The Berenstain Bears In the Dark is a children's book written by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It was first published in 1982.
Description[]
Brother and Sister often borrow books from their local library. Sister prefers books about ecology and story books. While Brother has enjoyed those too, he is maturing and taking an interest in mystery novels. Brother checks out a book called The Mystery of the Crying Cave, which looks eerie. During the evening when the entire Bear family is reading in the den, Sister finishes her book and accepts Brother's offer to read the mystery to her.
The book is about three Bear Scouts who were hiking in the mountains and came upon a cave that looked like a human face. When the cave emitted a ghostly noise, it scared the three Scouts away! Mama interrupts saying it is time for bed. That night, heavy autumn winds occur, which give the house a pallor. Brother decides to have some fun at Sister's expense by making spooky noises akin to creepy cave. This causes a vicious cycle: Sister cries out for Mama and Papa, who come in and leave the light on. But Brother protests he can only sleep in the dark so he shuts the light off, causing Sister to cry out for her parents, who return and reactivate the light switch, which returns to Brother turning off the lights and Sister wailing, et cetera.
The following morning, the entire Bear family is weary from lack of sleep. Papa decides to help Sister with her problem. He takes Sister up to the attic, where it is dark, and says that oftentimes one's imagination can construct things not always as they seem. Sister wishes she did not have one so she would never be scared, but Papa says that is ludicrous, for without imagination one would be unable to handle complex science problems, paint pictures, write stories and many of the more rich parts of the world.
Sister first sees a ghost, only to be a pile of old clothes when Papa shines the light on it. Sister then sees an owl; which Papa says is true, but a plaster owl statue he won at a carnival many years ago. Mama also helps Sister out by having her inherit a night light in the form of a lighthouse she owned when she was a cub; signifying there is light no matter how dark it seems, just like a lighthouse for sailors at sea. That evening, Brother offers to complete the unfinished reading of The Mystery of the Crying Cave only if Sister will not freak out. Sister, better focused after Papa's lesson, agrees.
Brother's mystery book concludes by saying that the three Scouts dropped their backpacks and needed to go back for them; ergo they needed to confront their fears. They go inside the cave to solve the mystery; an opening in the alcove caused the wind to blow over it making the piercing noise. That night, even though a howling gale rips through Bear Country, Sister sleeps peacefully thanks to Papa's lesson and Mama's night light. However, Brother is the one scared of the gale, and thinks he should lay off mystery novels.