In true Berenstain tradition, the perfect read for a child in preparation for father’s day. Amazing when paired with thoughtful ideas for children’s Dad. Papa bears doesn't want everyone to make a fuss for Father's Day. However he becomes bitter once everyone act like it is an ordinary day. In the end they surprised Papa bear and her loved it. ( )

The Papa's Day Surprise was a really good book. Papa Bear made this huge fuss about not wanting to celebrate Father's Day and as it got closer and closer to this day, the more and more he wanted to celebrate it. He thought that his kids weren't going to get him anything but they surprised him and took him to a "Papa's Day Brunch," wrote a poem for him, and then when they got home, they had a "Bearcalounger" or a recliner as we would call it sitting in the house just for him. He truly appreciated the gifts that were given to him on his special day. This story reminds me of my dad because he always makes a big fuss over Father's Day. But he gets upset if we don't get him something. He doesn't like the fact that Mother's Day is so hyped up but Father's Day gifts are barely even advertised on television. It's great because we always get him something that he doesn't expect and he always appreciates it.

The later books in the Berenstain series tend to be more verbose, the messages just as heavy handed, with the same type of cartoony illustrations that now look more polished than before. I still love the characters, and I like the messages that each story brings, and I find the insistent morals taught appropriate for children in the intended reading age. The only thing that bothers me is how the text is so much more dense in later additions. Since these stories are meant for younger readers, they really need to focus on less written words to tell the stories, to use language that is more concise. After all, they did just fine with simpler text in the first books in the series, so it feels like the writers have become lazy in recent years and let the writing sprawl unnecessarily. When I read this one out loud to my daughter it seemed to take a much longer time to read it to her than other picture or spinner books.

That complaint aside, this story fills a gap in children's literature - stories about dads. Not that they're not out there, they are, but many more stories focus on the relationships between mothers and children, especially in the younger age groups. In that regard, this is a wonderful book, because it focuses on how papa is feeling and thinking. As you can tell from the title, this is one of those stories geared for a specific holiday - Father's Day - and you always can use a couple of those. Also, despite the expansive text, it is a sweet story, and the Berenstain Bears remain cuddly lovable. Overall, a good read that we'll keep around, but it would have been so much better if the authors had tightened the reins on the written word. ( )

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