Back in May, I had a chance to review LeapFrog Letter Factory with my youngest daughter who will be starting kindergarten in the Fall. We enjoyed exploring the alphabet with Tad on his musical journey. And we were on the lookout for more fun educational videos to help give her a head start and the LeapFrog brand has always provided.
Now we have seen the LeapFrog Math Adventure to the Moon, which focuses on counting, sorting, patterns, and simple addition. This time we have Tad and Lilly learning about counting for a school project. They have to come up with a collection of ten things, but they are having a hard time counting that high or figuring out what to collect.
For the next 30 minutes, the viewer, Tad, and Lilly are led on a long trip by their good friend Edison, the firefly. Edison has a few tricks up his sleeve to help the kids learn how to count by 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, and so on as well as other math-related skills. Where does Edison take the pair? To the moon of course! What would be more cool than to show a collection of ten moon rocks in class?
The LeapFrog team has once again put together a great lesson integrating fun songs, activities, and comic elements as well as a bit of suspense. The suspense part surprised me a bit, as it seemed a bit dark and destructive for a kindergarten-age audience. In this case, it was a space storm threatening to either suck everything in or blow everything away. Everything worked out alright in the end and the trio managed to save the day for some space aliens along the way.
I was impressed with the seamless integration of patterns into the story. The characters had to unlock the launch code to take off in their spaceship. And to do that they needed to figure out the pattern of shapes and colors and enter the right pattern to start the ship. It was a great way to introduce the pattern concept while also introducing the idea of a password or “launch code” to start something up.
My only complaint with this adventure was that it seemed too short. That however may have been because we were enjoying ourselves and didn’t want it to end. At 36 minutes long, it’s about the same length as LeapFrog Letter Factory so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
In addition to the main adventure, the DVD includes a few special features including a Sorting Game you can play with the DVD remote, a few sing-along songs, and the Alphabet Song from Let’s Go to School (another LeapFrog adventure).
If you’re looking for a good math-based educational adventure for your kindergarten-aged youngsters, LeapFrog Math Adventure to the Moon should be a great fit. I know we’re looking forward to finding other LeapFrog adventures to enjoy!
–Fitz
p.s. Click below to find this and other LeapFrog adventures at Amazon!
Have you ever noticed how Scooby and the gang consistently find themselves in the thick of a good mystery? Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo certainly seems to continue that trend!
If you’ve been hiding in a cave for the last few decades, you may not have heard of Scooby-Doo, so let’s give you a little refresher…
Scooby-Doo is an always starving, scaredy-cat Great Dane who can almost talk with his woofing
Scooby belongs to Shaggy, who also happens to be his best friend and is also always starving and seeks to avoid scary situations
Velma is the glasses-wearing brains of the team who seems to have “cluedar” when hot on the trail of a mystery
Daphne is a fashion-conscious, self-conscious socialite seeking to improve herself
And Fred is a creative, yet sometimes oblivious ex-jock who leads the team into danger and devises clever traps to catch monsters and crooks
The team calls themselves “Mystery, Inc.” and drives around in a beat-up old green van that hasn’t changed since the series started in the 1960s. They find mysteries wherever they go and become “meddling kids” who foil the plans of conniving criminals.
Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo starts with the gang finishing up a mystery and Velma getting a call from her mom, who is worried about Velma’s younger sister – Madelyn. And so the team rushes off to the Whirlen Merlin Magic Academy to make sure Madelyn is safe…
They arrive at the Academy only to discover that it was housed in a castle moved brick-by-brick from Ireland two-hundred years before by a man interested in dark magics. The adventure included a creepy castle, a creepy grounds-keeper, a creepy housekeeper, and even a creepy businessman who wanted to buy the castle from the owners at a reduced price. The “creepy” factor was in full swing as you’d expect in any Scooby-Doo adventure!
The first thing I noticed was that the opening credits provided a highly stylized view of the gang finishing a mystery. At times it appeared to be what I imagine an acid flashback from the 1960s might be like, but it did a good job of getting the gang to the opening scene without much exposition. It didn’t hurt that it also included the obligatory dance scene that was found in many of the original episodes of the series.
