Berenstain Bears Bibliography & Blog

Since their debut over 60 years ago, The Berenstain Bears have been instrumental in shaping the lives of millions of children. Authors Stan and Jan Berenstain (and later their son Mike) tackled countless important subjects, helping center the moral compasses of children during their formative years.   

In the last decade and a half the Berenstain franchise has become an important voice in the space of financial literacy.  As the owner of the world’s second largest Berenstain Bear book collection, as well as a consultant to Brad Mariska (the world’s #1 collector) on the official Berenstain Bears bibliography, I found myself interested in exploring the impact of the Berenstain Bears in the financial literacy universe.  The effort to collect, catalog, and archive the various editions of Berenstain Bear books used in financial literacy education was a journey that spanned many months, many emails, and many donations to wonderful nonprofits across the United States.

Stan and Jan Berenstain first tackled the subject of financial literacy in their 1983 book “The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble With Money”.  Throughout the course of this story, Brother and Sister bear go from carelessly spending their money (in an arcade on a game of “Astro Bear” of course) to becoming entrepreneurs and opening up accounts at the Bear Country Bank.

In October 2014, another book tackling financial literacy was published entitled “The Berenstain Bears Visit The Credit Union”.  This title was written by Mike Berenstain. In this book the bears are able to visit and tour the Bear Country Credit Union, eventually opening up Cub Club accounts of their own.

Over the last ten years both “Trouble With Money” and “Visit The Credit Union” have become instrumental tools used in the financial literacy education space.  As I began to research the impact of these books, I began to realize their impact spanned across many editions and geographical locations.

The growth of the Berenstain enterprise in the financial literacy education space takes root in their 2012 partnership with the Credit Union Network for Financial Literacy (CUNFL).  The CUNFL is a wholly owned Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) of the Franklin Mint Credit Union.  In the early years of this partnership, the “Visit The Credit Union” book was available to collectors by making a $50 donation to CUNFL (for the softcover edition) and later a $100 donation (for the hardcover edition).  All early editions of this book are branded with the Franklin Mint Credit Union logo.

In 2015 the Berenstain Bears expanded their partnership with CUNFL by launching The Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy Program (BBFLP).  Credit Unions that partnered with the Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy Program were able to order branded copies of the “Visit The Credit Union” book as well as use Berenstain Bears branding in their financial literacy education.  Various packages are available for Credit Unions, including branded books, unbranded books, and other Berenstain branded material. 

As the BBFLP grew and expanded, the “Trouble With Money” book began to enjoy a renaissance of its own.  “Trouble With Money” was featured twice as part of the Money Smart Week Kids Read Program – both in 2014 (regionally in Michigan) and in 2020 (on a national level).  Money Smart Week was an annual event hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank Of Chicago where over 40 Chicago-area organizations worked together to promote financial literacy.  As the financial education space grows and evolves, Money Smart Week decided to fold their operation in 2024. 

For those partnering with the Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy Program, a new edition of “Trouble With Money” has also been issued.  This new edition reroutes the cubs from the Bear Country Bank and instead to the Bear Country Credit Union.  

Collecting the various editions of “Trouble With Money” and “Visit The Credit Union” has been an intense and interesting journey.  In addition to the various editions issued by the CUNFL and Money Smart Week were many one-off collaborations and special editions.  My goal was to track them all down – at any cost.  Perhaps I should have re-read “Trouble With Money” myself before I started this project!

Collecting “The Berenstain Bears Visit The Credit Union”

I began my research on all the branded editions of “The Berenstain Bears Visit The Credit Union” by first visiting the Cub Club Online website and tackling the list of credit unions currently adopting the Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy Program.  After working my way through that list, I used the “Way Back Machine” to explore old versions of the website and taking note of past partners who no longer use the program.  I also combed through Twitter, Facebook, and Google post by post all the way back to 2014, when these partnerships began.  I created a Google Sheet to track my progress and keep notes.

As I contacted the credit unions, I identified myself as the world’s second largest Berenstain Bears book collector and outlined the importance of collecting and archiving this material.  To my surprise, a good number of credit unions were eager and excited to be part of this project, immediately sending complimentary books.

After the initial wave of eager credit unions remained a small list of those that were harder to crack.  When a credit union would not respond to my emails to their website or their Facebook, I then used Google to find out who their marketing directors were.  Once I had the name of the marketing director, I again used Google to try to determine the structure of the credit union’s email (first initial and last name – or first and last name – etc etc).  By trial and error I was able to make direct contact with many marketing directors who were mostly eager and excited to be part of this project.

For some of the credit unions that were no longer adopting the Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy Program, I had to track down copies by various means. I found one edition at the wonderful non-profit Classroom Connections of ECI (CCECI), which provides essential classroom tools to underserved teachers and students. Their executive director Stacy Wheeler is wonderful.

