Postcards from Buster

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Kids who like Arthur will enjoy Buster's travels.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Buster, friend of Arthur from the series of the same name, has the chance to travel North America on his father's plane with a fictional Latin rock group called Los Viajeros. As a child of divorce, Buster is happy to spend time with his dad, who travels often. During his travels, Buster meets kids from all over North America, learning about their lives and their beliefs. Diversity is the name of the game, though the program can be rather male-centric.

  • Not applicable.
  • Buster is privileged to have a cell phone, video camera, and laptop computer. Plus he flies on a private jet (which his father pilots). It's incidental, but important to the plot.

What's the story?

Arthur fans will be familiar with the cartoon cast of POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER -- but this series goes beyond the fictional world that the 'toons inhabit, interspersing live video footage of the people Buster meets as well. Postcards from Buster crosses race, ethnic, religious, and class lines with the greatest of ease. So while Buster isn't the most evolved character in the world -- he tends to obsess about junk food, and he can get frustrated rather easily -- he's also able to ask things like "what's a reservation?" to a Native American host without feeling self-conscious.


Is it any good?

 

Postcards from Buster earned some notoriety after it was singled out by the Department of Education for an episode featuring a girl in Vermont who proudly showed a photo of her mom and her female life partner. The discussion that this brief snapshot of real life incurred might not be a bad thing, though, because talking about people's choices is always a good conversation for families to have. Ultimately, the tone set by Postcards from Buster is one of tolerance and diversity -- a timely reflection of the melting pot in which we live.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the way that other people live their lives -- how does what kids see in this series reflect or differ from life in their own hometown? What do they take away from Buster's travels? Do they get any ideas of where they might want to travel?


This review was written by Joly Herman
Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
good show, educational too!
My kids both like this show ... though they aren't rivited. I like that Buster travels the USA and meets people from all walks of life. He explores culteral differences in a way that all kids can relate to. My kids prefer Arthur, but this is a nice tie in that offers something other shows don't.

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Teen, 15 years old
September 11, 2011
 
Arthur Spinoff
It's not as good as Arthur, but it's alright. It's education because it teaches about different countries, cities, and other geographay

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Teen, 16 years old
January 14, 2011
 
i love this show.

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This review was written by Joly Herman
Topics:adventures
TV rating:TV-Y
Network:PBS
Cast:Daniel Brochu
Genre:Kids' Animation

This review was written by Joly Herman
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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