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Parenting Picks: DVDs/Videos: 5 to 8 years
By Bruce
Kluger
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StoryWatchers Club Adventures in
Storytelling: Keys to Imagination
(Suggested Retail Price:
$20 DVD, Sax
Media)
Talented tale spinners captivate kids
with such engaging yarns as "Where Did Polar Bears Learn to
Dance?" and "Wide Mouth Frog." Intermixed puppet segments
nicely recap themes and important points.
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to Wish List |
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The Best of the Electric
Company
(Suggested Retail Price: $50 DVD, Shout!
Factory)
That '70s (kids') show debuts on four discs
with 20 best-loved, funky, fun episodes. Morgan Freeman and
Bill Cosby are among the regulars, with bonus tracks,
including outtakes and trivia.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Madagascar
(Suggested Retail Price: $
20 DVD and VHS, Dreamworks)
Wild laughs abound as
four animal pals discover a tropical paradise after escaping
from a New York City zoo. Big bonus features include
commentary from the movie's scene-stealing wiseguy penguins, a
tour of the real-life island, and here's the one that'll get
your kids - the premiere of the "I Like to Move It, Move It"
video.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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The Happy Elf
(Suggested Retail Price: $
20 DVD, Anchor Bay)
Music meister Harry Connick,
Jr., narrates (and sings!) this charming, original Yueltide
fable, all about an exuberant Santa's helper determined to
bring joy to the gloomy town of Bluesville. The 3-D
animation's a knockout, and extras include printable holiday
cards, a gift-grab game, and fun behind-the-scenes
peeks.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Cinderella
(Suggested Retail Price:
$30 DVD & VHS, Disney)
Fairy Godmother,
horse-drawn carriage, and glass slipper come together (again!)
on this two-disc platinum edition of the 1950 classic. Bonus
material includes palace- and gown- makeover games, a
featurette on an alternate version of the movie, and unused
songs.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Robots
(Suggested Retail Price:
$30 DVD & VHS, Fox)
The nuts-and-bolts
inhabitants of a robot metropolis face off with a corporate
tyrant more interested in making bucks than friends. Fun
on-disc extras include an interactive build-a-bot game,
deleted scenes, and more.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch
(Suggested Retail Price: $30, DVD & VHS,
DisneyToon)
Far from a rehash, this sequel to
Disney’s hilarious imp-from-outer-space adventure enjoys the
same sassiness when a snag in Stitch’s molecular wiring turns
him back into a bad boy. Once again, cleverly placed Elvis
tunes add snap to the action.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Mickey Mouse Club: The Best of Britney,
Justin, and Christina
(Suggested Retail Price: $15 DVD, Walt Disney
Home Entertainment)
Before they were pop princesses
(and a prince), they were cute kids who sang and danced on
national TV. Here’s a batch of their best Club clips, along
with exciting concert footage and up-close profiles, shot in
the superstars’ hometowns.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Pink Lotus "Belly Dance" for Girls of All
Ages, Vol. 1
(Suggested Retail Price: $20 DVD, CarLou Interactive Media
& Publishing)
Shimmies, shakes, and positive
body images abound as a dance instructor shows a troupe of
girls all the right exer-cise moves. Inspired by the win-ning
children’s book Bella Wishes, about a hip-swinging
hippo.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Share a Smile!
(Suggested Retail Price:
$16 DVD, Little Bean
Records)
In this delightful follow-up to their
hit family frolic, Feelin’ Good!, the Schlosser clan (mom,
dad, and daughter) sing and dance their way through a slew of
new music videos—from a tropical romp (“Zaminamina”) to a
lively ode to Valentine’s Day.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Don't Knows and Kinda
Knows
(Suggested Retail Price: $20 DVD, The Safe
Side)
Kids are walked through fun, funky lessons
in child safety—without freaking them out—in a hip,
entertaining, and vitally infor-mative program. Call it
stranger danger for the new millennium, narrated by John Walsh
from America’s Most Wanted.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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All About John Deere for
Kids
(Suggested Retail Price: $15 DVD, $13 VHS, TM Books &
Video)
Sure to give Bob the Builder a serious
case of tractor envy, the real draw in this live-action
roundup of big-rigged planters, excavators, and utility
vehicles is the up-close glimpse of life on the farm. Fun
honky-tonk songs keep the action truckin' along.
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to Wish List | Buy
It |
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Parenting
