. This week, the Bear Family throws caution to the wind and hosts a BIG HALLOWEEN PARTY in “The Berenstain Bears’ BIG HALLOWEEN PARTY!” And, that’s pretty much it.

Episode 454 – The Berenstain Bears Halloween is Sweet!

Ghouls and Ghosts and Ghosts and Gob-o-lins! It’s Halloween time and this week, we’ve got a board book from 2020 that warms my dark little heart. It’s “The Berenstain Bears Halloween Is Sweet!” and… it is!

Episode 453 – The Berenstain Bears’ Big Family Album

Look, Grizzly Gramps could have just INVITED the kids over to look at the Big Family Album and not TRICKED them into looking at the Big Family Album. I’m just sayin’. It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Big Family Album.”

Episode 449 – The Berenstain Bears Visit the Farm!

You ever wonder what’s on a FARM? You ever see all those closed doors and windows and gates and wish you could just RRRRIP ’em open?! Well, now you can with the Lift-the-Flap extravaganza “The Berenstain Bears Visit the Farm!”

Episode 445 – The Berenstain Bears Just Grin and Bear It!

Want some absolutely generic advice coupled with random pictures from Berenstain Bears books of recent years past? Well, have I got a book for you! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Just Grin And Bear It!”

Episode 444 – The Berenstain Bears’ Holiday Cookbook, Part 3

Pop the fireworks and blow the… horns? Happy belated Fourth of July to you and yours and welcome Elana back to talk about the patriotic treats in “The Berenstain Bears’ Holiday Cookbook!”

Episode 443 – The Berenstain Bears Patience, Please

When is a lesson not a lesson? When God steps in and gives you a pass anyway! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Patience, Please” and it really isn’t about patience! At all!

Episode 442 – The Berenstain Bears Do The Right Thing

This week, Sister Bear faces a moral quandry and it’s up to the ol’ SHOULDER ANGEL to save the day. Will sister do the right thing? Find out in “The Berenstain Bears Do The Right Thing!”

Episode 441 – The Berenstain Bears Father’s Day Blessings

The Bear Family is all set to honor their fathers and HONER THEIR FATHER by sending Gramps and Papa out on a boat for the day. But, what’s this?! SINGING? Who’d a thought?! Also, the origins of Father’s Day. Also, the INCREDIBLY SAD STORY of the guy who wrote the hymn about the music of the spheres. ALSO, it’s The Berenstain Bears Father’s Day Blessings!

Episode 440 – The Berenstain Bears Why Do Good Bears Have Bad Days

Brother and Sister get a real crash course in theodicy this week when some BAD THINGS happen and their friends tell them it’s a PUNISHMENT FROM GOD and boy oh boy. Hey. Why do good bears have bad days? Well, maybe “The Berenstain Bears Why Do Good Bears Have Bad Days?” will help us answer that question!

Episode 439 – The Berenstain Bears Get The Job Done

When the cubs are assigned the chore of cleaning out their old playhouse, will the presence of creepy crawly spiders keep them from getting the job done? HINT: the book is called “The Berenstain Bears Get The Job Done.”

Episode 438 – The Berenstain Bears That’s So Rude!

This week on Deep In Bear Country , we’re exploring rudeness. What is rude? What isn’t rude? Is there a definition for rude? And, most importantly, why is SISTER so rude?! It’s “The Berenstain Bears That’s So Rude!” How WUDE!

Episode 437 – The Berenstain Bears My Bedtime Book of Poems and Prayers

This week, we’re taking a look at yet another book that’s just a plot-free collection of poetry and prayer… try. And guess what? I like it! It’s “The Berenstain Bears My Bedtime Book of Poems and Prayers” and it’s pretty darn good!

Episode 436 – The Berenstain Bears’ Mother’s Day Blessings

It’s Mother’s Day! And you know what that means! A long history of said day. Also, some blessings. “The Berenstain Bears’ Mother’s Day Blessings” that is!

