Today is the birthday of Jan Berenstain (July 26, 1923 – February 24, 2012), co-author with her husband Stan of the Berenstain Bear book series. Famed husband and wife authors, Stan and Jan Berenstain, were both born in 1923 and met each other on their first day of class at Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art in 1941. Drafted into the Army in 1943, Stan was given positions of limited service as he was blind in one eye. He worked as a medical illustrator and began publishing cartoons in magazines. During the war, Jan worked as a draftsmen and aircraft riveter. In 1946, the two were married and began their business of illustrating works for popular magazines and publishing books of their cartoons.  Stan and Jan Berenstain had two sons, Leo in 1948 and Mike in 1951. They were both big fans of Dr. Seuss books which inspired Stan and Jan to try their hand at writing children’s books. They began with their first book, The Big Bunny Hunt, in 1962 with Dr. Seuss, aka Ted Seuss Geisel, serving as editor and publisher of the book. It quickly became very popular among young, beginning readers. The cast of characters began with “Mama”, “Papa”, and “Small Bear”. Upon introduction of “Sister Bear”, “Small Bear” became “Brother Bear”. They chose these names as a way for young readers to easily associate the familial roles with the characters. The Berenstain Bears enterprise has become a family business as their son, Mike, joined as an illustrator in the 1980s soon becoming a co-writer for the series. The series has been adapted in to all different media in the form of television specials, series, DVDs, and even a live musical. Since 1962, The Berenstain family has published over 300 Berenstain Bear books and they remain one of the most recognizable book series’ of all time. Mike continues the legacy of his parents after Stan’s passing in 2005 and Jan’s passing in 2012. The Berenstain Bears will continue to entertain children for years to come with their adventures! Here are some helpful links compiled by Happy Birthday Author: 1. Berenstain Bears – Official Website, Activities content: 1, 2, 3 images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Stan Berenstain Primary Vocation: Literary Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Solebury, Bucks County The Berenstains are the award-winning authors of over 200 Berenstain Bears books. Awards: The School Bell Awards, Best Book Award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, The University of Chicago Best Book Award Abstract: Award-winning children's book author of The Berenstain Bears series Stan Berenstain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1923 and attended The Philadelphia College of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Read more here. About the Berenstains. The Berenstain Bears website. 2018. 5 November 2018. Biography Stanley (Stan) Berenstain was born on September 29, 1923, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Harry and Rose Berenstain. In 1946, he married JanGrant, an author and illustrator, with whom he had two sons, Leo and Michael. Berenstain attended The Philadelphia College of Art from 1941 to 1942, where he met Janice Grant, his future wife. In 1946, he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Stan and Jan Berenstain began their collaborative career drawing cartoons for magazines. The Berenstains were also co-creators of "It's All in the Family," an illustrated feature first published by McCall's magazine. In 1962, Berenstain and his wife published their first children's book The Big Honey Hunt. Together, the Berenstains created The Berenstain Bears children's book series. They started writing these books to help their own children learn how to read, but the books quickly became favorites of young children learning how to read everywhere. Currently The Berenstain Bears series has more than 150 books in publication. The series also led to a series of animated television specials including The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree. In 1995 the Berenstain's released The Berenstain Bears Scouts Book Series, which currently has nine titles to its credit. Stan Berenstain and his wife have received numerous awards for their work on The Berenstain Bears series. They have received multiple Philadelphia Library Children's Reading Round Table honor book awards. They have also received a Silver Diploma in 1980, 1982, and 1987 for The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree television special. They have received The School Bell Awards from the National Education Association, The Best Book Award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and The University of Chicago Best Book Award, among many other awards that are too numerous to count. In article for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Gayle Simms noted this: In 2002, after many more Berenstain Bears books, Stan and Jan wrote a joint autobiography, Down a Sunny Dirt Road. In it, he responded to the question of why they hadn't retired: "Why would we retire? We thrive on what we do. We travel extensively. We go to a lovely, salubrious place where honeybees hum, where rainbow trout match rainbow skies, where the rivers run clean and the air is sweet, where there's beauty around every bend in the sunny dirt road. It's a wonderful place. It's called Bear Country. We go there every day." Stan Berenstain died of cancer on November 26, 2005, in a Doylestown hospital. He was survived by Jan, four children, and legions of fans whose childhoods he had enriched. Selected Works:
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Written by Tim Godfrey, Fall 2001; revised 2005; updated 2015 How old is Jan and Stan Berenstain?After a long illness, Stan passed away in November 2005 at the age of eighty-two. Jan died in February 2012 at the age of eighty-eight.
Why did Berenstein Bears change to Berenstain?What were those bears called? The Berenstein Bears, right? Wrong. The series is The BerenSTAIN Bears, because it was written by Stan and Jan Berenstain.
Where do Stan and Jan Berenstain live?Stan and Jan lived in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania. Together they wrote more than three hundred books. Stan Berenstain died on November 26, 2005, at Doylestown Hospital. He was eighty-two-years-old.
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Were Stan and Jan Berenstain married?
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