children's video & dvd review

caillou the explorer 

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Product Overview
Be prepared to feel like you have another preschooler in your house - the charming animated boy, Caillou, is uncannily credible when he yells out "Mommy", and his behaviors closely mimic those of a typical 4-year-old child. The Caillou character has been entertaining preschoolers for years through the original French-Canadian board books and videos. Recently, PBS Kids has made Caillou available to American children as well with adventures that explore many of the emotional and social issues that preschoolers face on a daily basis.

This collection of 4 short video stories transports children into Caillou's colorful, animated world where he interacts with his parents, toddler-age sister, grandparents, friends, and his pet cat Gabriel. A grandmotherly narrator fills viewers in on the unspoken things in Caillou's little world - such as how Caillou feels about his various experiences.

What we like about this series is its true-to-reality spin. Some parents might find that Caillou's temper tantrums don't provide their own preschoolers with a good example. However, we have found that, in fact, watching Caillou's occasional babyish conduct gives children a chance to look at themselves in a more objective way. It allows them to step back and think about their own behavior. Truth is, the transition from toddlerhood to grade school can be confusing, and it's a time when children learn, on a daily basis, how to deal with situations in a more "grown up" manner. Slipping back into babyish behavior is natural, and part of a "two steps forward, one step back" process.

The family model in the world of Caillou is close to ideal, but not sugarcoated either. Sometimes Mommy is busy in this animated world, and things don't always go as planned. Caillou occasionally protests bedtime, and he doesn't always understand or cooperate immediately. Still, he always learns a poignant real-world lesson in each and every episode.

Caillou the Explorer brings together a collection of episodes with exploration as a common theme. The featured stories are not only about planes, trains, and automobiles, however. Some of Caillou's adventures include exploring different cultures and meeting new people. One has him learning to use chopsticks and discovering he has a taste for bok choy! Caillou, like any real-life preschooler, is mostly enthusiastic about exploring new things. But, sometimes the unknown can be a little overwhelming. When he takes a train ride for the first time, for example, he experiences moments of anxiety when he discovers that the train is very big and noisy! Fortunately, he has his family to reassure him, and with the help of a very congenial conductor, Caillou ends up having a grand time.

Through each episode, Caillou learns mini-lessons about growing up. In the park, Caillou sees an older boy sailing a pretty snazzy boat in the pond, and suddenly his own little plastic boats don't seem as exciting as they once were. A visit to Grandpa's house - and the discovery of an old toy boat in his basement - does the trick. Spending the afternoon repairing and painting the boat is great fun!

Life doesn't always unfold quite as Caillou would like. When storm clouds threaten to delay his much-anticipated visit to the park, Grandpa finds an acceptable substitute. Through simple but meaningful discoveries such as this one, little viewers learn that although life can be unpredictable at times, things generally have a way of working themselves out - especially with a positive frame of mind.

In between the animated Caillou episodes, there are live-action sequences featuring puppets (based on Caillou's pet cat and favorite toys) and real children. These interludes extend the exploration and transportation theme of the video. For example, Rexy the dinosaur-puppet imagines he can drive his car around the world, until he learns that oceans might get in the way. Live-action footage of kids cooking follows an episode in which Caillou helps bake an apple pie. As well, a group of real children sing and dance in high-energy skits that further explore the themes presented in the stories. Though these extra scenes support the Caillou show in meaningful ways, our testers wished the video favored Caillou episodes in terms of total minutes.

Parents will find that many of Caillou's experiences have much significance in their own children's lives. The stories in the Caillou video series can quite effectively be used as a springboard for discussing real-world situations and the sometimes confusing emotions that accompany them.

This video runs for approximately 40 minutes. A French version, entitled Caillou L'Explorateur, is also available. For families interested in exposing their children to the French language, introducing this version after preschoolers know Caillou the Explorer inside-out can be an educationally rewarding experience.

Dollar Value
This video retails for approximately $10.

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