Scholastic Video Collection: Danny and the Dinosaur - NR
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that there is one scene of cartoon mayhem that is potentially disturbing but more likely to provoke giggles.
Families who watch these stories might talk about friendship and misunderstandings and how people can communicate with the other people (and creatures) in their lives. What do the mice learn about themselves when the identity of the Skog is revealed? How does "Here Comes the Cat" play with our expectations? How can we learn to get along with people who are very different from us?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sarah Wenk
These stories all involve friendship between people and creatures, creatures and other kinds of creatures, and people and other people. The lessons are simple and straightforward -- even when someone seems different, they can still become a friend.
There are a couple of offerings involving dinosaurs, including the titular tale of Danny, which is a simple story of a creature taking a day off from the museum and the boy he befriends, and the more complex and amusing "Stanley and the Dinosaurs," with a bebop narration and funny stop-action animation. "Here Comes the Cat" is sumptuously animated and has an unexpected and amusing twist at the end. In "The Island of the Skog" a group of mice, tired of their oppressed living conditions, sets off to sea to find a new home, and on the way they become the oppressors they are fleeing. It's a bit long, but teaches a good lesson in compassion and self-awareness. "The Beast of Monsieur Racine" is probably the oddest story. It's a beautifully animated tale of a man who loves his pear tree and decides to befriend the odd creature who steals his fruit. It's silly in the extreme, and contains one brief scene of particularly French cartoon mayhem.
These stories are all of the usual high quality that Scholastic is known for, and will give both children and parents an opportunity to both laugh and think.
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Social BehaviorGood messages about friendship and communication. |
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