Papa Bear is a hypocrite.
There's a "Do as I say, not as I do" thing happening here. It's not bad. It still definitely teaches good rules for the beach.
Message
Be careful when you're at the beach.
Jan Berenstain
Papa Bear fails in the snow.
Another inane older Berenstain Bear book where Papa tries to teach Small Bear things and just fails miserably at everything.
Message
Be careful in the winter.
Unrealistic story, unrealistic expectations.
What. This makes no sense. Nobody acts like this. This is ridiculous. They're trying to get a message across, but they're doing it by depicting an unrealistic scenario.
Message
Be nice to your loved ones.
The authors didn't care enough to write a story.
It feels like it should go somewhere as a story, but it doesn't. There's no story here. It's just a framing device for a lecture.
Message
Wash your hands, or you'll still be sick.
Hijinks stereotypically ensue.
We're supposed to get into trouble! Let's get into some super-stereotypical trouble right now!
Message
Go to sleep at a sleepover? Sleepovers are exhausting for parents?
Skip this one and stay home.
It kind of sucks that Mama still has to be in charge of a lot of things even though it's supposed to be her night off.
Message
Give your mom a break every once in a while.
You can never have too many pets.
Kids probably shouldn't just randomly take home animals that they find in a pond, whether or not they're kittens. They might have rabies, or something worse.
Message
Kittens make good pets.
More boring than a real aquarium.
These kids are just a frigging pain. They just will not shut up about the stupid dolphins and whale.
Message
The only interesting things that live underwater are dolphins and whales.
Gosh darn these newfangled machines and their social networkings.
I feel really discriminated against as a computer nerd.
Message
The Internet is bad.
All pets are equal, but some are more equal than others.
If I didn't know better, I would think they were intending to write something about the "entitlement generation." Because, seriously, that's what this turns out to be. "I can't decide who is the best! Everybody gets a prize!"
Message
You can never have too many pets. All pets are awesome.