The Washington Post discusses the rich history of the classic Berenstain Bear books.
From the piece...
Stan and Jan Berenstain created hundreds of books until Stan Berenstain's death in 2005 at the age of 82. Mike Berenstain, the couple's son, now collaborates with his mother in writing and illustrating new books at the same studio in an idyllic part of Bucks County, outside Philadelphia, that serves as inspiration for the books' setting.
The gentle stories of Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear, as always, are inspired by the Berenstain family - first from the children and now the grandchildren.
"We remain relentlessly focused on the family relationship. There isn't one character who's the star of any of the books," Mike Berenstain said.
Mike Berenstain, 51, started collaborating in the late 1980s on the books with his parents after creating about 30 of his own children's books.
"Their greatest popularity was in the '80s, and now those kids are having children of their own," he said. "Bad economic times also make people want to have more family-oriented time together."
The bears are venturing further afield nowadays, with an interactive website, toys, computer games, TV shows, a touring stage musical, a children's museum exhibit and an iPhone app. A movie by "Night at the Museum" director Shawn Levy is in the script phase and has a tentative release date of 2012, the 50th anniversary of the first Berenstain Bears book.
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