The Big Honey Hunt facts for kids
original cover
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| Author | Stan and Jan Berenstain |
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| Published | 1962 Random House |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 72 |
| ISBN | 0-394-80028-1 |
The Big Honey Hunt is a super popular children's book by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It's the very first book in the famous Berenstain Bears series! It came out in 1962, published by Beginner Books, which was a special part of Random House started by the amazing Dr. Seuss. This book introduces you to a family of bears who act like humans (that's what anthropomorphic means!): Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Brother Bear. When the book first came out, Brother Bear was called Small Bear.
Contents
The Story: A Honey Adventure
This section tells you what happens in The Big Honey Hunt.
The Search for Honey Begins
The story starts at the Berenstain Bears' home. Mama Bear notices they are all out of honey. She asks Papa Bear to go get some more. Papa agrees and takes Brother Bear along with him. Mama tells Papa to go to the store to buy the honey. But Papa has other ideas! He decides to try and find wild honey instead.
Papa's Wild Goose Chase
Papa and Brother Bear follow a bee as it flies from tree to tree. Papa is sure each tree has honey inside. But he keeps finding other animals instead! First, they meet an owl. Then, they find a porcupine. After that, they discover a family of skunks. No honey yet!
Finding the Honey (and Trouble!)
Finally, they find a tree full of honey! But it's guarded by a big swarm of bees. The bees are not happy to see them! They chase Papa and Brother Bear all the way to the river. The bears jump into the water to escape the angry bees.
Giving Up and Going to the Store
After the bees leave, Papa and Brother get out of the river. Papa finally gives up on finding wild honey. He decides to buy the honey from the store, just like Mama suggested in the first place!
Behind the Scenes: How the Book Was Made
Learn about the creators and how they came up with the Berenstain Bears.
Meet the Authors: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Stan and Jan Berenstain were a husband and wife team from Pennsylvania. Before The Big Honey Hunt, they were already successful artists. Their drawings and cartoons appeared in popular magazines. These included The Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping. This was during the 1940s and 1950s.
The Idea for Bear Characters
In the early 1960s, the Berenstains wanted to create books for young children. Their son, Leo, loved Dr. Seuss books, which gave them an idea. They chose bears as their main characters. Bears were popular and easy for them to draw. Their other son, Mike Berenstain, said that Stan and Jan based the bear family on themselves and their two sons. For the dad and son relationship, they looked at the 1931 movie The Champ.
Working with Dr. Seuss
The Berenstains decided to publish their first book with Random House. It would be part of Dr. Seuss's special Beginner Books label. Their first idea for a book was called Freddy Bear's Spanking. It was about a small bear trying to avoid a spanking. They showed this book to Dr. Seuss. Seuss liked the main idea. But he thought many parts of the book needed work. He became their first editor. They spent two years changing their book to meet Seuss's high standards.
From Freddy Bear to Big Honey Hunt
Freddy Bear's Spanking slowly became The Big Honey Hunt. While working on it, the Berenstains learned how to write and draw children's books. In their 2002 book, Down a Sunny Dirt Road, they shared their secrets. These included "easy words, short sentences, word/picture clues, rollicking rhythm, resolute rhyme... shameless slapstick and outrageous jokes."
Book Release and Its Lasting Impact
The Big Honey Hunt was published in 1962. It was released by Beginner Books, a part of Random House. Dr. Seuss helped start and edit this special book series.
Early Success and New Ideas
The book was very well-liked. The New York Times praised its "good, simple vocabulary" and "natural repetition." After the book came out, Stan and Jan wanted to make more books about their bear characters. Dr. Seuss first encouraged them to try something different. So, they started working on a book about a penguin.
The Birth of a Series
However, The Big Honey Hunt was selling very well! So, Dr. Seuss changed his mind. He liked their idea of turning the book into a series. This led to The Bike Lesson, and then many, many more books about the Berenstain Bears.
A Name Change for the Authors
When the book first came out, the authors' full names, Stanley and Janice, were on the cover. But Dr. Seuss shortened their names to Stan and Jan in later editions. He said, "That's what you call each other. And that's what I call you. Besides, it fits on one line." From then on, they always used "Stan and Jan Berenstain."
Anniversary Editions
In 2002, the Berenstains released a special edition of the book. This was to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It had an updated cover. In 2012, another updated cover came out for the 50th anniversary. It added a "50th anniversary" logo but kept the same artwork as the 2002 edition.