Episode 431 – The Berenstain Bears’ Holiday Cookbook – Part 2

We missed Easter! But, never fear! Elana and I are here to report on the Easter treats we made from out “The Berenstain Bears’ Holiday Cookbook!” Yom.

Episode 428 – The Berenstain Bears Long, Long Ago

Hey! Do you wanna go back in time? DO YOU WANNA GO AROUND THE WORLD?! Well, let’s go back in time and around the world and let’s bring a REAL HISTORIAN WITH US! Dan Everton is an anthropologist and historian and a whole bunch of fun and I’m so glad to finally have him on the show for “The Berenstain Bears Long. Long Ago!”

Episode 427 – The Berenstain Bears We L❤️ve the Library!

Hey! Do you l❤️ve the library? Well, guess who else l❤️ves the library! My guest, Erin Gambrill, that’s who! Join me and Erin and we talk about “The Berenstain Bears We L❤️ve the Library!” They do! They do l❤️ve it!

Episode 421 – The Berenstain Bears’ Country Cookbook

This week, I am joined by the lovely Elana to discuss “The Berenstain Bears’ Country Cookbook.” It’s a little bit country; a little bit cookbook. But, do the recipes… recipe? Find out now!

Episode 419 – The Berenstain Bears’ BIG Machines

You want big machines? We got big machines! Well, the Bears got big machines. It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ BIG MACHINES!” They’re big! Really!

Episode 418 – The Berenstain Bears Brother Bear and the Kind Cub

It’s a retelling! IT’S A RETELLING! This week, we’ve got a RETELLING of a book we covered only a couple years ago. Whoulda thought? It’s “The Berenstain Bears Brother Bear and the Kind Cub” and it’s SIMPLE. You can read it all by yourself!

Episode 417 – The Berenstain Bears The Very First Christmas

Oof. Let’s talk about The Nativity. It’s “The Berenstain Bears The Very First Christmas!”

Episode 416 – The Berenstain Bears Welcome To Bear Country!

This week, we’re heading off to… Bear Country? Yeah, Cousin Tex is here so we’re giving him a… sorry, Mayor Honeypot(?) is giving his a tour of Bear Country! And, he hates it! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Welcome To Bear Country!” Whew!

Episode 412 – The Berenstain Bears Bless Our Gramps and Gran

You ever hear of this Grandparents’ Day? And how does Nixon fit into all of this? It’s “The Berenstain Bears Bless Our Gramps and Gran!”

Episode 411 – The Berenstain Bears: Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple

Open it up… where are the people? It’s “The Berenstain Bears: Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple” and we’ve got a LOT to discuss.

Episode 408 – The Berenstain Bears Sister Bear and the Golden Rule

This week, Sister Bear takes canter stage with a rehash of a book we covered back in 2021. It’s “The Berenstain Bears Sister Bear and the Golden Rule!” That’s clunky. But, that’s the title!

Episode 407 – The Berenstain Bears We ❤️ Baseball!

Spoiler alert! We don’t. The Berenstain Bears have a long history with the game of base-based balls and we are NOT going to explore it. Instead, we’re going to take a look at some clues as to the history of Bear Country, some clues as to the identity of their most famous baseball player and some clues as to the inner mind of Grizzly Gramps. It’s “The Berenstain Bears We ❤️ Baseball!”

Episode 404 – The Berenstain Bears Under The Sea

This week, let’s go down, down, down, with the Bear Family as they’re dragged to the bottom of the ocean to sleep with the fishes! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Under The Sea” and… there’s a lot of fish, I guess?

Episode 403 – The Berenstain Bears School Time Blessings

It’s back to school time, and you know what that means! GOD! It’s “The Berenstain Bears School Time Blessings!”

Episode 402 – The Berenstain Bears Around the World

This week, I’m taking you on a trip around the world! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Around the World” and it’s PROBLEMATIC!

Episode 400 – The Berenstain Bears Hospital Friends

It’s my 400th official numbered episode! In celebration, I have Mike Berenstain back on the show to talk about the history of “The Berenstain Bears Hospital Friends!”

