Video Review: Dinosaur Train

     Buddy, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, discovers himself in a nest of Pteranodons, who adopt him as their own.  Along with his parents, Buddy and his Pteranodon brothers and sister Shiny, Tiny and Don make discoveries about other Dinosaurs in the Cretaceous time period as well as learn social and learning skills. The young dinosaurs work together, come up with hypotheses, and test them to find out information about the dinosaurs they are visiting via the Dinosaur Train.

     This show, created by Craig Bartlett, is the second created by the Jim Henson Company using CGI technology.  The animation is simple but not cheesy, and the characters are detailed enough to be believable.  The movements of the characters are natural and fluid, though shapes and colors stay fairly basic, bright, and flat.  The show is available on PBS Kids.

     In addition to being entertaining for young children (ages 3-6), the show boasts a resident paleontologist, who gives details and clarifies fact and supposition about each dinosaur on each episode.  he discusses the relationships between dinosaurs and animals alive currently, and describes their similarities.  Dr. Scott Sampson has a PhD in Paleontology from University of Toronto.

     The unique combination of dinosaurs and trains is a winner.  Young children have often had an obsession with one or the other, if not both, and so the show appeals to a wider audience.  Though the train takes somewhat of a backstage to the dinosaur discoveries, The Conductor is an important character, and injects the railroading spirit into the show.  In one episode, Buddy and Tiny work through three clues in order to be Junior Conductors.   On another episode, an obstruction had to be removed from the track for safe traveling.  On each episode, the Conductor announces entrance into the Time Tunnel ("Time Tunnel!  Time Tunnel approaching!"), and walks up and down the rows, asking for "tickets, please!" 

     I recommend this show for parents who are really REALLY tired of watching Thomas and Friends for the hundredth time, as well as for parents who want to nurture their offspring's obsession with dinosaurs.  Children can legitimately learn facts and information from the show along with learning and reinforcing behavioral norms.  Teachers of young children could easily use clips of the videos as reinforcement in a unit on dinosaurs, though even grade-schoolers would find it below them intellectually.
     Though I haven't discovered a show yet that has the merits or production quality of Dinosaur Train, other viewing options include Chuggington and Friends for train enthusiasts, and Dino Dan (available on Nick Jr. and Amazon on Demand) for dinosaur nuts.

Dinosaur Train
By Craig Bartlett
Jim Henson Co.
PBSKids
Copyright 2009

Magazine Review: Click

     I remember reading Highlights every month as a small child, and I also remember loving it!  While Highlights continues to be a terrific publication for its diverse young audience, there are so many other magazines to choose from.  Click is intended for children ages 3-7.  The Cricket Magazine Group, which publishes Click also publishes eight other periodicals for ages six months and up through high school.
     Click focuses on science and the humanities, with a serious focus on animals and the natural world.  In fact, in nearly every copy I perused for this post, animals were showcased prominently.
     The magazine is a very slim volume, and is only published monthly nine times per year.  For the $34.00 price tag on the subscription, I would expect more content in each issue.  The magazine follows a theme for each issue, and makes it feel somewhat one-dimensional.  However, there are no advertisements, so if a parent is looking for an educational periodical for a child interested in animals, it is a quality publication.  The benefit, of course, is that the magazine is not trying to sell anything to the kids, and therefore the parents don't have to hear about it.
     Clickmagkids.com launched in 2008, and enhances the experiences of kids who subscribe to Click.  The site includes recommendations for books related to each issue's theme, fun and educational games, projects, and additional enrichment for children.  Just like the magazine, the website is ad-free, and provides a safe environment that parents can trust for their children to explore and learn.
     Click has won numerous awards, including the Parents' Choice Silver and Gold Awards, the Teacher's Choice Awards for the Family, and the Paul A. Witty Short Story Award.
     Uses:  Depending on the theme of each issue of the magazine, the issues could be assembled together thematically with books on the same subjects to celebrate holidays, countries, animals, or general interests.  For example, one issue I read was all about birds.    As an elementary librarian, I could assemble a seasonal display for fall or spring, when the majority of migratory birds are traveling for the season.  I could include other books about a particular season or publications that have a seasonal theme.  Click has also been used as class sets to supplement curriculum in science and the humanities.  Per teacher or department request, I could order and assemble class sets for students to use in the classroom environment to enhance curricular material.  Click could also be used for students or children looking for information on a particular subject or interest.  The thematic issues could be helpful in enticing a struggling reader to explore a topic in shorter articles rather than a larger, more daunting book as well.
     Though I am turned off to some degree by the price point of this publication, Click proves itself to be a phenomenal magazine for families and schools.  There is no doubt that it is a quality magazine that continues to stand the test of time along with its sister publications at Cricket Magazine Group.

Click: opening windows for young minds
Copyright: January 2012

Read-alikes:
National Geographic Kids
Ask: Art and Science for kids (also a Cricket publication)
Appleseeds