Since the late 80s, he has been very much involved as a writer and illustrator with his familys creation, the Berenstain Bears. These ranged in subject from wizards to dinosaurs. His first childrens book was published in 1976 followed by some thirty more over the next sixteen years. Mike attended art school in Philadelphia in the early 70s, then worked as a designer in the Childrens Book Department of a New York publisher before starting his career as an author and illustrator. Ever since, hes enjoyed drawing garbageapple cores, banana peels, old bed springs and the like. It features a picture of Papa Bear getting a big load of garbage dumped on his head.

The answer is THE BERENSTAIN BEARS PICNIC, created when he was twelve. Hes often asked which is his favorite Berenstain Bear book.

He was also interested in watching the creation of his parents magazine cartoons during the 50s and finally, the birth of the first Berenstain Bears book in 1962. Hes been drawing ever since.Īside from drawing, Mikes primary interests growing up were playing whiffle ball with his older brother Leo, collecting insects, stamps, coins, bottle caps, baseball cards, etc., building model planes, playing Davy Crockett in the backyard and fishing. His mother looked at the tangled hairball he had created, pointed out some random shape and said, 'Look! Youve drawn a fish!' It did, indeed, look like a fish. He remembers sitting on the floor scribbling on yellow typewriter paper with a big black pencil. Mike's earliest memory is of his parents studio in suburban Philadelphia. They live in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks a lot like Bear Country. Mike is married to Andrea and they have three children. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents, Stan and Jan, working together to write and draw these lovable bears.

The berenstain bears picnic