Ghostwriter: Season One (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)I used to work for PBS back in the early 90s and loved this show. The premise is that several kids solve mysteries through the use of a ghost. Sort of like the opposite of Mystery Inc, I guess.
Anyway, here's why the show is so cool. The only way these kids can communicate with the ghost is by writing it notes. Thus, part of the show focuses on how to put what you want to say into a clear and concise sentence or short paragraph.
While kids are being entertained with the mystery, they're also learning how to write clearly. Taking the thoughts in your head and putting them into words is a valuable skill to learn. As a lawyer who reads a lot of what people write, it's also not a skill many people have.
I'm buying this set for my 7 and 8 year olds.

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He is a ghost, and he writes to us . . . Ghostwriter! Jamal is just an ordinary kid in Brooklyn, playing on his computer, when he begins receiving strange and mysterious messages. Who or what is trying to communicate with him by manipulating letters and words? It must be a Ghostwriter! Luckily, Jamal is not alone. Lenni, Alex, Gabby, Tina and Rob can also see Ghostwriters messages! The teens team up to solve a rash of mysteries plaguing their neighborhood. What is a Thabto? Who burned down Mr. Brinkers store? Why is everyone at the community garden getting sick? Following the clues and solving these mysteries puts them closer to helping Ghostwriter figure out who he is. Developed by the Childrens Television Workshop, the creative force behind Sesame Street, Ghostwriter aired on PBS between October 1992 and February 1995. Created to improve literacy and writing skills, the shows intelligent blend of thrilling adventure and friendship captured the imagination of a generation of readers. !Bonus Features *Ghostwriter Casebook

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Liberty's Kids: Complete Series Review

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(More customer reviews)See? What did I tell ya? Patience is a virtue, and I'm absolutely willing to wait for October to get the ENTIRE series of Liberty's Kids for the far-more reasonable price of forty-four bucks!
As I've mentioned in the Teacher's Edition, this is the far better deal out there (seriously, what teacher can pay 500+ dollars for ONE show? Is PBS really that unaware of most teachers' ridiculously low salaries? I don't know . . . maybe they expect "the school" to buy it for their library or something -- but which school would pay that much cash for a six-disc DVD set?)
So . . . on with my review of the series:
I've loved this show since I first saw it back in early 2003. During AP US History, this show actually helped incite curiosity and understanding for the complex period that is the American Revolution. It's also the series that made me curious into looking into American History deeper, and reading up on the finer details of America's birth.
The timeline, which features events from the Boston Massacre to the ratification for the US Constitution, is actually quite accurate -- they merely paint into the story the fictional characters of James (the teenage American-patriot), Sarah (the unsure British-loyalist), and Henri (the younger French-sidekick) alongside the historical Founding Fathers.
First airing on PBS, the 40 half-hour episodes are actually quite close to being a half-hour long each (with no commercials originally intended, we get to enjoy more story, as well as fun trivia breaks in between the main story, hosted by James, Sarah, Henri, and even Dr. Franklin).
Among other things to enjoy are the theme song, "Through My Own Eyes," as well as the wide range of voice actors (the cast ranges from Walter Cronkite as Ben Franklin to Billy Crystal as John Adams, with Governor Schwartzenegger, Whoopi Goldberg, Aaron Carter and many more familar voices from Hollywood).
So, yes be sure to buy this series, you won't be dissapointed -- it's wonderfully smart, historically accurate, and great fun for the whole family and you'll be surprised to actually learn loads from it . . . again, just be sure to order THIS one -- the one with the better price. :)

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Caught on opposite sides of the revolution, Benjamin Franklin s teenage reporters, American colonist James and young Englishwoman Sarah, confront the real, physical dangers of war. As the conflict rages, James and Sarah are compelled to choose between their friendship and their countries, their understanding of good and evil, and the moral dilemmas inherent in war. All the while they tryto look after the mischievous Henri, an immigrant French boy whose comical escapades constantly lead them into trouble, as the three bear witness to the highs and lows of the American Revolution.Starring news legend Walter Cronkite as Benjamin Franklin and including guest starring roles by award-winning actors and real-life historical figures like Dustin Hoffman, Annette Bening, Michael Douglas, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Sylvester Stallone, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, Billy Crystal, Ben Stiller, Whoopi Goldberg, Liam Neeson and many more, the complete Emmy and Humanitas Award-nominated Liberty s Kids is finally available on DVD in one six-disc collectors set!Bonus Features:* A Look Back At Liberty s Kids with the series creators* Benjamin Franklin s Newsbytes* Continental Cartoons* Now & Then* Mystery Guest Game* Original Pencil Test* 40-Page Collectible Booklet with fold out US map.

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Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The popular curious monkey is back once again in another adventure along with Ted and a new friend named Kayla in a cross-country adventure filled with action and humor!
With the success of the first "Curious George" film back in 2006, the popular character from the children stories by H.A. and Margret Rey makes his return to the sequel "Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey" in a direct-to-DVD release (note: the film made its world premiere last Summer in several countries) from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
In "Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey", Mr. Bloombsberry wants Ted (played by Jeff Bennett) to become the next museum director. Excited about his job, he now needs to impress the museum's Board of Director's and has been too busy focusing on his work. With the Piccadilly Circus coming to town, George wants Ted to take him to the circus and Maggie wants Ted to spend more time with her. But he is too focused on working on his presentation.
But nevertheless, he feels he does owe it to George to take him to the Piccadilly Circus and somehow, the two get selected to go up on stage by the magician Piccadilly (played by Tim Curry). But George as curious as ever, ends up at the bottom of the stage and meets a new friend named Kayla, an elephant from the circus who has the talent of juggling and ends up breaking him out of the circus. Government investigators led by Danno Wolfe (played by Jamie Kennedy) are called in to find out on what happened to Kayla the elephant and why its missing. Meanwhile, George is missing as well.
George and Kayla end up walking through the city together with George taking back Kayla to his home. George and Kayla then watch a newscast in which Hark Hanson (played by NBC's "Today Show" host Matt Lauer) talks about the missing elephant and how he lived in California with his siblings. George realizes that Kayla is homesick and missing his family. Meanwhile, as a search for the elephant continues and news reports saying that the elephant was stolen, Ted goes back home and finds out that George and Kayla have been at the residence all this time. This is the last thing he needs to deal with because he has to prepare for his presentation to the museum Board of Directors.
But before he can make the call to have Kayla returned, George decides to help Kayla go back home to California by going to the train station. And thus, Ted goes after them and finds the two inside a train box car. As he tries to convince them that they need to get out of the box car, the train starts moving and the next thing you know, the three are stuck inside and now are being taken cross country in the middle of nowhere.
Meanwhile, the investigation starts to center on Ted as the main suspect in Kayla's disappearance and people including Ted's boss Mr. Bloomsberry and even Maggie believe there must be a reason why Ted may have escaped with Kayla. Ted knows he's in a deep mess but hopefully he can clear his name. But for George, all he wants is to make sure Kayla the elephant sees his brother and sister.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey" is featured in anamorphic widescreen (1:78:1). Featuring the same vibrant style and painted backgrounds along with CG incorporated from the first film, "Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey" manages to capture the characters and the world of "Curious George" quite well. Featuring a pretty colorful pallet, and beautiful artistic backgrounds, fans of the first film will no doubt enjoy the animation used in the sequel.
As for audio, audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish and French Dolby Digital 2.0. Audio quality is nice and clear, dialogue is understandable and music is also crystal clear through the front and center channels.
Subtitles are in English SDH, Espanol and Francais.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey" comes with the following special features:
* Curious George's Cross Country Caper Game - Using your DVD remote control, you can help George and Kayla travel throughout the country safely.
* "Hold On, Here We Go" Music Video - (2:25) Featuring an animated video with clips from the film.
* DVD-Rom - By playing the DVD on a computer (DVD-Rom Drive), you can access printable coloring pages, wallpapers and more.
* Bonus TV episodes - Featuring two never-before-seen TV episodes (around 12 minutes each) from the new TV season of "Curious George" - "A Monkey's Duckling" in which a baby duckling thinks George is its mother. In "George's Super Subway Adventure", George as curious as always, hops aboard a subway in the city without Ted and thus Ted tries to go after him.
JUDGMENT CALL:
In my household, "Curious George" has been a big part of my young son's upbringing. From the animated television series, to the coloring books, reading books and the first film, I watched "Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey" alongside with him and he absolutely loved it and giggling at many parts of the film.
As for me, I enjoyed the film. As usual, George's curiosity tends to get Ted in a bit of a bind and in this case, a fun adventure throughout the country. The sequel also features a good number of talent such as Tim Curry as Picadilly the magician, Jamie Kennedy as investigator "Danno" Wolfe, Matt Lauer as news host Hark Hanson, Jerry Lewis as the stationmaster, Frank Welker as a cow, Amy Hill as a flower pot lady and many others with short vocal cameos.
Where the first film featured adventure and the romance between Ted and Maggie, there is less of the relationship factor between the two adults but focusing on the adventure of Ted, George and Kayla ad featuring a message to those who tend to put work ahead of their love ones. But for the most part, this is a fun "Curious George" film.
In a parent standpoint, for me...I felt the film was quite safe but there is one segment in the film which Ted, George and Kayla meet new friends who own a farm and the son of the farmer is jumping high and landing in a haystack and then they all take part in the jumping of the haystack. My son thought that was such a cool thing and wondered if he can go up high and land on things and thus, it's important to talk to your child about those type of situations and making sure that he/she knows that they can't jump high from anything and land on whatever.
As for the DVD, it's a pretty entertaining and educational DVD with a game, DVD-Rom features such as coloring pages and wallpaper, two never-before-seen TV episodes and more.
Overall, "Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey" is just as entertaining as the original animated film. A lot of fun, humor, beautiful and vibrant animation and both myself and my seven-year-old enjoyed the film/DVD and I imagine parents and their children would enjoy this DVD release as well! Definitely recommended!

