Berenstain Bears creator Jan Berenstain, 88, dies

PHILADELPHIA – Jan Berenstain, who with her husband, Stan, wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bears books that have charmed preschoolers and their parents for 50 years, has died. She was 88.

Berenstain, a longtime resident of Solebury in southeastern Pennsylvania, suffered a severe stroke on Thursday and died Friday without regaining consciousness, her son Mike Berenstain said.

The gentle tales of Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear were inspired by the Berenstain children, and later their grandchildren. The stories address children’s common concerns and aim to offer guidance on subjects like dentist visits, peer pressure, a new sibling or summer camp.

The first Berenstain Bears book, “The Big Honey Hunt,” was published in 1962. Over the years, more than 300 titles have been released in 23 languages – most recently in Arabic and Icelandic – and have become a rite of passage for generations of young readers.

“They say jokes don’t travel well, but family humor does,” Jan Berenstain told the Associated Press in 2011. “Family values is what we’re all about.”

Before their family of bear books was born, the young couple had already built a successful career in periodicals.

A cartoon series they produced called “All in the Family” ran in McCall’s and Good Housekeeping magazines for 35 years, and their art appeared in magazines including Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post.

Stan and Jan Berenstain created hundreds of books until Stan Berenstain’s death in 2005 at the age of 82.