Berenstain, Jan (Grant)
Born: July 26, 1923, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Vocations: Children’s Book Author, Artist
Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Philadelphia County; Solebury, Bucks County
Keywords: All in the Family; The Big Honey Hunt; Drexel Citation; First Time Books; Philadelphia College of Art and Design; Step Into Reading Series
Abstract: Jan Berenstain (Janice Grant, before she married) was born in Philadelphia in 1923. One of the most prolific children’s authors of all time, Jan Berenstain has co-authored over 250 Berenstain Bears books with her husband, Stan. They have won many awards for children’s literature, and Jan continues to write from their home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Biography:
Janice Grant was born in 1923 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After she graduated high school at age 18, she enrolled in the Philadelphia College of Art and Design where she met a man named Stan Berenstain on the first day of classes. Stan spent several years in the Army after college, and his first job was as a writer and illustrator for an Army newspaper. It was for that newspaper that Stan got his start drawing cartoons. Soon, Stan and Jan began their own collaborative effort, a comic called “All in the Family,” which ran in McCall’s and Good Housekeeping from 1956-1990.
The Berenstains used their success with “All in the Family,” along with several other adult humor books they had written, to break into the market of writing children’s books. The Berenstains have two children of the own, Michael and Leo, who especially enjoyed the works of Theodore Geisel, commonly known as Dr. Seuss. The Berenstains knew Geisel personally, and in 1962 he asked them to write a book for his Cat in the Hat/Beginner Series. The first Berenstain Bear book, The Big Honey Hunt, came out of this effort.
To call Jan Berenstain a prolific author would be an understatement. Since 1962, Stan and Jan Berenstain have written over 250 Berenstain Bear books. Their children, now grown, have also become part of the Berenstain Bear production team. Their son Michael has illustrated over 25 Berenstain Bear books, while Leo has written manuscripts for many books in the Berenstain Bears series. Michael has also written 30 children’s books on his own, and Leo has published a book of short stories about his travels to Indonesia.
Jan says about her influences: “I was intrigued with how rhyme helped me learn new words as a child. Also, I went to the same art school that my Dad went to so that I could draw as well as he—and that’s where I met Stan.”
According to Stan and Jan, the Berenstain Bears were such good characters because, “they can stand up, they look good in clothes, and they are fun to draw.” They have based the stories on their own children, and now, on their grandchildren. The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby, published in 1974, was based on the addition of Michael to the Berenstain family. Stan and Jan added Sister to the Bear family to correspond with how their own family was changing. The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby was also the first in their series of First Time Books, which teach children important lessons about growing up. Books in this series have dealt with fighting, spending time away from home, and the importance of recycling. The most popular Berenstain Bear book is The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room, one of Jan and Stan’s First Time Books.
One of the most recent books is The Birds, The Bees, and the Berenstain Bears, which explains the birth of the newest sister in the Berenstain Bear family. The book is quite frank and honest about the process. “When Sister Bear learns that the reason Mama Bear’s lap is getting smaller is because a new cub is growing in her womb, she is curious about how it will get out. Mama takes her with her to Dr. Grizzly, who explains that she (the doctor) will be there to help when the baby comes down the birth canal.”
Today, Jan Berenstain lives in Bucks County, 30 miles north of Philadelphia. She continues to write prolifically, but the main focus has shifted from younger readers to slightly older readers (ages 8-11). The Big Chapter and Bear Scout books have few illustrations and average over one hundred pages long. They are meant for children who have outgrown the normal Berenstain Bears picture books. She has not forsaken the Berenstain’s younger readers though—she continues to target younger readers with the Step into Reading series and the Baby Bear series.
The Berenstains may be two of the most commercially successful authors of all time. They have sold over 240 million copies of their books. Of their books, 35 are in the Publishers Weekly top 250 titles of all time, and 15 are in the top 100 children’s paperbacks. Each year, up to 10 new Berenstain Bear books are released and the Berenstains continue to break new ground. In 1999 the Berenstains released The Berenstain Bears and the Big Question, the first Berenstain Bear book to discuss religion. However, the best-selling Berenstain Bear book of all time is still The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room.
Over the years, Jan and Stan have received many awards for their outstanding work in the area of children’s literature. Some of these awards include the Ludington Award from the Educational Paperback Association, the Drexel Citation from Drexel University, and several Philadelphia Children’s Literary Roundtable honors. Although they have received many awards, they have said on multiple occasions that the awards they receive directly from children are their favorites.
Although Jan is getting older, and Stan died on November 26, 2005, the Berenstain Bear series may continue indefinitely. Their sons Leo and Michael write and illustrate many of the books, so children of the future may grow up with the Berenstain Bears for years to come.
Works:
Children’s Books
Sources:
For More Information:
This biography was prepared by Ryan Teitman, Fall 2003.