Summary of "Yes, We Can! - Dragon Flight": The ultimate value in any kid video product is that it's fun and nice to look at and engages the child's attention, while slipping in some education under their radar. Dragon Tales succeeds in doing that, in ways that can't be described under headings like "Video", "Audio", and "Extras". It is one of my son's favorite shows (again, there will be a bit more on that in the review for Volume 5). While watching this disc, he said "Oh, No!" when bad things happened, clapped and cheered when obstacles were overcome, and laughed, as he put it, "Really, REALLY big!" Meanwhile, he picked up the idea that friends should team up and work together, without letting things stand in their way.
The show also gives lessons on the practical side. The episode "The Great White Cloud Whale" (a Moby Dick variation, as you can guess) places our heroes on a flying sea-ship, commanded by their old friend Captain Scalawag. As they chase down the titular whale, young Max is at the helm and is ordered to steer to the right. But Max needs to remember his left from his right. So he uses this verse:
Point your thumbs at each other,
Then point your fingers to the sky.
"L" is for my left hand,
And the other is my right!
Max quickly gets the ship on-course, and the children in the audience pick up a new skill! As Wheezie would say, "Loooooove It!"
We also learn not to judge by appearances. When the gang goes up to the clouds in "Zak And The Beanstalk" (another variation of a popular old story, which Dragon Tales does on occasion but not usually...they're really quite original), they discover that the "mean old giant" is nothing of the sort! Everyone has a reason for what they do, even if they don't realize that others are harmed by it. What can our heroes do to help? Well, buy the disc and find out!
Dragon Tales Volume 4: "Yes, We Can!" is a terrific DVD for kids. Parents may find the formula to be a bit trite, and the action so kid-oriented that you might not want to watch all of it with your kids. I did, though, and while I won't go over every detail of all five stories, I will say that these are wonderful, fun shows that have much for your kids to like. My son prefers to watch Dragon Tales over Sesame Street these days...and a better compliment I cannot make!
These are magical, wonderful stories that are presented well on DVD. Could anything be an improvement over this disc? Yes, a few things...but not much. The best improvement would be stories that the parents will enjoy watching with the kids more than this selection. Does such an animal exist? Yes; look for my review on Dragon Tales Volume 5: "It's Cool To Be Me". (read entire review)
Summary of "It's Cool To Be Me! - DragonQuest": A year ago, when my son introduced me to the world of Dragon Tales and their amazing characters, I realized that time had moved on, and that The Electric Company was gone, Mister Rogers was on the way out, and that Sesame Street had been reinvented a few times more than I'd kept up with. His generation has some different educational TV options than mine did, and with DVD's has the ability to watch them on any schedule, with a presentation better than any publicly funded broadcast.
More than that, Dragon Tales puts a different educational spin on things than the PBS shows of yore. In the shows presented on this DVD, our heroes get to deal with more complex issues than the old shows ever dealt with: sibling rivalry (of a sort), broken limbs, not letting down your friends, not having the best vision, and being scared of all sorts of things.
One of these shows, "Staying Within The Lines", stands out. You see, the rain has washed all the color from Dragon Land, and the gang must help their teacher Quetzal to color everything back in! This chapter has several educational themes running through it: That it's okay to be yourself and be different from the others (as the DVD's title implies), that the world is drab without colors and that the right color isn't always the "right" color, and finally that following the rules isn't always the best way to get things done...but also shows the consequences of breaking those rules when you don't know what you're doing. Screenshot: Coloring in
I'm sure that the writers of this story didn't set out to teach all these things. They routinely set down entertaining stories with a central moral, but the wonderful characters and relationships of the stories allow the viewer to read so much more into it. These are wonderful life lessons for kids of all ages. The fact that my son is absorbing these ideas from such a young age just pleases me to no end!
Dragon Tales Volume 5: "It's Cool To Be Me!" is an entertaining, fun DVD filled with lots of ideas, centered on problem solving and self-respect. Parents will find this disc less "trite" than previous volumes might come across, because the stories chosen for this volume are more complex in nature than those on Volume 4.
This disc comes highly recommended; it should be in every nursery school's DVD library (if your child care program has gotten their technology up to speed that is!). It should also be one of your first choices the next time you're at the DVD store and you kid has a case of the "I Want's".
I'm looking forward to Volume 6.and so is my 4-year-old!
I wish, I wish to use this rhyme
To go back home.until next time!
Collectible New Adventures NEW DRAGON TALES ADVENTURES DEBUT ON VIDEO AND DVD APRIL 2
Refreshing Adventures Focus On Helping Childeren Learn to Accept Others' Differences & Persist at Challenging... (read entire news item)
