The chain last week pulled the Jim Henson Company-produced finger puppets that were being placed in children’s meals, officially citing safety concerns; the move, however, was largely viewed as retribution for the puppet and production studio's very public rebuke of the fast food chain's president, Dan Cathy, and his confirmation that his restaurant donated to religious organizations that fight against gay marriage.

Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Chick-fil-A is rewarding young diners with a series of books from the Berenstain Bears series, a move that does not seem to please the group that owns the copyrights to the series.

Posted on the Berenstain Bears Co.'s official site is this message:

Our publisher, HarperCollins, is marketing several of their Berenstain Bears titles through a kids' meal promotion at Chick-Fil-A scheduled for August. This program was in development for over a year. We were unaware of any controversy involving Chick-Fil-A until July 25th.

The Berenstain family does not at this time have control over whether this program proceeds or not. We hope those concerned about this issue will direct their comments toward HarperCollins and Chick-Fil-A.

Sincerely, The Berenstain Family.