Jan Berenstain

Stan and Jan Berenstain were already successful cartoonists for magazines and adult humor books when they had a great idea for a children's book. Their sons, Leo and Mike, had just begun to read, and they decided to create a funny family who would have the everyday adventures children really want to read about. Then, as the Berenstains explain, "We chose bears because they can stand up, they look good in clothes, and they are fun to draw." The first story starring the Bear family, the big honey hunt, appeared in 1962. Since then more than 250 Berenstain Bears books have been published, and over 240 million copies sold, making the Berenstain Bears arguably the best-selling children's book series ever. Over the years the stories have expanded to include picture books, beginning readers, and chapter books, and writing and illustrating the books has become a Berenstain family affair. Leo is the author of several of the chapter books, and Mike has illustrated more than forty Berenstain Bears books -- including this one. He has also written thirty-odd books on his own. The Bear family has expanded over the years as well. Sister Bear arrived in 1974, and another new baby joined the family in 2000. Stan and Jan and Mike Berenstain live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where they continue to write and illustrate wonderful new adventures for Mama, Papa, Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear.