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Thursday, July 10, 2014

New PBS Kids Titles Arriving on DVD July 15th from PBS Distribution -- Review and #Giveaway (2 winners)

Disclosure:  I was sent screener copies from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.





The girls have been entertained during recent long car rides this summer, as well as with the recent rain that left them indoors this past holiday weekend, with a wonderful selection of DVDs from PBS Distribution, which will be available starting July 15th, and include the following three titles...




Synopsis:


"From learning the true meaning of sharing and friendship in “Sharing the Rocketship,” to realizing how great it is to spend time with family in “Rollie Racers,” “FUN AND GAMES WITH CAILLOU!” is packed with wonderful summertime adventures the whole family can enjoy!


Caillou is a 4-year-old boy who delights in the small wonders of the world around him, embellishing everything he sees with his rich imagination. Thanks to his vivid imagination, ordinary, everyday events quickly become exciting adventures in which Caillou can play “make-believe.” CAILLOU is designed for preschoolers and focuses on role-playing and “make-believe.” CAILLOU airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings) and is produced by DHX Media.


In addition to featuring the following six fun-filled learning adventures, the DVD also includes special features – coloring pages and activities.


Episodes Included on DVD:


“Sharing the Rocketship” -- Caillou and Leo come to realize the true meaning of “sharing” when they purchase a toy rocket ship together.

“Coach Grandpa” -- When Grandpa takes on the job of soccer coach, Caillou comes to realize his grandpa is proud of him – no matter what!
“The Safety Helper” -- Caillou learns he doesn’t need a badge in order to help others when he takes on the role of preschool “safety helper.”
“No Tradebacks!” -- Caillou learns to stick to his word after hurting a friend’s feelings over a toy “trade.”
“Shoe Story” -- Caillou realizes new isn’t always better after coveting a pair of snazzy light-up sneakers.
“Rollie Racers” -- Caillou realizes how great it can be to spend time with family, instead of spending all his time playing with “Rollie Racer” toys."

Run Time: Approximately 50 Minutes

SRP: $9.99

My Thoughts:


Caillou was one for the first PBS Kids shows Savannah watched and fell in love with.  And, now Bella is started to get into the show.  It is cute to watch the two girls sit and enjoy this show, and have Savannah tell Bella all about Caillou and his friends, and the different stories she has seen.  She even tells Bella that she reminds her of Caillou's little sister, Rosie. :-)


This new DVD is filled with some great episodes which have already aired on television, but are favorites of fans of the show.  As a parent, I love the different lessons preschoolers learn, and how the stories are simple enough to understand, even for younger viewers.  From learning the importance of family, sharing, keeping your word, and so much more, children will love the episodes that make up this new DVD.  And, at under $9.00, you can't go wrong picking up a copy for the house or car, as well as one for the grandparents house.  Caillou has been around for a long time, and see it being around for years to come either through on-air shows or DVDs like this one.




Synopsis:


"Lovable characters, charming plotlines, humor, and science all come together in the fun and engaging program PEEP and the Big Wide World. From learning about mud, to exploring the many uses of a drinking straw – blowing bubbles, breathing underwater, spying on Quack – “PEEP DISCOVERS” features our favorite chicken uncovering more and more about the Big Wide World! In the adventure Fair Shares, Peep and his friends encounter a problem – two crackers, divided by three birds, equals one big headache. In Marble Mover, Peep discovers that if you ever need help getting a marble up a hill, all you need to do is “Ask a Duck.” In addition to featuring eight fun-filled learning adventures, this DVD includes printable activities and coloring pages. All the stories on this DVD are available in English and Spanish!

      

More About the Show:


PEEP and the Big Wide World gives wings to the innovative idea of teaching science to preschoolers. Set in and around a pond, a bush, and a tin can, the show follows a newly hatched chicken named Peep, and his friends Chirp and Quack (a robin and a duck), on their adventures. Surrounding them is a large urban park – a place of great wonder and mystery, a place they are forever eager to explore, a place they call “the big wide world.” The program is narrated by Joan Cusack (“Toy Story 3”)."


Runtime:  Approx. 100 minutes

SRP:  $9.99

My Thoughts:


Savannah has finally gotten Bella hooked on this show, so we are now playing catch up by watching other Peep and the Big Wide World DVDs we own, as well as watch the ones I had downloaded their Leap Pads.  Even though we have only had this DVD for a few days, the girls have already watched it half a dozen times.  


Each of the fun-filled adventures that make up this new DVD will entertain children, while peaking their curiosity and teaching them about new things and words.  I love watching my girls shout out to the television and try to tell Chirp, Peep and Quack what things really are, or how to get something done.  And, just listening to them giggling at stories, makes me smile.


I tried to ask the girls which of the 8 episodes they liked the best, but they both agreed that they were all great. :-)  But, I think that "The Last Straw" episode was their favorite, as they asked for a straw afterwards to come up with other uses for it, besides blowing bubbles, pretending to spy and drinking.  This is not the first time that the girls' curiosity is sparked by an episode they see from this popular animated series.  I, for one, love seeing them get excited about learning new things, and wanting to explore.  And, I have this and other great PBS Kids shows to thank for it. :-)




Synopsis:

"The first TV series inspired by the iconic, award-winning MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD, DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, from The Fred Rogers Company, stars 4-year-old Daniel Tiger, son of the original program’s Daniel Striped Tiger, who invites young viewers into his world, giving them a kid’s-eye view of his life. As they closely follow and share Daniel’s everyday adventures, preschoolers ages 2-4 and their families learn the fun and practical strategies and skills necessary for growing and learning. One of the key ingredients that sets the series apart is its groundbreaking use of catchy, musical strategies that reinforce each theme and that preschoolers and parents will both sing – and use – together in their daily lives. DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, which debuted on PBS KIDS in September 2012, airs Monday-Friday (check local listings).  

DANIEL TRIES SOMETHING NEW” will be available on DVD July 15, 2014. The DVD run time is approximately 100 minutes and its SRP is $12.99. Filled with new experiences such as a trip to a restaurant and the first day of school, this new DVD features engaging tales that are fun-filled and educational. 

In addition to featuring the following eight stories, the DVD includes special features – printable activities and coloring pages as well as bonus live-action music videos, which interweave scenes from the show with footage of the show’s musical composers singing “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “You Are Special.”  

Daniel’s Babysitter
Mom and Dad Tiger are going out for the evening, and Prince Tuesday comes to be Daniel’s babysitter. As Daniel gets ready for bed, he misses his Mom and Dad. But Prince Tuesday reminds him that his parents will be back soon. When Tigey goes missing right before bedtime, Daniel learns what a grr-ific babysitter Prince Tuesday is. And his trust continues to build when he sees that his parents do come back, just as they promised.

Daniel Goes to School
Daniel joins his friends Prince Wednesday, Katerina Kittycat, O the Owl and Miss Elaina at school, but doesn’t want his Dad to leave, until Dad Tiger reminds him that ‘grownups come back.’ Miss Elaina is missing her mom and has lost her special locket with her mom’s picture in it. The children help Miss Elaina find her locket. Before long the school day is over and, just as promised, the grownups come back to take their children home.

Prince Wednesday Finds a Way to Play
Friends Daniel and Katerina Kittycat are playing “house” today at school. Prince Wednesday wants to play too, but he wants to be a loud dinosaur. Katerina tells him that loud dinosaurs are not allowed! He’ll wake the baby! The friends work on finding a way to play together, and Prince Wednesday joins in by pretending to be a quiet, friendly dinosaur.

Finding a Way to Play on Backwards Day
Friends Daniel and O the Owl are at Miss Elaina’s house in the Museum-Go-Round today. She’s very excited because she has planned a special “backwards day.” But O isn’t excited about this backward play – in fact he’s quite uncomfortable about so many backward things. With the help of Miss Elaina’s father, Music Man Stan, the friends find a way to play together.

Daniel Waits for Show and Tell
Daniel is so excited to share a book he made with his class at “show and tell,” but he’s finding it very difficult to wait. He finds that doing something, like singing on Trolley, playing during science time and imagining make the waiting much easier!

A Night Out at the Restaurant
Daniel and his family are going out to dinner, and Katerina is coming too. Daniel and Katerina have a hard time waiting at the restaurant, but soon learn ways to make the waiting time easier…and even fun!

The Dragon Dance
Today in school, all of the kids are working together to create one big art project: a dancing dragon. Everyone is eager to make the dragon dance, but they learn that cooperation is necessary before the big project can be complete!

Teacher Harriet’s Birthday
Today is Teacher Harriet’s birthday! Mom Tiger helps the kids surprise Teacher Harriet by decorating the classroom with streamers and making a birthday present while she is gone. The kids learn that cooperation is necessary to complete this big project!"

My Thoughts:

I grew up like many children watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood.  And, then when I started babysitting, I would share this wonderful educational series with the children I was watching.  I never would have thought years later that I would be able to share Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood with my own children, and let them experience similar fun that I grew up enjoying from the Fred Rogers Company.  Have you seen this new animated series, which airs daily on PBS Kids?  If not, and you were a fan of the Mister Rogers Series as a child, this is one show not to be missed, if you have preschoolers or young children.  You will be happy to see characters from the beloved original series now brought to life in a fun animated way.  

Since this show premiered, my girls and I have made a point to tune in daily to watch. We even have a great Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood DVD collection going, thanks to releases like this one from PBS Distribution.  And, this new DVD is filled with 8 fun-filled episodes, that help teach young children how to behave and act during certain situations, like dining out with the family, the first day of school, playing with others.  Each episode is sure to delight little one.  Even if they have seen these already aired episodes, they will enjoy them like it is the first time (over and over again). :-)  

Another fun feature of this new release is that the DVD contains live action music videos.  If you are familiar with this animated series, then you know that the characters will break out into song from time to time to help share the lesson/message of the story.  The bonus music videos are these songs combined into one area.  My girls went crazy when they saw this bonus feature, and had a blast singing and dancing along to them in the living, and then again in the car the other day.  You will find yourself singing along, too, as they are catchy. :-)

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So, if you are looking for some great educational DVDs to pick up and share with your children this summer for rainy days or long car rides, why not consider checking out the above titles from PBS Distribution.  And, with them all being under $10.00 each, you can't go wrong for this price. :-)


--GIVEAWAY--

Thanks to the kind folks at PBS Distribution, two lucky readers will win one of the three above new releases (winner's choice), to enjoy with their child(ren).  To enter, please complete the entries on the Rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!

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About PBS Distribution:

PBS Distribution is the leading media distributor for the public television community, both domestically and internationally, extending the reach of these programs beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system and our production partners.


PBS Distribution offers a diverse range of programming to our customers, including Ken Burns’s films, documentaries from award-winning series such as NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, dramas from MASTERPIECE, as well as films from independent producers and popular children’s programming. As a multi-channel distributor, PBS Distribution pursues wholesale/retail sales, consumer and educational sales through PBS-branded catalogs and online shops, and international broadcast and video sales. PBS Distribution is also a leader in offering programming through digital platforms including internet and mobile devices.



Disclosure:  I was sent screener copies from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.

4 comments:

  1. I would like to pick the Caillou DVD. BWallace1980(at)Hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'd like the Daniel Tiger DVD if I won.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh Carter would love the Daniel Tiger DVD! He loves that show!

    ReplyDelete