Postcards from Buster (PBS)

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.

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.