Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Educational TV with heart -- and a slight flaw.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say the show can be frightening for younger viewers, causing nightmares, yet many acknowledge its educational value. While some feel it is too focused on learning and lacks enjoyment, others appreciate the catchy theme song and engaging puppetry that promotes reading.
- scary content
- educational show
- catchy theme song
- mixed enjoyment
- strong messages
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Compelling characters and serials are what make BETWEEN THE LIONS a fun and fascinating television program. The Lion family, who live and work at the library, are the program's main characters. The mother and father lion provide good parental role models as they care for their clan and read, play, groom, and support their children, Lionel and Leona. A frazzled hen supplies library information, while a talking statue lends his curmudgeonly opinion to two pigeons who can't get their thoughts straight. Parodies of the Dick and Jane books and a short called "Gawain's World" will surely appeal to parents.
Is It Any Good?
In each episode, a vowel sound group (like the short "a" in the sound group "ack") is emphasized. Words containing the sound group (e.g., "back," "sack," and "crack") flash briefly on the screen, while letters are bumped to form new words as they are spoken. Even the strongest readers have to pay close attention to the quick changes in spelling, so it's unclear how the series' creators fathomed that young readers would be able to get the gist of them. It's almost as though the subliminal benefits of quickly flashing words were deemed more important than taking the time to focus on fewer sounds more thoroughly.
Sesame Street does well in this department by slowly sounding out fewer variations of word choices. Otherwise, the young viewer is apt to become frustrated -- or even confused -- by what's going on in the program. In other words, the intention to educate is clearly behind Between the Lions, but the quantity-not-quality axiom doesn't apply when it comes to teaching young readers about phonetics. Other than this educational qualm, Between the Lions is an entertaining, diverse -- and rather educational -- show for young viewers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sounds and words introduced in each episode. What other words have the same sound(s) as the ones mentioned on the show? What do you like about the Lion family? Would it be fun to live in a library?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 3, 2000
- Cast : Pam Arciero , Peter Linz , Stephen Scarpulla
- Network : PBS
- Genre : Educational
- Topics : Numbers and Letters
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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