In addition, this is the first animated movie in which Matthew Lillard has done the voice for Shaggy. Casey Kasem has done the voice in all the episodes and direct-to-DVD movies up to this point, but he retired from doing more voice acting in 2009 and Lillard has stepped in. Lillard portrayed Shaggy in the two live action Scooby-Doo movies Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, so I think he’s a great choice to carry on the role.
The animation style is the same as in the last Scooby adventure – Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword – but the group was back to their traditional costumes from the episodes in the 1960s, including Fred’s signature ascot he wears. I found it amusing that poor Fred was called “Scarf Boy” several times during the movie.
I have to say I did find it amusing that the dining hall of the castle looks very similar to the dining hall in the Harry Potter movie series – just with much fewer students. There’s just something about a drafty castle hall with dinner plates that evokes that Potter-feel. But other than that it seemed like your typical fun Scooby adventure.
The only extra on the DVD to speak of is “Scooby-Doo! and Puppets Too!”, which walks kids through creating several types of “scary” puppets from paper bags, hollow tubes, and various craft bits and pieces. We weren’t all that impressed with the presenter, but it was interesting to see how kids could make puppets at home.
Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo was a fun movie in the spirit of the original series, but with an updated animation style. Watching with my two daughters, we all had a great time. Be sure to check it out at your favorite retailer or video rental counter when it arrives on February 16!
–Fitz
p.s. Pick up this and other Scooby adventures on DVD from Amazon below!
Since the 1940s, Tom and Jerry have provided cat and mouse antics for all ages. As a kid growing up in the 1970s and 80’s, I found these characters crated by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera to be just as entertaining as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. And now with kids of my own, I truly enjoy having the ability to share these shorts with my two daughters and seeing them laugh just as much as I still do as an adult.
Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases, Volume 4 continues the trend by Warner Home Video of release batches of classic cartoons for new generations to enjoy on DVD. Volume 4 includes 14 more classic shorts from the 1940s and 1950s.
Among some of my favorite shorts in this collection are:
Little Quacker (1950) and Just Ducky (1953), featuring Jerry’s little friend duck
Tom and Chérie (1955) features Tom, Jerry, and Jerry’s assistant Tuffy in the third “Mouseketeer” short (after “The Two Mouseketeers” (1952) and “Touche’, Pussy Cat!” (1954))
Jerry & Jumbo (1953) featuring Jerry and his baby elephant friend Jumbo, who fell off a circus train
Little School Mouse (1954) entertains the notion of Jerry teaching Tuffy how to outwit cats and ends up with him needing to learn a thing or two himself
There’s an innocence to these cartoons that I still find endearing after all these years. Sure there’s cartoon violence, but the only blood you’ll see is the ketchup used to fool Tom into thinking he’s bleeding every now and then (and not at all in this collection).
What am always consistently amazed by is the music. Scott Bradley scored all but one of the original Tom and Jerry cartoons for MGM and Hanna-Barbera and I have to say that they are not only full of fun music, but a wide variety of styles – from jazz and blues to ballroom and country.
Tom and Jerry will forever be among my favorite cartoons and I’ve enjoyed revisiting my youth while watching them again on DVD. Be sure to look for Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases, Volume 4 at your local retailer or rental store.
–Fitz
p.s. Pick up this and other Tom and Jerry collections at Amazon below!
When I heard about a bright 8-year old boy who had written and illustrated not one book, but three – I was intrigued. My own daughter has similar aspirations, so I decided to check out Dalton James’ imaginative fiction. And I have to say that I was impressed by what I read!
The Mudhogs tells the story about a clubhouse for a group of three little pigs. Told from the point of view of Fangs, a tick on Piggy’s leg, we hear the tale of how the three pigs deal with a mud shortage. Piggy, Piggles, and Piglet try everything they can think of to make it rain, so that they might make even a little mud. But no rain came.
They tried a rain dance. That didn’t work. They tried to cast a spell. That didn’t work. They even tried putting on a play, complete with thunder and lightning, but that didn’t work either.
Finally they decided they’d go on an adventure in search of mud. None of the towns had any mud. None of the states had any mud. Even the countries they visited were without any mud. But when they got home… they discovered it had been raining while they’d been away and there was plenty of mud for everybody!
