The Berenstain Bears: New Baby

Introduction: When I was a little girl, I really wanted a sister. One day I got what I wished for. Being an only child for seven years, however, I was scared of this huge change in my life. I realized that I did not really want to share things with my new little sister. Small Bear, who gains a new baby sister is very exited to be a big brother. He loses a bed but gains something new in The Berenstain Bears: New Baby by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

Narrator: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Small Bear lived in Bear Country. They lived in a large tree that Papa Bear made into a house. Small bear enjoyed helping Papa get honey from the bee tree and helping Mama bring in vegetables from the garden. When Small Bear wasn’t helping his parents, he fished, swam, chased frogs, flew kites, and watched the moon. Small bear loved living in a tree, in his own room, in a snug little bed that Papa Bear made for him when he was a baby. But one morning, Small Bear wasn’t feeling well.

Small Bear: Oww! My knees and legs really hurt!

Papa Bear: It looks like you’re too big for your bed. We need to make you a bigger bed.

Papa Bear: Today, we will go to the woods and make you a bigger bed.

Narrator: Excited, Small Bear rushed through his breakfast of porridge and gulped down some honey.

Small Bear: But what will happen to my old and small bed?

Narrator: Papa Bear left the house and Small Bear ran after him.

Mama Bear: Oh don’t worry about that, Small Bear.

Narrator: Mama Bear patted her big, round belly and closed the door as Papa Bear and Small Bear went into the woods.

Mama Bear: You’ve outgrown that little bed of yours just in time!

Small Bear: What will happen to my little bed?

Narrator: Papa Bear was too busy chopping wood and sharpening his axe. Papa Bear did not hear Small Bear’s question.

Papa Bear: Oh, yes, indeed. You need a big bed to stretch out in. You need a bed that won’t hurt your legs or knees. After all, you are growing into a big bear.

Small Bear: What will happen to my little bed?

Papa Bear: We have a new baby coming. The baby will need that little bed.

Narrator: Papa Bear continued to chop down trees and split it into boards. Small Bear thought to himself.

Small Bear: A new baby? Well it has been getting harder and harder to sit on Mama’s lap. I used to be able to sit on her lap every night for story time. But now, I keep falling off her lap.

Small Bear: Is it coming soon?

Papa Bear: Yes, very soon!

Narrator: Papa Bear hacked off the final board. He had enough wood to make a bigger bed for Small Bear. They spent the rest of the day chipping the bed and shaving it smooth. They carried the bed back home. When they got home, Small Bear noticed something different about his room.

Small Bear: My little bed! It’s gone!

Mama Bear: You outgrew it just in time. Look.

Narrator: And there was Baby Bear, laying happily in her new, small bed. Small Bear smiled when he saw his new baby sister. She was small but very lively. Small Bear walked closer, and Baby Bear punched him in the nose with her tiny fist.

Small Bear: For something so small, she sure does have a mighty punch.

Small Bear: Being a big brother is going to be so much fun!

Narrator: That night, Small Bear proudly stretched out onto his new and bigger bed. The next morning, Small Bear woke up in his new bed feeling great. He had no pain in his legs or knees. But, his nose still hurt.

Conclusion: Even though Small Bear is growing up and outgrew his bed, his little bed was perfect for his new baby sister. Change is not always bad. Good things can come from change.