The Berenstain Bears: Family and Friendship series springs from the much beloved children's books of long ago, books that had a huge impact considering there weren't that many of them originally. Avid followers of Bear Country lore will know that the original books were followed by a lull as the characters found their audience and Stan and Jan Berenstain became juvenile lit celebs. There are later books in the series that are quite a bit different, very heavy on morality and teaching kids things like the value of money, being polite, not talking to strangers. The television show really has grown out of these later books, with concise episodes that have very direct messages. Nothing is really outside the parental norms here, just generally accepted good behavior and etiquette.

This collection of episodes taps into, as the name suggests, themes around family and friends. In "The Green Eyed Monster," Sister Bear learns that coveting a new bike like her brother's is a downward spiral of envy and bad feelings. Brother helps her outfit his hand-me-down and shows her that being happy with what you have doesn't mean you have to settle for second best. In "The Prize Pumpkin," Father Bear gets struck by something like a green-eyed monster when he is completely consumed by the idea of his pumpkin taking first prize at an upcoming contest. Father realizes in time that his friendship with the other growers is more important than beating them in the contest. "The New Neighbors" is a great episode about a new family that moves in next door. Everything about them seems different, and it takes some time for Father, Mother, and the cubs to realize that different is just different, not worse.

An episode titled "Think of Those in Need" shows Brother and Sister discovering how much of a difference they can make in the lives of a group of elderly bears in the town's retirement home. Modern grandparents might chafe a bit at the portrayal of older folks as waiting around a home for kids to bring them books to read and puzzles to put together, but the sentiment of the show is genuine and sends a nice message. "The Bad Dream," is very appropriately aimed at young kids that want to be grown up but aren't always ready to process like the older kids. "Big Bear, Small Bear" mines the same territory, but this time it's Brother Bear that is trying hard to grow up. He learns a good lesson during this episode that teaches him it's okay to be exactly where he is.

The DVD also contains an interactive game for kids and some previews of other content aimed at the same demographic. Most parents will appreciate the wholesome, heartfelt content in this show, as long as it lines up with what they've conveyed to their kids. Kids will be entertained but may find the pace of the show somewhat slow or too low-key compared to the more grown-up shows that feature explosions and fast cars. If you're not yet at the explosive, fast-car stage, pick a copy of this one up for your little ones.