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The world’s most beloved and inquisitive monkey is back in Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, the fun-filled sequel to the hit animated movie. Join Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat as they set out on a madcap cross-country adventure to reunite Kayla, a homesick elephant, with her family. This unlikely trio faces all types of comic calamities and colorful characters and in the end learn that with family, friends and determination you can achieve anything. Featuring the voices of Tim Curry, Matt Lauer, Jamie Kennedy and Jerry Lewis, Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, “proves that family, friends—and curiosity—are number one." (Francine Brokaw, Los Angeles Family Magazine)

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Sid the Science Kid: Change Happens Review

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(More customer reviews)[...] This DVD contains the episode: My mushy banana, My Shrinking Shoes, My Ice Pops, and The Perfect Pancake.
Sid the Science Kid wants to know why things have to change. Why does his yellow banana turn brown? How come his shoes are shrinking? What made his ice pop melt and just how does Grandma know how to make a pancake this is not too squishy or burnt? Sid and his friends work together to discover the efects of time, temperature and the environment with the help of some revealing experiments and songs.
My three year old boy and 5 year old girl love Sid, and prefer this collection "Change Happens" over the other just released collection The Bug Club. The rotten banana episode is a particular favorite, with the kids talking about "decay" the whole day long. This DVD is almost two hours long (115 minutes) but if you act now you will get a bonus DVD disk containing an additional 2 hours of content (134 minutes).
Early purchasers will also an additional DVD called Front Row Fun starring an additional episode of Sid (on our disk we got the episode Why do we need Charts) as well as episodes of WorldWorld, Dive Olly Dive!, Hermie and Friends, Pocoyo and Hopla. This is a real bargain for the price. A super show produced by Jim Henson's studio and directed by his son Brian Henson. Highly recommended.

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Sid wants to know why things have to change. Why does his yellow banana turn brown? How come his shoes are shrinking? What made his ice pop melt and just how does Grandma know how to make a pancake that is not too squishy or burnt? Sid and his friends work together to discover the effects of time, temperature and the environment with the help of some revealing experiments and songs.

