children's video & dvd review

Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat Comes Back and Hop on Pop - DVD Review

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Product Overview
Although nothing matches the effectiveness of actual books for getting children ready for reading, this DVD, based on some of the most celebrated beginning readers around, playfully exposes children to rhyme and rhythm. Six classic Dr. Seuss stories are narrated along with original illustrations from the books on this "double feature" DVD: The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Fox in Socks, There's a Wocket in My Pocket, Hop on Pop, Oh Say Can You Say?, and Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now.

Tongue twisters, silly scenarios, and endless rhymes are featured in the delightful stories. Children follow the continuing adventures of a little girl and boy when "there's work to be done" (shoveling snow) and The Cat in the Hat returns, creating problems that multiply. After eating cake in the tub, and leaving a ring behind, the Cat in the Hat's efforts to clean up create havoc, especially when he brings in helpers, Little Cat A and B. Before long, there is a Little Cat to represent each letter of the alphabet! Children will enjoy the rolling rhymes in Fox and Socks, and the unusual creatures in There's a Wocket in My Pocket ("and a nureau in the bureau"). Common and immediately useful rhyming words, like "red" and "bed", are presented in Hop on Pop, which features a slow-moving pace that encourages children to absorb the text presented onscreen.

The clever wordplay in this collection of stories is invaluable for pre- and early readers, even in the absence of text. The nonsense rhymes in There's a Wocket in My Pocket are far from nonsensical in terms of educational value. Children enjoy and benefit from discriminating between what is real and imaginary, and the rhymes help lay solid groundwork for language learning at the same time.

Because the featured stories are all available in hardcopy versions, this DVD is especially valuable when used as a companion to the books. Some of the stories do show some text (for example, "see", "bee", and so forth, in Hop on Pop). However, we wish selected text was available in all of the stories. It is important to note that the stories are not fully animated. Instead, original illustrations from the books are presented as stills, with cutouts that are sometimes panned across the screens. Some parents will be happy that the DVD stays true to the books, while others might be disappointed with the presentation. As it stands, the DVD is low-key entertainment, and we were pleased with the fact that it engages but doesn't manipulate a young viewer's attention. Testers fully enjoyed the six stories, and the total running length of approximately 60 minutes is satisfying. This DVD edition includes a chaptering option, and both The Cat in the Hat Comes Back and Hop on Pop are available individually on VHS.

Dollar Value
This DVD edition is available for a suggested retail price of $12.98 US.

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