“Uh-oh. Some nearby neighbors moved away. Now who's coming here to stay?”
—Opening quote
The Berenstain Bears' New Neighbors is a book in the Berenstain Bears series that was first published on September 13, 1994. It was later adapted into an episode of The Berenstain Bears.
Synopsis[]
A family of pandas move in to the house across the street, and Mama, Brother, and Sister are all delighted to meet them. Papa, however, has a hard time warming up to them.
Plot[]
The Bear family looked out the window at the house across the street which had a "for sale" sign out front. Brother hopes that whoever moves into the house has cubs, with Sister hoping that some of the cubs are girls her age. Just after, Mrs. McBear, a real-estate agent, pulls in front of the empty house and places a "SOLD" sign in front of the "for sale" sign. Excitedly, Papa opens the window to ask Mrs. McBear who's moving in, to which she says she can't talk because she's too busy.
Mama overhears him and says that it doesn't really make a difference who their new neighbors are, although Papa objects that it's important to know who their neighbors are. Brother again hopes the new family moving in has cubs, with Sister hoping there's girl cubs as well. The Bear family kept themselves busy throughout the week with Papa in his woodshop, Mama tending to her garden, and the cubs going to school. One early Saturday morning, Brother and Sister see a moving truck in front of the empty house and sees two adult pandas moving things in while the panda cubs were playing. The cubs prepare to go and introduce themselves, but Mama stops them and orders them to give the new family a chance to get moved in. Papa grumpily asks about the new neighbors. Sister asks if Papa doesn't like the Panda family, but he objects, saying that they're different.
At breakfast, Mama decides that she and her family are going over to introduce themselves to the Panda family, and continues with the discussion about Papa liking things being different. Angrily, Papa gets up from the breakfast table and leaves the kitchen. Shortly after, Papa looks out the window and watches as Mr. Panda builds a fence around his house, which Papa refers to as the "spite fence." After breakfast, Mama wraps a jar of honey and she, Papa, and the cubs go over to the Panda family's house to introduce themselves. Brother and Sister introduce themselves to Peter Panda and his two younger sisters Pam and Patty. Brother and Peter both talk about soccer, baseball, and football, and Sister plays jump rope with Pam and Patty.
Peter later explains to Brother that the "spite fence" is made of bamboo, as it's the Pandas' favorite food. Later that day, the Bear family goes to visit the Panda family with a jar of honey and everyone enjoys themselves. Papa learns from Mr. Panda that he is a world traveler. The following weekend, Mama opens a neighborhood welcome at the community center, and everyone in Bear Country comes to welcome the Panda family as they eat Mrs. Panda's barbecued bamboo shoots.
Characters[]
- Brother Bear
- Mama Bear
- Papa Q. Bear
- Sister Bear
- Peter Panda
- Pam and Patty Panda
- Mr. Panda
- Mrs. Panda