Though the artwork was childlike, I was fascinated by the story and the imagination used to create it. My favorite part of the book is when the pigs are traveling and go to the towns of Piggsburg, Hogsbreath, Swineville, and Slopton. As if those weren’t good enough, they then visit the states of Pighoma, Snortesee, New Hog, and Piggselvania. And while you’re still giggling at the first two waves of names, they then go to the countries of Pig of Mud States, Pigsia, Hogico, and Barnia.
It’s obvious that 8-year-old Dalton James has quite a career ahead of him in publishing if he keeps up the great work. He should be an inspiration to kids and parents everywhere to go out on a limb and be creative. You never know who you’ll meet or where you’ll end up. Personally, I’d like to travel to Slopton, Piggselvania, and Barnia. They sound like fun places to visit!
–Fitz
p.s. Check out these other books by Dalton James at Amazon!
About six months ago, I reviewed Care Bears: Tell-Tale Tummies with my two daughters. The DVD featured a collection of eight episodes from the animated series that aired in 2007. We’ve really enjoyed these cute, cuddly characters telling stories aimed at kids in preschool and early elementary. Each episode focuses on a valuable lesson in a very kid-friendly and accessible manner.
If you’re not familiar with the Care Bears, they started as an idea for a line of greeting cards at American Greetings in 1981. Each bear has a unique “belly badge” denoting their magical abilities. For example, Funshine Bear has a sun on his belly and is all about helping his friends have fun. And Cheer Bear has a rainbow on her belly and tries to keep everyone upbeat and cheerful. In 1983, the bears became a very popular series of stuffed animals and the phenomenon began to spread…
By the mid 1980s, the Care Bears had three feature films and their own television show. And it was all rebooted for a new generation in the early 2000s, just in time for all the parents who grew up in the 80s to pass the craving for cute bears down to their own kids. I wasn’t a huge Care Bears fan growing up (though my sister, 5 years my junior, definitely was). But now as a parent, I have to admit that the cartoons provide solid role models and lessons that my daughters can relate to.
Now Lionsgate has released eight never-before seen episodes from the same series and these Care Bears episodes all focus on themes of friendship, responsbility, asking for help, and more — all good lessons for boys and girls growing up and getting ready for preschool or kindergarten. It’s amazing that these bears have not only survived but thrived when so many other cartoons from the 1980s have faded from that same era. I just think it proves that good television for kids can be entertaining and educational if done right.
Included among the eight episodes are:
“Ice Creamed,” which teaches that too much of a good thing is still too much.
“A Little Help” shows that nobody should be afraid to ask for help.
“Rudemate” proves that everyone should strive to be a respectful guest and respect your own things and those of others…”
As you can see, these are simple messages that come through loud and clear as the bears work through problems together. We can all use little reminders like that now and again.
In addition to the episodes, the DVD features “Direct Play,” which allows kids to simply play the DVD without additional assistance from a parent. I know that my youngest daughter, almost 5, definitely benefits from this simpler approach to playing a DVD rather than having to navigate a DVD menu.
If you’re a parent searching for entertaining stories and good lessons for kids, Care Bears: Helping Hearts provides eight great reasons to check it out!
–Fitz
p.s. Pick up this Care Bears DVD and others from Amazon!
Ok, it’s time to come clean on this one. G-FORCE found its way onto the big screen from Walt Disney Pictures in July 2009. The “G” in this case stands for guinea pigs. Not just any guinea pigs, but computer-generated, talking guinea pigs who were trained to be FBI Special Agents. And did I mention the mole in the group? Yes, there’s a mole. And a fly with electronic surveillance capabilities literally turning him into a “fly on the wall…”
Who was this movie meant for? Kids. The trailers made no bones about it when they were promoting the film for the theater and I won’t deny it here either. When one of the most memorable lines in the movie is “Poop in his hand! Poop in his hand!” spoken in unison by a group of not-so-bright mice in a pet store, it leaves little room for doubt. My two girls (ages 4 and begged to see it in the theater and we eventually picked it up to watch on DVD.
What’s Jerry Bruckheimer doing producing this kind of film when he could be working on improving the story for the next Transformers sequel? I haven’t a clue.
