More often than not, children's books present topics which are relatively gentle. Stan and Jan Berenstain, however, have never shied away from presenting problems in a way that the youngest readers can understand. While most of their books revolve around things like new babies and messy rooms, this husband and wife team also show kids the fun and danger of adventure. In this book, the three bear siblings set off to explore a spooky old tree armed with a stick, a light, and a rope. Inside, they find twisting stairs, hidden passages, and the fearsome Great Sleeping Bear. By the end of their escapade, they all end up with the shivers, but make it "home again. Safe at last." The words have a comfortable predictability about them as the Berenstain's employ a slightly evolutionary rhyme and repetition. The dark, detailed pictures also enhance the excitement and mystery of the story. ( )

Apparently this was my husband's favorite while young. E can't handle it yet. No patience. ( )

In this book you follow the bears as they leave home and go on an adventure to the spooky old tree, then return home properly frightened. The sentences are simple but have nice repetion. This illustrations contain good depictions of the prepositions used. ( )

I loved the shivers this book gave me as a little girl. Fun sharing it with my boys. ( )

This is a great book to get the thrills for Halloween especially for preschoolers! There aren't much words and most are repetitive which is a good change for kids to read along with you. Great to use with actual frightened expressions as kids will definitely stay engaged. ( )

This book is awesome in so many ways. It is a really great book to read to kids because it keeps them guessing. The story starts with the young bears going to investigate a spooky old tree. They set out to go see what is so scary about it. This grabs the kids attention and makes them anxious to see what will happen next. Once the bears get to the tree they are chased out by a very scary bear/monster. This book is really good for kids because as they are being chased and each character is doing something different, the text is located right next to the action that they are doing, resulting in the readers being able to associate the action with the words. The main idea of this book is to show kids that they can be brave no matter how scary something is. Overall this book is wonderful for kids to read, especially around Halloween. ( )

Three little bears, one with a light, one with a stick, and one with a rope, set out to explore the spooky old tree near their home in this early reader from the Berenstains. Encountering many dangers along the way, they make their way through the interior of the tree, eventually finding their way home again...

Like many American children, I grew up reading about the Berenstain Bears, and I have happy memories of entering their ursine world, so like the human one. I particularly enjoyed looking at the interiors of the tree houses in that world, and The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree provides an especially interesting arboreal house for the little bears to explore. Simple text and appealing illustrations make this an excellent Halloween-time title for kids just getting going with their reading. ( )

A standard Berenstain Bears book, this one tells the story of the bears who leave their "house" (in a tree of course) and go off on an adventure with one flashlight, one rope, and a stick. Like all of the Berenstain Bear books, it is easy for all ages and can be made into a fun book. It's an easy reader for sure, but I do have to say this is one of my favorite series! ( )

I liked this book for several reasons. The language is patterned, very clear, and easy to understand. Certain statements are repeated throughout the story, such as, “One with a light. One with a stick. One with a rope.” Another sentence frame that is repeated is “Do they dare go into that spooky old tree? Yes, they dare.” The part that states “spooky old tree” is constantly replaced with the current situation the bears are facing throughout the story. I liked the writing in this story because it is organized and flows very well. The sentences on each page are short, simple, and accompanied by illustrations, which is great for a young reader. I think that the characters are very believable. There are three sibling bears that are curious to explore the inside of a spooky tree. Children today are normally curious explorers. However, children may be spooked in creepy situations, much like these bears. The bears’ fear is evident in the story when the book reads, “And one with the shivers.” I enjoy the plot because it is suspenseful. As the three siblings explore the dark spooky tree, many things spook them. The inside of the tree is portrayed to be very scary through the use of language and illustrations. Suspense is built up when the bears try to escape the tree. Suspense is resolved when the bears slide out a door, run home, and are comforted by their mother. I believe the illustrations are perfect for the mood of the story. The book contains drawings of a haunting tree with spooky staircases and dark rooms. This makes the reader fearful for the bears and wants them to get out of the tree as soon as possible. One example of how the illustrations enhance the story is when the book reads, “And two with the shivers.” Two of the bears are drawn squiggly with their mouths open to represent shivering with fear. I was always scared and full of suspense reading this story as a child. The big idea of the book is home will always be your safety net. This is evident at the end of the story when the book reads, “Home again. Safe at last.” ( )

I think that The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree is a good children’s book. I liked the book because of the language the authors use. The authors use repetitive phrases that children will be able to follow along with and repeat aloud with the reader. For example, throughout the story the authors write, “Three little bears… One with a light. One with a stick. One with a rope,” which are simple enough for young children to read and creates an element of entertainment for the reader. I also like the illustrations because they are animated, yet realistic. The bears are dressed like actual children with overalls and bows. This makes the bears seem more human like and more relatable for children. The main idea of the story is to be careful of curiosity because it can lead to trouble. ( )

This book of predictable text is a fun story for kids at halloween. The pictures are fun, bright, and energizing for the story. This is simply a fun read for children K-2.

This is one of the earlier Berenstain Bear books, and it shows. The bears are less stylized and cutesy than the bears in the newer books, and the story is halfway between an early reader and the newer, longer read-alouds they do now.

It's a cute little story about three cubs going out with a light, a stick, and a rope to explore. Of course, they lose all three items and run screaming home to mom - and with good reason, that spooky old tree is *really* spooky.

There are only a few words per page, with a basic vocabulary, so it's great for early readers. ( )

The spooky old tree is about three friends who enter a tree with a rope, a light, and a stick. While discovering the hidden placeas in the tree they lose all three things and all get a case of the shivers. The eventually stumble upon "Great sleeping Bear". They wake him up and he chases them out of the tree and all the way home where they are safe at last.

This is still my son's favorite book and he is now 10 years old. It is all about adventure and exploration. He loves it when I read it in creepy voices all dramatic like. Even to this day he enjoys it being read to him.

In a class room you could go on an explartation walk and see what you could discover. You could also start a story and take turns adding on to it to make it a fun or scary story. You could also tie this story in with goldilocks and the three bears. Talk about the similarities and differences.

This book was about three bears that dared each other to go inside a spooky old tree. Inside the spooky old tree there was an allegator, a moving wall, and a big bear. The allegator scared one of the bears that was carrying a rope. The moving wall scared another bear that was carrying a stick. The big bear scared another bear that was carrying the flash light and all the bears ran home. If someone dares you to do something its better just to not do it.

This story is about three little bears that go on an adventure in a spooky old tree. The pictures are great for little children. The phrases are easy as children learn into, around, up, over, through, down, and out.

This book was really cute with good pictures too. The three little bears go on an adventure into a spooky old tree and it is kinda repetitive, so you could have your class say some of the parts along with you. You could have your class either draw a scary picture, or share the scariest thing they have ever done. ( )

Our first Berenstain bear book. One with a rope, one with a light and one with the shivers. I can hear this in my sleep. A very cute book. ( )

Gr PreK – 2—Although moderately scary, this story is cast with cuddly bears that will be familiar to most children. There are many opportunities to use dialogic reading and involve the audience, including repetition, clear sequencing, and simple, expressive illustrations. For example, the question is repeatedly asked, “Do they dare…” And the answer always is, “Yes. They dare.” ( )

The cubs decide to go on a walk, and along the way they find a spooky old tree. They decide to go into it, but along the way they lose the flashlight, rope, and stick that they came with, and by the end of their adventure they get so scared that they just run all the way home, where they are once again safe. ( )

Three bears investigate a spooky tree and get progressively more scared until they run for the safety of home at the end. The inside of the tree has a lot of great details, and the whole adventure is very exciting. ( )

Grades: Pre-K
Theme: How the images came to be.

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