Relocating with kids is quite an adventure. In the middle of coordinating, packing and preparing for our move, I came across The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day. I thought it’d be a great book to help the kids better understand all the things happening around them.
We were in the middle of packing the Cool Box the day the book arrived. We sat in the messy storage unit that was going to transport all of our belongings from the Bay Area to Arizona.
The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day, written by Jan and Stan Berenstain, tells the tale of a little family who loved their house, but it became too small for their growing family. It was also too far from Papa Bear’s job and the maintenance was too much for them to keep up with every day.
Just as we did with our kids, the Bears talk about the new things to explore and the new friends to be made when they moved to the new neighborhood. Our baby girl was too young to understand the move we made, but our son needed to know every detail. The book explores similar concerns he had when we talked about moving.
What will happen to my old friends?
Will I meet new friends?
What will the new neighborhood be like?
What about my room?
The moving van pages made us laugh because our unit was just as packed as the Bears’ van. It was like one giant jig-saw puzzle of boxes. It’s also very strange for young kids to see everything get packed away, especially their stuff. So we explained that all of our things will appear in our new place and it would be like Christmas when we open the boxes.
The Bears watched as the movers drove the packed van away and saw everything arrive at their new house. Everyone welcomed them to the neighborhood and in no time, they loved their new home.
With 2 pages of stickers included, The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day helped the conversation with our son about relocating. He connected with Brother Bear and the things that scared him about moving from their old home to the new one. The book played a big part with us getting settled after the relocation.
We learned the fear and overwhelm of doing something is often much worse than actually doing it. Somehow we always make it through. The Berenstain Bears did!
What books have helped you through a transition?
This book review includes the thoughts and opinions of the blog owner. No compensation was exchanged for this review.
Stephanie Lema 