This week, Willow joins me to talk about GRADUATION! Whose? Hers! And, the bears. But, they’re not REALLY graduating, are they? It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Graduation Day!”
Tag: Too Tall Grizzly
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 314 – The Berenstain Bears and the Gift of Courage!
It’s a regular David and Goliath tale up in here, except David is Sister and Goliath is Too-Tall and Sister doesn’t so much defeat Too-Tall as “stand back and watch him get attacked by hornets.”
Episode 308 – The Berenstain Bears Safe and Sound!
Is it safe? Is it sound? Is it The Berenstain Bears Safe and Sound!? It is this week! Let’s take a look at the freewheeling world of skate-a-ma-boarding in Bear Country! Let’s build a deck or a half-pipe or an olly? Let’s get SAFE and SOUND!
Episode 297 – The Berenstain Bears Go To Sunday School!
Get up kids! It’s time for SUNDAY SCHOOL! In this episode, the Bear Family goes to Sunday School. But, where did Sunday School come from? Who invented it? What about the song Mama and Papa sing? And they went to Sunday School together? Also, Noah’s Ark… did it stink? It’s “The Berenstain Bears Go To Sunday School!”
Episode 290 – The Berenstain Bears Phenom in the Family!
Hey everyone! Mitzi is here to talk about “The Berenstain Bears Phenom in the Family!” What’s a phenom? You’re a phenom! I mean, are you? Why is Papa such a jerk? What about Brother Bear’s feelings? Who knows?!
Episode 286 – The Berenstain Bears Lost In Cyberspace!
Brandi Brown is back on the show to take us through the frightening world of late ’90s internettery! That’s right, the cubs are on the Information Superhighway and are about to get “Lost In Cyberspace!”
Episode 253 – The Berenstain Bears’ Nature Rescue!
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 251 – The Berenstain Bears The Runamuck Dog Show!
Hot Diggity Dog! Look who’s back! It’s the hosts of Hot Diggity Dog, Brian and Josh, and they’re here talk about “The Runamuck Dog Show!” It’s a book about dogs and cats and poop and… poop, actually. There’s a lot of poop. Don’t know what else to tell you.
Episode 250 – The Berenstain Bears The Wrong Crowd!
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 249 – The Berenstain Bears and the Soccer Tryouts/Too Small For The Team!
Guess who can’t catch a break. SISTER! We’re back with another look at the unjust sporting world Sister inhabits with “The Soccer Tryouts” and it’s Stepping Stone rewrite “Too Small For The Team!” And, joining me on this journey is returning guest Christy Admiraal!
And here is a list of places to donate to in support of the ongoing BLM protests.
Episode 246 – The Berenstain Bears and the Goofy, Goony Guy
Hey! Mitzi’s back! And we’re talking about a guy who may be goofy and he may be goony but… but, he’s “The Goofy, Goony Guy.” That’s all.
Episode 225 – The Berenstain Bears In the Wax Museum!
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!
Episode 220 – The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the White Water Mystery!
“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!”
Episode 217 – The Berenstain Bears and the Talent Show!
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!
Episode 210 – The Berenstain Bears Say Please and Thank You (2011)!
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!
Episode 203 – The Berenstain Bears At The Giant Mall!
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!
Episode 152 – The Perfect Crime (Almost)!
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.
Episode 151 – “Too Much Teasing” and “The Love Match!”
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!
Episode 148 – The Trouble with Grownups!
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!
Episode 147 – Go Platinum!
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!
Episode 146 – The Big Date
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 145 – The Sinister Smoke Ring!
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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.
Episode 140 – The Berenstain Bears and Queenie’s Crazy Crush!
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.
Episode 138 – The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard!
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.
Episode 137 – The Bermuda Triangle!
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?
Episode 132 – The Berenstain Bears Don’t Pollute (Anymore)!
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.
Episode 128 – At the Teen Rock Cafe!
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 121 – The Berenstain Bears’ Showdown at Birder’s Wood!
Hey, 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!
Mr. Mark Sweeney RETURNS! And this time he’s got OPINIONS about BIRDS and CHAINSAWS!
Episode 119 – Media Madness!
Jon Biegen and Nick Wood slide on over from Stranger Still to talk about children successfully managing a television station. That’s . . . that’s really all that happens in this book, so – so, lesson learned, I guess.
Episode 117 – The Freaky Funhouse!
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 115 – The Berenstain Bears and the School Scandal Sheet!
