Berenstain Bears Creator Jan Berenstain Dies at 88

Posted on February 27, 2012

Jan Berenstain, co-creator of the Berenstain Bears, has died at age 88. She created the popular children's book series with her husband, Stan, who died in 2005 at age 82.

Berenstain Bears publisher Random House Children's Books issued the following statement: "Today, our thoughts are with the family and friends of Jan Berenstain. The Berenstain Bears books have inspired generations of readers and are an invaluable contribution to the canon of children's literature. Inspired by the Berenstain family, Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear will always be a part of our family at Random House.."

The Big Honey Hunt, published in 1962, was the very first Berenstain Bears book. It was followed by over 260 other Berenstain Bear books. You can find a long list here on Wikipedia. Reuters reports that over 250 million copies of Berenstain Bear books have been sold to date.

The website for The Berenstain Bears can be found at berenstainbears.com.