Courtesy: Scholastic/New Kideo/New Video/Cinedigm
Children Make Terrible Pets…and more stories about family is the second of the latest pair of releases in Scholastic’s ongoing Storybook Treasures series. This latest collection of stories offers parents, children, and teachers alike four more short pieces that each group will enjoy every time the pop the single-disc compilation into their DVD or Blu-ray payers. The compilation is anchored by its title tale, which tells the story of a young female bear that takes in a little boy as a pet. She leans some very valuable lessons as a result of taking him in, too. It’s a wonderful example of art imitating life. And because of its ability to so humorously and truthfully reflect real life, parents especially will appreciate this short story. On the opposite end, families in whole will appreciate author Lois Lowry’s story Crow Call. This is a touching story about the relationship between a father and his daughter. Parents will appreciate this story not just for its central plot but also because it does something interesting. It challenges the gender roles established by Western society in presenting the pair’s relationship. It’s one more of the four total stories that make this collection one more joy to watch from Scholastic.
The stories culled for Children Make Terrible Pets…and more stories about family work hand-in-hand to make the entire presentation enjoyable for viewers of any age with every watch. Audiences that are familiar with Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures series will also appreciate this release because as with previous releases in the series, it also boasts the series’ standard Read-Along feature. Together with the compiled short stories, this compilation is anything but terrible *ba-dump-bump-bump.*
The title story of Children Make Terrible Pets…and more stories about family is the best of the stories culled for the compilation. It is such an enjoyable reflection on real life. Every parent was once a child. As someone once said, adults are just grown up kids. Keeping this in mind, any parent will watch the young bear as she begs her mother to let her keep the little boy and laugh uproariously as she becomes frustrated at the responsibilities of being a “pet owner.” Among her most frustrating moments is her inability to potty train the boy. This and other moments are entirely real. Parents are sure to laugh out loud at this moment. And just as the compilation’s title story offers its share of laughs, it also has its own share of heart. That heart shows when the young bear discovers that the little boy has a family of his own. She comes to the understanding in her discovery that she needs to let him go. It’s a touching moment that does a great job of balancing out the story’s funnier moments. Author Peter Brown doesn’t waste much time with emotional content here. Right after the young bear’s moment of maturity and emotion, Brown leaves audiences laughing when the bear finds yet another “pet.” Anyone that is familiar with Steven Spielberg’s Tiny Toon Adventures could so easily compare her to Elmyra at this point, again leading to plenty of laughs.
Brown’s story about responsibility and maturity is a great way to kick off this compilation. It’s a wonderfully comical story that also boasts enough heart to make it even more enjoyable. It’s not the set’s only enjoyable story. Along with this one, author Lois Lowry offers readers a much deeper and more emotional story in the small screen adaptation of her book, Crow Call. This story sees an unnamed father and daughter going on a hunting trip in the hills of Pennsylvania. That in itself is a wonderful setup for a family centered story. But that Lowry would have a father take his daughter hunting is in itself, a break from the social norms established through Western culture. And it’s just one of a handful of social norms that Lowry challenges in her story. That Lowry would have the guts to do this (whether intentional or not) is bold. She’s not even preachy in presenting her message. That makes the presentation even better. And it becomes one more reason for parents to want to order this collection of family friendly short stories.
Both of the stories noted here are impressive additions to Scholastic’s latest release in its Storybook Treasures series. As enjoyable as the stories presented here prove to be, they are just that without one more factor. That last factor is the inclusion once again of the standard Read-Along feature. Scholastic has included the option to include captioning of sorts for young viewers to follow along with has long been a standard for the Storybook Treasures series. So it’s a welcome addition to have it included once more. It both teaches and entertains the younger viewers in question. It’s just one more piece of the whole that makes Children Make Terrible Pets…and more stories about family one more must have for any family with young children. It is available now and can be ordered online direct from the New Kideo website at http://www.newkideo.com/scholastic/children-make-terrible-pets-and-more-stories-about-family/. Parents can get more information on this and other releases from Scholastic online at http://www.facebook.com/Scholastic, http://www.scholastic.com, http://www.facebook.com/NewKideo and http://www.newkideo.com.
To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
philspicks 