Spooky Old Tree

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Book – The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree

Author – Stan, Jan Berenstain

Three brave little bears explore the inside of a mysterious old tree and go into, up, through, over, down, and out. – Goodready Synopsis

There are few moments in life when you can experience a master piece of art. A piece of art that blossoms into a lifelong love and appreciation of the craft. The kind of art that leaves you speechless and teary eyed. The kind of art that sweeps you off your feet. The kind of art that takes you to a nice restaurant and properly wine and dines you. (The kind of art that is not found in this blog…) The only question I have for you now is – “Do you dare to continue on?”

Backstory

There was once a cute little boy that loved to have stories read to him. This boy had developed an early love for anything adventurous and fantasy related. This boy apparently made his mother read him the Spooky Old Tree again and again and again and…

That boy was me! My mother had just recently sent me this book that she used to read to me day in and day out as a sweet gesture to remind us of the bond we shared during my childhood. The best part was that this gift was a surprise. I came home one night after a fun day’s work to a book mailer pouch sitting in my mailbox, opened it up, and immediately knew who/why/how I got it. I would be lying if I said it did not make me emotional.

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Adventure

Sometimes you wonder why you like the things that you like. You wonder how you developed your personality, you wonder what were the things that contributed to the building of your current character and self. While I read this story again, I noticed it had tons of thing that I currently enjoy now, just painted in a more softhearted light.

These bears get prepared to go on an adventure and they keep going just for the sake of adventure. Countless times they are presented with the option to turn around and go back, but the courage to keep going wins at every turn. (I think there is a lesson to be learned there?)

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Courage

We all have our own personal adventures that we are on. Whether it’s a physical adventure or not, everyone has some path that they choose to follow. Maybe we don’t like the path that we are on. Maybe we want to change the path that we are on. If three cubs can do it, you can do it too. The toughest choices are the hardest to make, and we all want to see immediate results, but if you stick it out, and that sometimes means taking the hard path first, just know it will all work out in the end if you put your heart into it.

Family

Family is important. If you know me, you will probably think that I don’t really think so. These three bears show more commodore than I will probably ever show. Why? Because it is hard for me to express emotion in person and to maintain relationships. Maybe this is a problem with most introverts, but nonetheless, remember that we do care. The journey may have been scary, we may have dared to go on, but always remember that at the end: We are home again, Safe at last, and with smiles on our faces.

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Youth

Remember those summer days? The summer that stretched through what felt like an eternity? Those are the days that we all yearn to get back. When time was not relative. When we could swing away in the warm sun surrounded by lush green trees. It all seems like a paradise now, and for some of us, that is the paradise we seek in the stories that we read. Are we trying to escape? Or are we trying to recapture some of our childhood in the words of novels? Who knows.

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For all of the people who have been following along – Thank you from the bottom of little Chaz’s heart.

 

LIFE OF CHAZ (1)

53 comments

  17. Chaz, I loved this post! Although I never had this particular book as a kid, you made me reflect on the stories I loved most as a child and how similar themes are still relevant in the books I like now. You’ve inspired me. Stay tuned for my own future post regarding my childhood favorites! Thanks for sharing. 😊

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  20. Berenstain Bears were some of my favorite books when I was younger and now that my kids are 3, 4, & 5 my wife and I got them a huge compilation of their stories.

    The series of books that have done and did for me what this series did for you though was The Little House on the Prairie series.

    When I was younger many times over the years when I would stay at my grandparents my grandmother would sit on the side of my bed and read the series to me and I would lie there imagining what it would have been like to live back then until I finally fell asleep. We read the series through many times.

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  21. I really enjoyed this post because it reminded me of my favorite Berenstain Bears book, The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room. I still have a penchant for organizing because of this title, and I still recommend the Berenstain Bears to parents when they are looking for books to read with their kids. Thanks for sharing your memories!

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  22. The books of my childhood still resonate with me. And always will. My mom kept me supplied with a steady stream of books, and my dad read some special ones over and over. I’ve found some. Some are just bare memories. Some ive searched for for years. All of them shaped me and my reading habits and preferences. I’m glad you got to enjoy one of your favs again. A glimpse back brings such deep joy to a life burdened by being an adult!

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  27. OMG, my kids love this story! It was in a book that contained several Berenstain Bear stories, (my childhood flooding back to me) called the “Big Book of Berenstain Bears.” We borrowed it from the library and I have yet gotten the chance to buy it for them. Thanks for the reminder! :).

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  38. That was such a lovely read. I have two books in particular that I remember from childhood, but I know my mum doesn’t still have them. Oh how I wish that she did!
    This is why I have already started putting away well loved books of my children’s, so that they can have that same warmth when they re-read them as adults.

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