Clackamas Federal Credit Union rebranded as Embold Federal Credit Union – so how was I to find one of their books before the rebrand? I was lucky to make friends at the Clackamas Bookshelf who graciously found and sent me a copy.

When I felt I had exhausted all online opportunities of contact I mailed letters through the United States Postal Service to the Credit Union headquarters where I still needed books.  This did result in acquiring further books.  There was one credit union who would not respond to any emails, Facebook messages, or letters.  As a last ditch effort I joined the Next Door app and created an account in that locale.  In a very neighborly Berenstain twist of fate – a lovely Next Door user named Kellye V was able to secure that last edition for me – sending it to me for free.  Bear Country always wins.

I felt it was important to be neighborly and generous in the course of this project.  I donated to nonprofits around the United States as a thank you to many of the people who donated their books. 

There are a large number of credit unions who have offered branded copies of the “Visit The Credit Union” book.  Some of these are currently partnered with the Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy Program and others are past clients.  In addition to these editions, American Heritage Credit Union issued a promotion during their #CUYouthMonth in 2022, offering free copies of “Visit The Credit Union” at all of their locations on a first come, first serve basis. I was kindly mailed a copy by their Vice President of Creative Marketing Brenda Fischer.

The branded editions of the “Visit The Credit Union” book are:
Alabama One Federal Credit Union (Alabama)
American Heritage Federal Credit Union (Pennsylvania)
Clackamas Federal Credit Union (now Embold Federal Credit Union) (Oregon)
Co-Op Credit Union (Minnesota)

Downey Federal Credit Union (DCFU) (California)
Franklin Mint Credit Union (Pennsylvania/Deleware)
Heartland Credit Union (Kansas)
Idaho Central Credit Union (Idaho/Washington)

Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU) (Michigan)
Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union (MHV) (New York)
OBEE Credit Union (Washington)
Okaloosa County Teachers Federal Credit Union (Florida)

Peach State Credit Union (Georgia)
Pima Federal Credit Union (Arizona)
Prime Trust Federal Credit Union (Indiana)
Providence Federal Credit Union (Oregon)

Staley Credit Union (Illinois/Tennessee)
Teachers Federal Credit Union (TCFU) (New York)
Sample Copy For Sales Purposes (Your Logo Here) (courtesy of CUNFL)
Hardcover Deluxe Edition

Additionally, these credit unions are part of the Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy program but do not have branded books at this time:
Coastal Community Federal Credit Union (Galveston, Texas)
Neighborhood Credit Union (Texas)
Synergy Federal Credit Union (Texas)

Thank you to all the wonderful employees of these Credit Unions for mailing me your editions of these books.  I interacted with so many kind and generous people – I am remiss to list you all because I am afraid I will miss someone – you know who you are.  Many of my copies of these books have business cards, brochures, and stickers that the person who sent enclosed inside.  Such a special touch.

Collecting “The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble With Money”

Researching and collecting together the various editions of “Trouble With Money” from the last ten years has been an exciting project.

The Commercial Editions

Commercial editions of “Trouble With Money” have come in three main versions since its release in 1983. The book first appeared as a “First Time Books” edition which was sold for many years. Stickers were added to the book in the mid 2000s. Collectors call this version the “Bonus Stickers Edition”. In the 2010s all Berenstain Bears “First Time Books” were rebranded as “Berenstain Bears Classics”. Pictured above are the three primary commercial editions of “Trouble With Money” from over the years.

The Money Smart Week Editions

In 2014 with support of the Michigan Credit Union League and assistance from the Library of Michigan, 3,000 copies of “Trouble With Money” were distributed to various libraries during Money Smart Week.  Luckily librarian Carrie Roer documented this event in her The Lion Is A Bookworm blog. I emailed hundreds of libraries before I tracked down a copy from the Dickinson Country Library.  These books can be identified by the large sticker in the lower left corner of the cover.

“Trouble With Money” was again distributed in 2020 during Money Smart Week in three editions: The Ally edition, The Money Smart Week Kids Read 2020 edition, and the ASFIP edition.

Ally Financial paid for copies to be distributed to libraries and non-profits in the following states: Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas.  The Ally editions were printed by Penworthy and a “Parent Reading Guide” was distributed in conjunction with this edition. The Galena Public Library kindly sent me a copy of the Ally edition while the Rockingham County Public Library sent me the corresponding parent’s guide.

The “Money Smart Week Kids Read 2020 ” edition of “Trouble With Money” has proven to be more difficult to find information on.  I emailed over a hundred libraries across the country looking for leads. On three occasions Facebook froze me from sending messages because I was too active. Strangely, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar can be seen on YouTube reading from this edition of the book – yet it was the Ally Financial edition that was distributed to libraries in Texas. 

