Video Pick of the Month

Spring is for kids and puppies...
My Dog Skip
Warner Home Video, video, $22.96, ISBN 079074970X

Spring is the time for new life, and nothing says new life like a puppy. Willie Morris shares his new puppy with your kids in My Dog Skip and shows how his life improved once Skip became a part of it. This video, rated one of the year's 10 best titles by the KIDS FIRST!® senior jury, is full of coming-of-age themes. It recreates the 1940s very convincingly, giving context to the family issues it portrays. Skip, an adorable terrier, will steal your heart, but he doesn't steal the scenes from the rest of this talented and credible cast. If you can't bring a real puppy home for your kids, bring home this video, and they will know all the joy a canine companion adds to family life.

Recommended for ages 8-12

Is it spring yet?

REVIEWS BY DEBORAH COOL

It's so windy outside

Do the March winds blow where you live? If so, delight your little ones with Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, and it just might take the sting out of those first gusts of spring. Beloved Pooh is always a hit with this age group (older kids too), and this film delivers exactly the kind of charm and cheer they expect of him, whether on film or on the printed page. This Pooh feature provides both. Included is an animated storybook that brings Pooh to life. It's a tale with a strong wind that sends Pooh and his buddies on fur-raising adventures that show friends coming through for friends.

Recommended for ages 2-5


Take the train out of the rain

Nothing like an imaginary -- and imaginative -- train ride to escape from those chilly, early spring rains. Hop aboard Thomas the Tank in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Stop-action cinematography, blending animated train characters with live action human characters, takes the rider into a lushly colored storybook world. In spite of the fantasy feeling, children are portrayed as competent contributors in a mission to rescue the magical gold dust supply from evil Diesel #10. Thomas fans will be riveted by the amazing graphics in this feature-length film starring Peter Fonda, Alec Baldwin and Mara Wilson.

Recommended for ages 5-8


Springtime in Paris

Or, rather, it is spring break in Paris for twins Mary-Kate and Ashley, who fall under the fabled spell of young love in that famous city of romance. Go with them as they take a Passport to Paris to visit their ambassador grandfather, and see the city through the eyes of two young American girls embarking on their first European adventure. Innocent and sweet, this depiction of Paris and first love will surely charm preteen girls. When the twins tour the Louvre, clever photography shows the girls subjected to a mind-numbing number of paintings. Kids who enjoy the company of the twins won't want to miss this one!

Recommended for ages 8-12


Deborah Cool is the Jury Coordinator for the Coalition for Quality Children's Media. The Coalition's KIDS FIRST!® project evaluates and rates children's videotapes, CD-ROMs, DVD, audio recordings and television programs, using a volunteer jury of child development professionals, teachers, parents and children of diverse geographic, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. KIDS FIRST!® hosts an award-winning Internet site for families and children: www.cpcm.org.

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