But back to G-Force. The plot revolves around this special group of trained animals who can talk and use fancy equipment in the line of duty. The team consists of Darwin (Sam Rockwell), Juarez (Penelope Cruz), Blaster (Tracy Morgan), Speckles (Nicolas Cage as the mole), and Mooch (the fly, Dee Bradley Baker). Their trainer who came up with the idea, Ben (Zach Galifinakis), sends the team out on an unsanctioned mission to retrieve sensitive information from a potentially evil mastermind – Leonard Saber (Bill Nighy). Though the team does manage to survive the mission, it’s considered unsuccessful when they discover that the data they thought they had wasn’t the right data at all…
When Agent Kip Killian (Wil Arnett) comes in to take a look at Ben’s operation, the failed mission becomes the excuse needed to shut the project down. In the chaos that occurs, the team becomes separated and loses Speckles, who is presumed dead in an accident involving a trash truck.
The rest of the movie explores the team as they try to figure out what went wrong and try to stop Saber’s evil plot for world domination. Along the way, they encounter Hurley (Jon Favreau) and Bucky (Steve Buscemi).
Really G-FORCE has a top-notch team of funny actors doing voices for these characters I really wanted to like – unfortunately it really dragged in spots. On the plus side, there was a saving grace at the end – a twist ending! None of us saw it coming and it actually made the ending much more satisfying than what I was predicting.
Was this a great film? Not really. Was it as horrible as I was expecting? Not really. It was fun in spots and boring in others, so I think it broke even. I know my kids really enjoyed it, which is always a good thing. And the pet store scenes were pretty dang funny (Buscemi is a major scene stealer). Definitely a good renter if you get a chance to see it.
The version of the DVD I watched came from the Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy combo back, which provides a lot of bang for your buck. As someone looking at upgrading to Blu-Ray in the next year or so, I have to admit that I really like these Combo Packs from Disney and other manufacturers. They save me the trouble of having to purchase another copy of a film when I upgrade.
In addition to the movie itself, many special features are included on the discs. Some were on the Blu-ray – “Cine-Explore With Darwin, Blaster & Their Creator,” “Bruckheimer Animated: A Look Back at His CG Work,” and “Access Granted: Inside the Animation Lab.” Unfortunately, without a Blu-Ray player I was unable to view these.
However, the DVD included all the other features including audio commentary from director Hoyt H. Yeatman, Jr. and a number of fun bits. “Blaster’s Boot Camp” introduces you to the exciting world of the G-FORCE team, including the training and various toys used (grappling hook, launch tubes, and so on). “G-FORCE Mastermind” features interviews with Bruckheimer and director Yeatman about how the project came about. It was interesting to hear the son of the director talk about coming up with the idea that his dad turned into a feature film.
Of course, the “G-Farce” blooper reel has some great scenes, especially from Galifianakis and Morgan. The cast and crew seemed to have a great time filming, which I expected due to the many comedic personalities involved.
The Music Videos I could have done without, but I know my girls enjoyed dancing to the music. And some of the Deleted Scenes were hilarious. The “March of the Cockroaches” was my favorite, with the automated boots stomping in unison to prove how hard it was to kill the buggers… and accidentally killing one of them in the process!
Though I can’t say this is my favorite Disney film in recent years, G-FORCE definitely was a hit with the kids and had some funny parts. If you have kids, I’d recommend it as a solid renter for them over the holidays!
–Fitz
p.s. Be sure to look for G-FORCE at your favorite retailer or click below!
Did you watch the trailers for Aliens in the Attic when they were on television and in movie theaters and cringe inwardly? I was there with you. This flick had all the earmarks of a trainwreck… A mix of animation and live action? Check. A young cast trying to expand their careers? Check. Alien invasion? Check. The list goes on… But was it really as bad as people said? Not really. Some parts were actually funny and others were almost touching.
What’s the story then? A teenage boy, Tom (Carter Jenkins), and his family – father Stuart (Kevin Nealon), mom Nina (Gillian Vigman), and sister Bethany (Ashley Tisdale) – go on vacation with their extended family. Cousin Jake (Austin Butler), twins Art and Lee (Henri and Regan Young), young sister Hannah (Ashley Boettcher), uncle Nathan (Andy Richter), and grandma Rose (Doris Roberts). Yes, it’s a big family reunion. Slimy boyfriend Ricky (Robert Hoffman) even drives up in his fancy car to surprise Bethany.
