Rabbit Ears

So far we've only listened to the Anansi story on this disk. We listened to it in the car and the laughter from the backseat was ridiculous. My kids' only complaint: This story is supposed to take place in Africa, but there's a tiger in it and tigers only live in Asia. They even looked it up to see if tigers maybe lived in Africa long, long ago but found no evidence for this. So, one star off for this geographical inaccuracy.

Update: We listened to the second story. Very eerie, an effect that show more was enhanced by the narration of Max von Sydow. show less

This is a Russian folklore where a fool is set to make a flying ship, so he can marry the princess. Because of his kind and open heart, he meets people that help him win the marriage with the princess. I was not too crazy about this book, and I think it was because of the illustrations. All the characters were whacky to look at! I feel though any child with a disability can get an important message from this book. No matter what people say or tell them, it is up to them to reach full show more potential. This fool was always put down, and because of his persistence and open heart, he won what he wanted. You need to believe in yourself. I would use this book during story time in an inclusion classroom. show less

"King Midas and the Golden Touch" is a retelling of the classic King Midas myth. Most people already know the story of this king who wishes to have everything he touches turn to gold and then has to face the sad consequences of his wish. The language is expressive and lively and this classic tale teaches readers to "be careful what they wish for."

Time Machine
2.0 out of 5 stars Simply Uninspiring..., May 31, 2005

I am surprised by the positive reviews for this video (see editorial and personal reviews on this page). My 3 and 5 year olds, boy and girl respectively, did not like this video, and to tell the truth, neither did I.

With the pastel, still-frame animation and Jack Nicholson's sedate reading of Kipling's tales, "How the Rhino Got His Skin" was simply not very interesting . Bobby McFerrin's vocalizations were amazing from my show more perspective but not enough to carry the day.

2 stars for mediocrity. (Check it out at the Library before buying.) show less