Episode 394 – The Berenstain Bears Gifts of the Spirit ❤️ Goodness

The Gifts of the Spirit are back! And they’re the Gifts of the Spirit that keep on Gift of the Spiriting. It’s “The Berenstain Bears Gifts of the Spirit ❤️ Goodness!”

Episode 389 – The Berenstain Bears’ Sleepy Time Book

Sleep, man. Ya dig? It’s pretty heavy stuff. Like, what even is sleep, my dude? You ever think that, like, sleep is, like, dying every night? Pretty intense, right? It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Sleepy Time Book.”

Episode 388 – The Berenstain Bears Say “I’m Sorry”

When is an apology not an apology? What does “sorry” even mean? Does it count if your parents *make* you say it? It’s “The Berenstain Bears Say ‘I’m Sorry!'”

Episode 387 – The Berenstain Bears’ Please & Thank You Book

I know we’ve covered this before. I know we have! But, this is different? I think. In any case, get ready to learn too much about PLEASE and THANK YOU! It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Please & Thank You Book!”

Episode 380 – The Berenstain Bears Gifts of the Spirit ❤️ Fair Is Fair

This week, “The Berenstain Bears Gifts of the Spirit ❤️ Fair Is Fair” introduces us to a new character in Bear Country, we explore the Book of Zechariah, and we learn a little bit about what true justice may be.

Episode 377 – The Berenstain Bears Gifts of the Spirit ❤️ Caring

It’s the first “The Berenstain Bears Gifts of the Spirit” book and we’re kicking it off with “Caring!” What is caring? Is it an attitude? And opinion? An action? What does it mean to care? Who are Fred’s parents? How many men has Aunt Min married? And what of THE TIMELINES? Let’s dive in, shall we?!

Episode 375 – The Berenstain Bears Talking Stories

I’ll show you love, I’ll show you everything
With mouth wide open
With mouth wide open
I’ll show you everything, oh yeah
With mouth wide open
Wide open

Episode 374 – The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith

What – and this isn’t a theoretical – if the Berenstain Bears met an atheist?

Episode 372 – The Berenstain Bears When I Grow Up

I think we put too much pressure on kids to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. What about when they grow *down*? Why does no one ever talk about THAT? It’s “The Berenstain Bears When I Grow Up!”

Episode 371 – The Berenstain Bears are Superbears!

How do you like your superheroes? Bear style? In “The Berenstain Bears are Superbears” that’s what you get! And, you know what? I kinda love it.

Episode 370 – The Wild, Wild Honey Saga

Decades ago, the Berenstain Bears’ Saturday Morning Cartoon secretly presented a multi-part saga that only reveals itself when you’re bored and watching a Berenstain Bears Saturday Morning Cartoon. It’s the “Wild Wild Honey Saga!”

JUMBO RERUN Episode 249 – The Berenstain Bears and the Soccer Tryouts/Too Small For The Team

It’s a rerun from 2020, but with BONUS content! Christy Admiraal and I talk about SOCCER BALLS!

Episode 368 – The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw (2022)

You might think you’ve heard this story before, but… well, you have. But you’ve never seen it like this! 2022 brings us a whole new edition of “The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw” featuring previously unpublished art by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It’s pretty cool.

Episode 365 – The Berenstain Bears’ Lemonade Stand

My co-host from It’s Del Toro Time, my own Willow, is back to talk about the hottest bears in Bear Town. It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Lemonade Stand!”

Episode 362 – The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble With Things

You know what stinks? THINGS! This week, Brian Skinner from Center of Weirdness is back to talk about how terrible it is to buy toys for your kids? Or King Solomon? Or something? It’s The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with THINGS! Just… just things.

Episode 361 – The Berenstain Bears Thank God For Good Health

The Bear Family is typically fairly healthy, and who do they thank for that? GOD. It’s “The Berenstain Bears Thank God for Good Health!” It’s a rewrite if that means anything to ya. No?