A third Money Smart Week 2020 edition was paid for by the ASFIP Foundation in Atlanta and distributed to various libraries in Georgia. This edition is unique in that an ASFIP sticker is placed on the inner jacket of the book.

Various Bank and Credit Union Promotional Copies of “Trouble With Money”

“Trouble With Money” has been distributed in a variety of editions connected with various credit unions and banks. Among them, in 2020, First Financial Credit Union of Maryland purchased copies of “Trouble With Money” to be distributed to every student at the Watershed Public Charter School in Windsor Mill, Maryland. Go Turtles! Heartland Credit Union in Kansas handed out editions at a local Boys And Girls Club, while Dairy State Bank in Wisconsin handed out copies at local elementary schools in honor of “Teach Children To Save Day”.

More recently, in 2023, Members First Credit Union celebrated #CUKind Day by purchasing copies of “Trouble With Money” and distributing to Little Free Libraries around their community.  I was kindly mailed a copy by their Marketing Communications Specialist Rachel Hilbrandt.  I’m so thankful for this because my next plan was hiring someone from their local Facebook odd jobs group to drive around and check all the Little Free Libraries in MIdland, Michigan!

Here are the various one-off editions of “Trouble With Money” sponsored by various credit unions and banks:. 

Franklin Mint Credit Union (First Time Books branding – early edition – Pennsylvania/Deleware)
Franklin Mint Credit Union (CUNFL branding – Pennsylvania/Deleware)
CUNFL Unstickered/Unbraded edition (donated by Synergy Federal Credit Union of Texas)

First Financial Federal Credit Union (stickered book – Maryland)
CP Federal Credit Union (logo printed on cover- Michigan )
True Credit Union (stickered book after CP Federal Credit Union was rebranded – Michigan)
Neighborhood Credit Union (stickered book – Texas)

Heartland Credit Union (stickered book – Kansas)
Providence Federal Credit Union (stickered book – Oregon)
Dairy State Bank (stickered book – Wisconsin)
Members First Credit Union (stickered book – Michigan)

Here is the complete collection of “The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble With Money” as of 4/24/24:

Various Financial Literacy Activity Books

In addition to the “Trouble With Money” and “Visit The Credit Union” books there are various activity books and pamphlets that have been issued.

Activity Books/Ephemera:
Bear Country Credit Union Passport (brochure)
Cub Club Activity Book (CUFL Edition)
Cub Club Activity Book (PrimeTrust Edition)
Cub Club Activity Book (OBEE Edition)
Financial Literacy Program (brochure)
Parent’s Reading Guide To “Trouble With Money” (Money Smart Week brochure)

In the last ten years the Berenstain Bears have been an instrumental part of Financial Literacy education across the United States – preparing countless children to be responsible spenders, earners, and savers.  In the spirit of The Berenstain Bears one of the greatest takeaways from this project has been the opportunity to meet good, kind people from all over the country.  Now, go to your nearest credit union and open up a Cub Club account today!

The Complete Collection As Of 4/25/24:

As further editions of “Visit The Credit Union” and “Trouble With Money” are released throughout the years, they will be listed below in yearly updates.

2024 UPDATE:
Since the launch of this blog I have been fortunate to maintain some wonderful friendships in the credit union world. Walking to my mailbox one day, I was surprised by a mystery envelope to the “fabulous Jeremy Gloff”. Inside was an unexpected new branded edition of “Visit The Credit Union” from my equally fabulous friends at Members First Credit Union in Michigan!! Equally warm were my interactions with the team from BECU (BECU) in Washington State. Through email we shared stories of how formative these books were in growing up – and they were excited to be part of this project. A member of the Berenstain Bear collector community, Harrison Gallaugher kindly found me a copy of the VacationLand Federal Credit Union edition and sent it to me. I particularly love the branded 1st Mississippi Federal Credit Union edition that was handed out at a wonderful Juneteenth event at the Mississippi Children’s Museum.

I thank you all for your kindness and contributions. I praise you all for the good work you are doing in teaching financial wellness to the next generation through these wonderful books. I am excited to keep growing this archive and to keep an accurate record of the reach and scope of this series. Here is a photo of all the editions that have been added to the archive since 4/24, with the titles listed underneath:

Visit The Credit Union (Armco) (Pennsylvania)
Visit The Credit Union (BECU) (Washington)
Visit The Credit Union (1st Mississippi Federal Credit Union) (Mississippi)
Visit The Credit Union (Members First Credit Union) (Michigan)
Visit The Credit Union (Michigan Legacy) (Michigan)
Visit The Credit Union (RT Federal Credit Union) (Rome, New York)
Visit The Credit Union (VacationLand Federal Credit Union) (Ohio)
Trouble With Money (Isabella Community Credit Union) (Sticker on inside of front cover) (Michigan)
Trouble With Money (Navy Federal Credit Union Edition)

COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE BERENSTAIN BEARS FINANCIAL LITERACY SERIES
This is a complete bibliography of all known editions of Berenstain Bears books used in financial literacy education. If you have an edition not present on this list please email deargloffy@gmail.com

Visit The Credit Union editions:
Alabama One Federal Credit Union (Alabama)
American Heritage Federal Credit Union (Pennsylvania)
Armco Credit Union (Pennsylvania)
BECU (Washington)
Clackamas Federal Credit Union (now Embold Federal Credit Union) (Oregon)
Co-Op Credit Union (Minnesota)
Downey Federal Credit Union (DCFU) (California)
1st Mississippi Federal Credit Union (Mississippi)
Franklin Mint Credit Union (Pennsylvania/Delaware)
Heartland Credit Union (Kansas)
Idaho Central Credit Union (Idaho/Washington)
Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU) (Michigan)
Members First Credit Union (Michigan)
Michigan Legacy Credit Union (Michigan)
Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union (MHV) (New York)
OBEE Credit Union (Washington)
Okaloosa County Teachers Federal Credit Union (Florida)
Peach State Credit Union (Georgia)
Pima Federal Credit Union (Arizona)
Prime Trust Federal Credit Union (Indiana)
Providence Federal Credit Union (Oregon)
RT Federal Credit Union (Rome, New York)
Staley Credit Union (Illinois/Tennessee)
Teachers Federal Credit Union (TCFU) (New York)
Sample Copy For Sales Purposes (Your Logo Here) (courtesy of CUNFL)
Vacationland Federal Credit Union (Ohio)
Virginia Credit Union (Virginia)
Hardcover Deluxe Edition

Trouble With Money editions:
ASFIP Foundation Edition (Atlanta) (Logo stamped on inside cover)
Ally Money Smart Week Kids Read 2020
CP Federal Credit Union (logo printed on cover- Michigan)
CULink Edition (Michigan) (CUlinkmichigan.com sticker)
CUNFL Unstickered/Unbraded
Dairy State Bank (stickered book – Wisconsin)
First Financial Federal Credit Union (stickered book – Maryland)
Franklin Mint Credit Union (First Time Books branding  – Pennsylvania/Delaware)
Franklin Mint Credit Union (CUNFL branding – Pennsylvania/Delaware)
Heartland Credit Union (stickered book – Kansas)
Isabella Community Credit Union (ICCU) (Sticker on inside of front cover) (Michigan)
Members First Credit Union (stickered book – Michigan)
Money Smart Week Kids Read 2020
Navy Federal Credit Union (stickered book – Virginia)
Neighborhood Credit Union (stickered book – Texas)
Providence Federal Credit Union (stickered book – Oregon)
True Credit Union (stickered book after CP Federal Credit Union was rebranded – Michigan)

Activity Books/Ephemera:
Bear Country Credit Union Passport (brochure)
Cub Club Activity Book (CUFL Edition)
Cub Club Activity Book (PrimeTrust Edition)
Cub Club Activity Book (OBEE Edition)
Financial Literacy Program (brochure)
Parent’s Reading Guide To “Trouble With Money” (Money Smart Week brochure)

Thanks to the following people for your assistance on this project:
Sarinya Ball, Casey Berardi, Shea Boykin, Andrea Brimmer, Lori Burgess, The Clackamas Bookshelf, Kathleen Chrisman, Chloe Dardano, Dickinson County Library, Stephanie Dreiling (Heartland Credit Union), Brenda Fischer, Brittany Floyd, Galena County Library, Sara Gold, Jennifer Gunn, Susan Harris, Rachel Hilbrandt (Members First Credit Union), Luke Hooper, Rebecca Jensen (Wisconsin FB Buy Sell), Twy Kay, Hilary Kissell, Shae Krispinsky, ksgirl8375, Sarah Kyrie (Blanchardville Library), Venus R. Lockett (Urban Asset Builders, Inc.), Elaina Mackenzie (RT Federal Credit Union), Marisa (Canby Public Library), Brad Mariska, Sam Menchyk (Armco Credit Union), Casidhe Meriwether (Synergy Credit Union, Texas), Mistymornin Books, Katy Preston, RhondaK, Holly Ritz, Rockingham County Library, Melissa Ann Rye (Wisconsin FB Buy Sell), Christina Sawyer, Gypsy Todd (for your 2020 Money Smart edition), Skyler Tumbleson, Kellye V, Matt Weaver, Darren Werth (Heartland Credit Union), Stacy Wheeler, Jessa Wolfe, Scott Wozniak, Jenna Zuehlke, and all of the other wonderful CU employees and librarians who were so kind and generous with your time. Many thanks to anyone else I may have mistakenly missed.