Roary the Racing Car (Sprout)

ROARY THE RACING CAR follows the antics of a young single-seater named Roary (voiced by Maria Darling) and his circle of friends at the Silver Hatch race track he calls home. Each day brings new adventures for Roary, Cici, Tin Top, Drifter, and Maxi, who discover that where there's adventure, there's opportunity to learn about themselves and their world. Roary's impulsiveness sometimes gets him into sticky situations, but he's always willing to learn from his mistakes and make things right for himself and his friends in the end.

Preschoolers will love tagging along with this colorful cast of speedsters on their fast-paced escapades, and they'll relate to the kid-sized problems that pop up along the way. Roary's penchant for trouble allows plenty of room for learning lessons in friendship, courage, respect, making good choices, and other important social lessons. Plus, the fact that Roary often turns to paternal auto mechanic Big Chris (Peter Kay) for guidance when he's stumped shows young viewers that it's smart to ask for adults' help in a crunch.

With its fun stories and energetic music, Roary the Racing Car is sure to win big with little viewers. The series' only flaw is the disproportionate gender distribution in its characters. In a move that subtly reinforces stereotypes in the traditionally male-dominated field of racing, the show only includes two female characters: Cici, the pink stunt car, and Marsha, the race marshal.