Episode 360 – The Berenstain Bears God Bless/Loves the Animals

No, not the famous English rock ‘n’ roll band The Animals, but the actual animals walking around on the Earth! This week, we look at TWO Berenstain Bears books, but really? They’re the same book. But also? They’re not. It’s “The Berenstain Bears God Bless/Loves the Animals!”

Episode 350 – Becca Peter!

So, Becca Peter is on the show because we had a couple of things to talk about. That’s it. Just wanted to chat!

Episode 338 – The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Sunday

Hoppy Easter, everyone! I wasn’t going to do an Easter episode this weekend, but things don’t always turn out the way we plan, do they? So, I’m releasing it EARLY to keep my word! Happily, Reverend Lauren is back to take us to Church and talk about Noah? It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Sunday!”

Episode 337 – The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Parade

I wasn’t planning on talking about Easter Parades, but here we are! It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Parade!”

Episode 335 – The Berenstain Bears, Do Not Fear, God Is Near

I’m not afraid! I’M NOT AFRAID! It’s “The Berenstain Bears, Do Not Fear, God Is Near!”

Episode 329 – The Berenstain Bears’ Valentine Love Bug

We’re unhinged this week as Brian Skinner from Center of Weirdness and Christy Admiraal from our very own Pizza Toast join me yet again to discuss Valentine’s Day! It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Valentine Love Bug” but it’s really just madness. It’s madness.

Episode 326 – The Berenstain Bears and the Secret Clubhouse/Deep Dark Secret!

Brad and Jeremy are back to talk about “The Berenstain Bears and the Secret Clubhouse!” That’s right, they found a book that seemed, for a hot minute, to have been the source of last week’s mystery. However, an email from Mike Berenstain completely reframed everything for us. We’ll be talking about the origins of “The Trouble With Friends” this week!

Find Jeremy’s music here!

Find Brad’s collector’s page here!

Episode 325 – The Berenstain Bears The Trouble With Secrets

This week, I take a look at a book that might be older than I think it is. It’s “The Berenstain Bears The Trouble With Secrets” and is it based on an older book?! Please HELP ME.

Episode 323 – The Berenstain Bears Go Christmas Caroling!

The Berenstain Bears are READY TO GO CAROLING! And John McCoy is here from Sophomore Lit to go caroling with me! We kinda talk about the book but mostly talk about the carols and then things get a bit off track. What are your thoughts on Lulu? It’s “The Berenstain Bears Go Christmas Caroling!”

Episode 320 – The Berenstain Bears Mama’s Helpers!

More Good Deed Scouts = More Willow! What happens when the Good Deed Scouts help Mama Bear? Not much! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Mama’s Helpers!”

Episode 312 – The Berenstain Bears and A Job Well Done!

Some people like their jobs RAW, but I like mine WELL DONE! It’s “The Berenstain Bears and A Job Well Done!

Episode 253 – The Berenstain Bears’ Nature Rescue!

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Two and a half years ago, Mark Sweeney and I talked about “The Showdown at Chainsaw Gap!” Well, we’re back to talk about it again! Only now it’s call “Nature Rescue” and it’s missing, like, one line. Still a good talk tho!

Episode 250 – The Berenstain Bears The Wrong Crowd!

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Megan Sunday, co-host of the Dune-tastic “Let’s Get Wierding” podcast, joins me this week to talk about SMOKING IN THE WOODS and PLAYING BASKETBALL IN THE WOODS and DO THE BULLIES LIVE IN THE WOODS? It’s “The Berenstain Bears: The Wrong Crowd!”

Episode 150! – Collectors Corner 9!

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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.

Episode 146 – The Big Date

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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!

Episode 143 – The Magic Crystal Caper

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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.

Episode 128 – At the Teen Rock Cafe!

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It’s ME again! I’m back at my desk and I’m chatting about things like MALLS and STONE-WASHED JEANS and BEARY MANILOW and NOT MURDER THIS TIME.

Episode 126 – Maniac Mansion!