Unfortunately, they have some univited guests who start causing havoc. A group of aliens arrive as a scouting party for a bigger invasion force.
Many of the funny scenes were shown in the trailers, including the battle royale between Grandma and Ricky as mind-controlled puppets. All of the scenes where Ricky and Grandma were implanted with the mind-control device were really quite amusing. There’s something about idiot boyfriends and sweet old grannies going toe to toe that is absurd enough to keep you laughing. The fact that the mind control didn’t work on the children was a fun plot device to keep the battles mainly between the kids and the aliens with the adults only occasionally getting in the way.
The aliens had a lot of personality as well, considering that they were CGI. Voiced by Thomas Haden Church, J.K. Simmons, and others, each had his or her own way of looking at the world. And though they were about 2 feet tall and kind of mean, they were violent in mainly cartoonish ways – so this was never too scary for my kids.
It also seemed that writers Mark Burton and Adam Goldberg had a good grasp of using what was at hand in the house for the warfare between the kids and the aliens. The kids were putting together potato guns and using firecrackers in the air ducts to keep the aliens with better technology at bay.
Most of the almost touching moments were between Stuart and Tom. Theirs was a father-son relationship that had become strained as Tom tried to deal with being a smart geek in school who was always picked on by the cool or athletic kids. To rebel, he decided to fail his classes to try and fit in with the “cool” crowd, which only succeeded in making his parents upset with him. By the end of the film, Tom decides he’s ok with being a smart kid, since it was his smarts that helped save the planet from the pint-sized aliens.
Really it wasn’t too bad. And my two girls (ages 4 and giggled their way through most of it, so I think they had fun too.
In addition to the movie, there are a number of features included on the DVD. Ashley Tisdale is featured in the “Introduction to Film,” the “Introduction to Special Features,” and “The Ashley Encounters” segments. The “Alternate Ending” didn’t work as well for me as the actual one they used in the movie, and the Deleted Scenes didn’t add much, but were probably fun to film for Tim Meadows, who played the Sheriff.
The Gag Reel was fun, and shows that all the kids and adults had a good time filming. I really liked the “Behind the Zirkonians” short, which was done as a motion comic book. The animators must have had a good time pulling it together. And in “Meet the Zirkonians” you have an interactive feature that tells you various things about each of the four alien characters. For example, who knew Tazer was “single and looking”?
But the “Kung Fu Grandma” faux-commercial was my favorite feature. I had no idea that mind controlled grannies had so many special moves.
All in all, Aliens in the Attic was a fun movie to share with my kids. Find it at a rental store near you!
The Ice Age movie series started back in 2002 with the first movie by Blue Sky Studios. It featured Manny the Mammoth (Ray Romano), Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the Sabertooth Tiger (Denis Leary) trying to survive and evade the coming ice age. As Sid is often fond of saying, they are the world’s weirdest herd. Also included were the continuing misadventures of Scrat, a sabertoothed squirrel, and his attempts to find all the acorns.
In 2006, the series continued with Ice Age: The Meltdown. The herd continues to get weirder as they encounter Ellie (Queen Latifah), another mammoth, and her two “brothers” – opossums Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck). Ellie was adopted by the opossums and just came to believe she was one, as she had never encountered another mammoth before meeting Manny. Sid meanwhile is kidnapped by a tribe of mini-sloths who believe him to be a god, which doesn’t turn out well. And we discover that Diego is afraid of water. Scrat makes another appearance in The Meltdown, chasing down his acorn, fighting off giant piranha, and generally having a miserable time.
And in the summer of 2009, we saw the third sequel called Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Now Ellie and Manny are a couple expecting a baby mammoth any day now and Diego and Sid are wondering where they fit into the equation. Scrat is back as well, but he finds a new challenger who wants his acorn – Scratte. Who wins that battle? The acorn of course!
In Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Sid discovers three eggs he finds in a cave. He calls them Eggbert, Shelly, and Yoko and draws a face on each. Though told to put them back by Manny, Sid keeps them and they hatch the next morning into baby Tyrannosaurus who think Sid is their mother. Unfortunately, the babies’ real mother goes looking for her eggs and herds her new hatchlings and Sid down into a huge underground world filled with prehistoric beasties.
