Review - The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat

The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat (The Berenstain Bears)
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Date: 1985
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

As Brother and Sister Bear don their costumes to go trick-or-treating by themselves for the first time, they plan to avoid Miz McGrizz's spooky home. But during their Halloween outing, the cubs discover that appearances can be deceiving.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I'm a little conflicted about this one. The writing is strong and the overall message about not judging others by appearances alone is a good one. However, the premise seems a little dated and doesn't take into account today's dangers and realities.

Brother and Sister go trick-or-treating without parental supervision for the first time. Of course, the first thing that happens is that they run into some "bad" older kids who want to play a trick on the neighbourhood crone. They approach her house, but before they can do anything, the old woman invites them in and gives them candy apples. This is enough to convince all the kids that she's a good person.

The scene where the old lady invites the kids in is way too reminiscent of "Hansel and Gretel" for me. Of course, Mama knows that the old woman isn't a threat--in fact, she's the one who tells the cubs that appearances can be deceiving in the first place--but I'm not sure if kids will pick up on that or if they'll just see the cubs accepting candy from strangers, overriding their own gut instinct to be wary of odd adults bearing treats.

This was probably a book that I read and enjoyed as a child. I'm not sure if I like it as an adult, though. I think it needs a bit of discussion on the side, especially about making the decision to enter a stranger's house when parents aren't around.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.17 out of 5