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This week, I’m joined by Sammi Campbell from Excessively Diverted to talk about this . . . weird . . . book. I mean, it’s great, but it’s weird. There’s ghosts but no ghosts! Bags under eyes and then no bags under eyes! Pajamas and no pajamas! What more do you want?!

Episode 123 – The Berenstain Bear SCOUTS Meet Bigpaw!

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Those Bear Scouts are at it again! What is “it” exactly? Adapting cartoons into chapter books is what it is! That’s right, it’s the 1980 classic special “The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw” rejiggered into a Bear SCOUTS book. Does it work? Eh.

Episode 122 – The Berenstain Bear Scots and the Humongous Pumpkin!

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Just when you thought they couldn’t create YET ANOTHER series for us to follow, we begin the next adventure in chaptered bookery “The Berenstain Bear Scouts!” And, man, are they plumbing the depths of the Saturday Morning TV series for this one. And, you know, that ain’t all bad.

I’m kicking things off with “The Berenstain Bear SCOUTS and the Humongous Pumpkin.” It’s got thrills, chills and PLOTS GALORE! Keep up, friends; things don’t get any easier to follow after this one.

Episode 121 – The Berenstain Bears’ Showdown at Birder’s Wood!

DIBC-EP121.jpgHey, there was an episode sort of based on “Showdown at Chainsaw Gap!” Only, they fixed the title and changed the plot. Kept the bird, though. So, Mark came back to talk about it! Here he is!

Episode 120 – The Berenstain Bears and the Showdown at Chainsaw Gap!

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Mr. Mark Sweeney RETURNS! And this time he’s got OPINIONS about BIRDS and CHAINSAWS!

Episode 117 – The Freaky Funhouse!

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Brian and Josh – from Predict-O-Cast and . . . another show – actually come INSIDE MY HOUSE and INVADE MY SPACE to talk about “The Berenstain Bears and the Freaky Funhouse!”

Join us as we talk about MURDER! ATTEMPTED MURDER! And . . . Frankenbear’s Monster? Also, the funhouse doesn’t figure into the plot as much as we’d have liked. What’s that chainsaw noise? Just us.

Episode 116 – The Galloping Ghost!

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I’m alone! I’m scared! I’m surrounded by ghosts! It’s a spooktacular book about TRAUMA. That’s right! The Berenstains wrote a secret book about dealing with trauma and I didn’t figure it out until near the end of the episode. Keep on surprising me, Big Chapter Books!

Episode 113 – The Berenstain Bears and the Giddy Grandma!

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Welcome to the world of degraded audio! Please bear with this terrible sounding episode, as I flop around trying to talk about “The Giddy Grandma.” Things didn’t work out according to plan, but I think I get my point across.

Also, I have a Patreon page!

Episode 112 – At Camp Crush!

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This week, I am joined by Michael M. Rader of We’ll Get It Right Next Year to talk about “The Berenstain Bears at Camp Crush!” This book gets WAY OFF TRACK and doesn’t really involve crushes and barely involves camping. It does involve the most loathsome of Bear Country characters, however, Mervyn Grizzmeyer. Ish.

Episode 111 – The Berenstain Bears and the Dress Code!

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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!

Episode 110 – Meeting Mike (Part 1)

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Hoo boy! This is it! The first part of our massive trip to the Berenstain Bears studio! It’s so big, I’m not only splitting it up, but I’m sprinkling it throughout upcoming episodes, just so you don’t get burnt out on this one thing. So, I’ll be alternating traditional episodes with Mike episodes. I think that’s fair!

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Mike’s desk at Berenstain Studios
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A look at the production schedule for upcoming books.
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Jeremy and Brad sitting with Mike.
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Mike shows the cover of the upcoming bullying book featuring Skuzz! Pic by Bradley Mariska
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The two alternate covers for “Why Do Good Bears Have BAD Days?” Pic by Bradley Mariska

SUMMER RERUN – Meet the Berenstain Bears!

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It’s summer and the week of the Fourth of July and I have no time to record a new episode. So, here’s a classic from the archives. Obviously, anything about upcoming anything is now hopelessly out of date. ENJOY!