Manny, the pregnant Ellie, Diego, Crash, and Eddie all head into the caves to find and rescue Sid. Once in the dinosaur paradise, they’re helped by Buck (Simon Pegg), a one-eyed weasel living a life of adventure in this hidden prehistoric world. Buck is a bit off his rocker, but knows his way around many of the dangers facing Sid’s would-be-rescuers and proves very resourceful despite his obvious lunatic nature.
Honestly, when we saw Dawn of the Dinosaurs in the theater I was sure that I liked this movie better than The Meltdown. There’s a magical spark when you see these characters fighting to stay a family amidst all odds. And after seeing the film again on DVD, I still think this was better than the second sequel. The perils faced by the “herd” led each character to face their own fears and triumph to save their friends. I can hardly think of a better message than that for the young audiences the movie was meant for.
The “Scrat Pack” also included a second DVD with 11 short features about Scrat and a few DVD-ROM activities.
As huge fans of Scrat, we really were looking forward to the features we hadn’t seen. The two Scrat short films – “Gone Nutty – Scrat’s Missing Adventure” and “No Time For Nuts” were both hilarious, pitting the insane prehistoric rodent against his nemesis, the ever-present acorn. In “Gone Nutty,” we see what happens when Scrat has too much of a good thing and loses his acorn supply. The freefall segment with Scrat and the falling acorns is just brilliant. And in “No Time for Nuts,” Scrat and the acorn go on an adventure through time and space with a device resembling something from a Jules Verne novel. As always, things don’t go well for Scrat as he bounces through various periods in history.
We also liked “Falling for Scratte,” which focused on the development of the Scatte character and how they found the voice among the talent in their own crew. The interview with Pegg about Buck, “Buck: From Easel to Weasel,” was also entertaining as they discussed how they ended up with Buck as a character. And learning how to draw Scrat in “Scrat: From Head to Toe” was great. I’m sure my eldest daughter, an aspiring artist, will be drawing the little nutty critter in no time.
Some of the rest of the Scrat shorts on the DVD however fell a bit flat. But the fake news reports like “Scrat: Breaking Story” and “Scrat: News Report” tried very hard to be funny. Scrat just doesn’t really belong in newsreel-type footage.
All in all, I have to say I really enjoyed Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and I hope that Manny, Sid, and Diego come back for future episodes of their continuing saga. Who knows? Maybe Diego or Sid will find love in the next movie? Be sure to look for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – The Scrat Pack at your favorite retailer today!
Shaun the Sheep and Aardman Animations once again prove that stop-motion animation is alive and well. This stop-motion animated series is about a flock of sheep on a farm and the trouble they get into in their daily lives. The series centers on the adventures of Shaun, the title character, who is the lead sheep in the flock.
In addition to Shaun, the series features other unique characters on the farm. Bitzer is a farm dog whose responsibility it is to make sure things get done, including watching Shaun’s flock. As a consequence, he often gets drawn into the machinations of Shaun’s schemes. And then there’s The Farmer, who wears thick glasses and has little imagination. It’s his farm that all the characters live upon, and he is often duped by Bitzer and Shaun to get the sheep in and out of trouble. Beyond Shaun, Bitzer, and The Farmer, there are many other characters in the flock and around the farm.
Other characters include Shirley, who is by far the largest sheep in the flock and a force of nature who must be physically pushed from place to place. She seems to be part goat and eats anything. Timmy is the baby sheep of the flock always causing his Mother, who always wears curlers, to panic until her baby is safe. And the Naughty Pigs live in the sty beside the sheep field and are another source of trouble for the flock. They have found many ways to get in the way of the sheep having fun since the series began.
The character of Shaun the Sheep first appeared in Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave back in 1995. In 2007 he got his shot at the big time in his own series. And over the last couple of years, working with Lionsgate, and HIT Entertainment, these great stop-motion animated episodes have been coming to the US on DVD as well as on the Disney Channel.
Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors features six new adventures for Shaun and his friends, as well as a couple of entertaining games.
Among my favorites were the titular episode “Little Sheep of Horrors,” “Abracadabra,” and “Troublesome Tractor.”
