Co-founder of Berenstain Bears books dies at 82

PHILADELPHIA -- Stan Berenstain, who with his wife wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bear books that helped millions of children cope with trips to the dentist, the first day of school and getting new siblings, has died.\nBerenstain, 82, died Saturday in suburban Philadelphia from complications with cancer, said Kate Jackson of HarperCollins Children's Books in New York.\nIn more than 200 books over 40 years, the couple helped set the standard for children's literature.\n"Everybody feels like it was the end of an era," said Jackson, one of Berenstain's editors, adding that the publisher plans to continue the series. "The things that they wrote about very much came from their family experience and their heart."\nThe series showed children -- and parents -- how to deal with a long list of childhood challenges, from watching less TV to not succumbing to the "in-crowd." In the 1980s, the bear family moved onto lessons about the environment and teenage drug use.\n"I think he just wanted a society in which people understood each other, were helpful to each other and so on," said James Farley, a friend of the Berenstains who co-owns Farley's Book Shop in New Hope.\nThe first Berenstain Bears book, "The Big Honey Hunt," was published in 1962. The couple developed the series with children's author Theodor Geisel -- better known as Dr. Seuss, then head of children's publishing at Random House -- with the goal of teaching children to read while entertaining them.\nThe series eventually expanded to include television specials, an interactive Web site, DVDs and a Christmas musical. Despite changes in society in the last four decades, much stayed the same in "Bears Country."\n"Kids still tell fibs and they mess up their rooms and they still throw tantrums in the supermarket," Stan Berenstain told The Associated Press in 2002. "Nobody gets shot. No violence. There are problems, but they're the kind of typical family problems everyone goes through."\nStan and Jan Berenstain began drawing together when they met at Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art in 1941.\nThe two married soon after he got out of World War II-era Army service and began submitting cartoons to magazines. They became contributors to The Saturday Evening Post, McCalls and Collier's.\nIn their early years of collaboration, the couple wrote the "All in the Family" cartoon series for McCall's and Good Housekeeping. In 1962, they began an association with Geisel, who suggested that they write for children.\nIn later years, their sons Leo and Michael joined them at writing and illustrating, and many of the recent books are credited collectively to "The Berenstains."\nIn addition to his wife, Berenstain is survived by his two sons. A private memorial service was scheduled for Wednesday.