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WordWorld: Welcome to WordWorld Review

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(More customer reviews)My 5-year-old son is a 3-D learner (dyslexic) and I was having trouble getting him interested in reading or writing. Since he's started watching Wordworld he and his 3-year-old sister run around the house shouting and dancing "It's time to build a word". Next we run and get our letters and build words. Now words and letters are fun and exciting to him. The most valuable aspect to this show for my son is that it gives him a 3-D view of letters and words and at the same time gives him the picture to go with it.(most Dyslexics think in pictures only - if there's no picture for it they're stumped) Aside from that the characters and stories are very entertaining. I find myself clearing my schedule to watch Wordworld. It is also good for me to watch it with them because then later we go over the concepts taught and re-build the words. They don't even know they're "learning"

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In WordWorld, words come alive, words save the day, and words become a child's best friend. Welcome to WordWorld, the first preschool series where words are truly the stars of the show! Come along for an adventurous romp into a colorful, vibrant world of words with the lovable, legible WordFriends, animals whose bodies are made up of the letters that spell the word they are! The WordFriends go on comic adventures and face challenges that can only be resolved with the right word. That word is built letter by letter, sound by sound, during the funky "Build a Word!" song at the end of every episode. Once the word is built it "morphs," or comes alive into the thing it is! Word building reinforces the pre-reading concept that letters (and their sounds) make words, and that words have real meaning...and power. The series also introduces literacy concepts that preschoolers will encounter as they become readers, such as sounding out letters and rhyming. But most of all, WordWorld helps children get excited about reading and see words as their friends. Includes these Episodes:Happy Birthday Dog!Dog's friends are planning a surprise birthday party for him, but they don't have a cake! With a little help from Pig, Frog gathers the letters C-A-K-E...but can he them to the party without ruining the surprise?Sh-Sh-Shark!When Duck befriends a Shark, he learns that the letters S and H make the "sh" sound, and everyone else discovers that you can't judge a shark by his sharp-toothed cover.The Mystery of the Disappearing PiePig's pie for Bear has gone missing! Have no fear Detective Sheep is ready to help her WordFriends follow the letter clues and solve the mystery of the disappearing pie!Snug as a BugWhen Bug can't sleep because he needs to be snug, he and his favorite neighbor, Frog, have to figure out the end of the rhyme: "Snug as a bug in a..." Can YOU guess the end?

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Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey (Original UK Unedited Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)Julian Fellowes has mined his script for Gosford Park, and took a few cues from the beloved 1970s series Upstairs, Downstairs - Collector's Edition Megaset (The Complete Series plus Thomas and Sarah), to create Downton Abbey, a stunning and colorful drama set around the aristocratic Crawley family and the staff which serves them. Set between 1912 and 1914, Downton Abbey chronicles the conflict of class, gender, and politics, and serves it up with a refreshing dollop of sizzle and scandal. Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and Dame Maggie Smith (as Robert, Earl of Grantham, Cora, Countess of Grantham, and Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, respectively) are knock outs, but the rest of the cast are no slouches either, with the stunning Michelle Dockery at the forefront as Lady Mary Crawley, who is the selfish, proud, and vindictive eldest daughter you can't help but like. The actors and the stunning interiors of Highclere Castle, home to the Earls of Carnarvon, give Downton Abbey a glossy, sophisticated sheen, even when the script's twists and turns can be a bit of a let-down. Nevertheless, the drama is engrossing and invigorating, and a worthy addition to the collection of any period drama aficionado--and anyone who likes good drama, period!

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Downton Abbey -- a sprawling, lavish Edwardian mansion nestled in the Yorkshire landscape -- needs an heir. Dame Maggy Smith stars as Violet, the stubborn Dowager Countess of Grantham matriarch of Downton. Hugh Bonneville stars as her son, the stoic, unflapple Lord Crawley. Elizabeth McGovern is his far-sighted American wife, Cora. From Academy Award-winner Julian Fellowes. This is the original un-edited UK version of the program.

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