In “Little Sheep of Horrors,” the Farmer decides to watch a scary movie, but loses interest and go to bed. But before he goes to bed, Timmy the baby sheep who has been peering in the window watching becomes intrigued. Timmy finds a way into the house, messily eats some pizza, and falls asleep in the Farmer’s chair watching the movie. When Timmy’s Mother finds little Timmy missing, she wakes the flock and Shaun mounts a hair-raising rescue in the house…
Adding a bit of magic to the series, “Abracadabra” features an old magic set thrown out by the Farmer during some Spring Cleaning. When Shaun gets a hold of it and decides to put on a show for the flock, things get out of hand. Invisible sheep on the field are the least of Bitzer’s worries as he tries to get things back under control!
And in “Troublesome Tractor,” the Farmer’s tractor seems to be bound for the scrap heap as he dreams of a newer, faster model. Shaun and the flock overhaul the old tractor for him, giving it an updated look and a faster engine. Unfortunately, they didn’t manage to test it out before the Farmer saw it and chaos reigns supreme…
The two DVD games are “Sheep-Shearing Game” where you get to choose which area of Shirley to shear. Poor Shirley ends up with some entertaining designs as the wool flies. And the “Whack-a-Pig Game” is a variation on the “Whack-a-Mole” game where you get to let the Naughty Pigs have it. My two young daughters enjoyed both games briefly, but we enjoyed the episodes on the DVD much more.
If you’re a fan of Wallace and Gromit or any of Aardman Animations’ productions, Shaun the Sheep is a great example of well done, modern stop-motion animation. And if you have kids, they’ll love to see the antics of these wonderful characters. Be sure to pick up a copy of Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors at your local retailer or online!
–Fitz
p.s. Pick up this and other Aardman animations from Amazon!
When you have young children, you are often fighting a battle between entertaining them and educating them. The younger they are, the less attention span they typically have, which means that entertainment often occupies the lion’s share of the job. As they get older, they are more able to entertain themselves. So what, you may ask, does this have to do with a book about Picasso’s art?
Touch and feel books have been around since the 1940s. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt has been a perennial favorite for parents since first being published in 1940. It includes actual materials for readers to experience themselves, such as a bit of fake rabbit fur and a piece of sandpaper. Since then, I know we’ve seen many different variations on this theme, including Tails by Matthew Van Fleet, which includes not only physical “tails” of various furry or bumpy types, but also a “scratch-n-sniff” stinky skunk tail, which has been a favorite for both of my girls.
Catch Picasso’s Rooster and the rest of the “Touch the Art” series merges the tactile appeal of other “touch and feel” books, but also introduces works of art – in this case those of Picasso, Rousseau, van Gogh, and others – to a young audience. This combination of entertainment and education works on a couple of different levels.
First, by integrating colorful works of art and a simple, rhyming story, youngsters who are having the book read to them are engaged by visual and auditory cues as well as tactile ones as they touch the various materials on a given page. For example, on the page featuring Albrecht Durer’s “Hare” painted in 1502, the authors reinforce that it’s a bunny in the picture through the text (“Rooster, rooster! Stop running away! I hid near a bunny sleeping in hay.), the picture, and a scrap of fake rabbit fur integrated into the picture. We enjoyed working through the book with my youngest who’s not reading yet, but loves interactive books such as this one.
Second, the books have lasting value for more independent readers, since they include facts about the painting and the artist in a section titled “Artifacts” at the end of the book. My eldest daughter loves art and is fascinated learning about classical painters such as Rousseau. And we learned that Rousseau didn’t start painting seriously until he was 40 and he taught himself how to paint by copying paintings at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
If you’re looking for holiday presents for youngsters, I can’t recommend this series enough. As children grow, they can get more and more out of these books as their skills develop. Catch Picasso’s Rooster will sit proudly on my kids’ bookshelves for a few years as they grow and learn. And now I want to check out the other books in the “Touch the Art” series! Look for these books at your favorite bookseller.
Now we have seen the LeapFrog Math Adventure to the Moon, which focuses on counting, sorting, patterns, and simple addition. This time we have Tad and Lilly learning about counting for a school project. They have to come up with a collection of ten things, but they are having a hard time counting that high or figuring out what to collect.
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begged to see it in the theater and we eventually picked it up to watch on DVD.
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