There are very few animals that have received the cute and cuddly treatment by Hollywood and literature more than bears. Think of Paddington, Winnie the Pooh, Fozzie, Baloo, and The Berenstain Bears.

Jan Berenstain, who wrote and illustrated the beloved, wildly popular Berenstain Bears children's books with her husband Stan, died Friday at age 88. (Stan Berenstain died in 2005.) When news ...