“Healthy food is good for Brother, Sis, and Dad... How can Mom make them stop eating food that is bad?”
—Opening quote for The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food is a book in the Berenstain Bears First Time Books series written by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It was published on March 12, 1985.
This book was later adapted into an episode of the same name for the 2002 TV series The Berenstain Bears.
Summary[]
Mama notices that her husband and the cubs have been eating junk food when she tells the latter two they're growing side-by-side. With help from Dr. Gert Grizzly, the Bear family learns the importance of staying in shape and eating healthy foods.
Plot[]
Brother and Sister Bear (and Papa) have been eating an increasingly large number of candy, and other treats whenever, they go about their daily activities. Mama then notices they, as a result they are starting to gain weight. Finally, she puts her foot down, and confiscates all the unhealthy treats in the house, and stashes them in the freezer, and announces her decision that the family has to start eating healthier. Papa and the cubs protest, but it's no use.
The next day, the family goes to the supermarket to purchase healthier foods and snacks, and they cross paths with their family pediatrician, Dr. Gert Grizzly. While Papa and cubs hover over some candy, Dr. Grizzly requests the family stop by her office the next day. The cubs worry about what she has in mind for them, but when they get there, she simply shows a slide show about the different organ systems of the body, and a list of food groups, and how they effect the body. She mentions the harmful effects of junk food, and recommends some extra exercise to shake off the extra weight.
The family sticks to the healthy diet, and eventually become fit enough to run in a local three-mile race. Although they don't win, they all finish the race successfully, and win a prize for doing so as a family.
Cast[]
Trivia[]
- Stan and Jan Berenstain planned to adapt this book into an episode of the 1985 Saturday morning cartoon, but CBS (the network airing the series) rejected it. The 2002 TV series adaptation of the episode was produced largely without Stan and Jan Berenstain, and is slightly different from the book.