Ollie, my teen and co-host of It’s Del Toro Time! – A Guillermo del Toro Podcast, joins me this week to talk “The Berenstain Bears and the School Scandal Sheet!” In which we discuss the terrible things the cubs accuse a teacher of and also divide the cubs into their Hogwarts Houses. IT’s kind of a discussion that goes all over the place. Also, we talk about the importance of owning up to your terrible terrible mistakes how if you’re a cub, you face no consequences for those terrible terrible mistakes.
Episode 112 – At Camp Crush!
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!
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 108 – The Red-Handed Thief!
What a weird book. Kerry Nelson from Random Sampling joins me to talk about the gross violation of trust that occurs at Bear Country School! Also, democracy in action? Maybe?
Episode 107 – The Berenstain Bears and the Drug Free Zone!
Joel Torres of the Please Don’t Send Me Into Outer Space podcast joins me to talk about DRUGS! And DRUG ZONES! And BACKWOODS DRUG DISTRIBUTION? It’s a wild weird but pretty nicely done book.
Episode 106 – The Berenstain Bears and the Wheelchair Commando!
Today, I am joined by writer, musician, educator and Ninja Turtles Blogger Jamie Tyler to talk about wheelchairs, ableism and the way we approach people living with disabilities. Also, should you call a person in a wheelchair “Wheels?” Come on, people.
Episode 104 – The Berenstain Bears Accept No Substitutes!
It’s a live recording of a Facebook Live show! I’m talking about “Accept No Substitutes” and people are listening. So, that’s what’s going on.
Episode 103 – The Berenstain Bears and the Female Fullback!
Shannon Campe of Stage of Fools: the Unofficial Royals Podcast joins me once again and this time we’re talking sexism! Things get downright creepy in Bear Country as the town erupts over the thought of a girl getting girl germs all over their precious football. Farmer Ben turns out to be a nightmare, Coach Grizzmeyer should be fired and Papa Bear . . . what a disappointment he turns out to be.
Episode 102 – The Berenstain Bears and the Nerdy Nephew!
What is a nerd? What makes a nerd a “good nerd?” What makes a nerd a “bad nerd?” What makes a nerd an “insufferable jerk?” Let’s explore!
Episode 101 – Gotta Dance!
Once again, I am joined by Jessie Cooper of Alphabet Flight, Turn to Page and Random Sampling. This time, we’re discussing the BIG CHAPTER BOOK “Gotta Dance!” Do they gotta? I think they gotta.
Episode 99 – The New Girl In Town!
This week, I am joined by Jessie Cooper of Alphabet Flight, Turn to Page and Random Sampling as we discuss our first BIG CHAPTER BOOK “The New Girl In Town!” Listeners, this book has got everything. History, romance, racism, war, moaning. Everything.
Episode 95 – READING! “The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble With Grownups”
Enjoy!
Episode 93 – The Berenstain Bears Learn to Share/Learn to Share!
More Bears. More Jesus.
Episode 78 – The Berenstain Bears’ Slumber Party!
This week, Caroline Fulford of the Loose Canon Podcast and Shannon Campe of Stage of Fools: the Unofficial Royals Podcast join forces to talk with me about “The Slumber Party!” Is it the greatest party in the history of Bear Country? How old are Queenie and Too-Tall, anyway? And, what’s the point of this book at all? Also, telephones: nature’s menace?
Also, memes: we have them.
You can find our official Facebook page on Facebook. Or, you can yell at me on Twitter. And, please please please subscribe to the show on iTunes. Also, we’re on Google Podcasts!
Episode 72 – The Berenstain Bears and the In-Crowd!
Caroline Fulford of the Loose Canon Podcast joins me to talk about “In-Crowds.” What are they? Do they matter? Does anything?
You can find our official Facebook page on Facebook. Or, you can yell at me on Twitter. And, please please please rate and review the show on iTunes. Also, we’re on Google Podcasts!
Episode 71 – “Go To School” & “The Sitter” PBS adaptations
Let’s go back in time, shall we? We’re taking a look at a couple of PBS episodes based on two of our earlier books. Are they better? Worse? By “we’re” do you mean “I’m?” Yes, yes and YES!
You can find our official Facebook page on Facebook. Or, you can yell at me on Twitter. And, please please please rate and review the show on iTunes. Also, we’re on Google Podcasts!
Episode 68 – The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare!
Mark had to come back to the studio so we could finish up our discussion on John Braden and I managed to keep him around to talk about “The Double Dare!”
See Mark in “Sweet Dreams, Alfie” at the Twin Cities Horror Festival this October!