KidVid: Chrysanthemum…and More Whimsical Stories Offers Flights of Fancy
September 20, 2011, marked the release of Chrysanthemum…and More Whimsical Stories from Scholastic Storybook Treasures, each one meaningful, gentle entertainment for preschool and older children. The stories encourage reading with an optional read-along feature, support positive social skills (self-esteem, assertiveness, friendship, cooperation, courage), and illustrate concepts such as trust, growth, and change.
The three DVDs that comprise Chrysanthemum…and More Whimsical Stories feature celebrity narration by Sarah Jessica Parker, Meryl Streep, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart, Mary Beth Hurt, Amy Madigan, and Roberta Maxwell. There are seventeen stories and a passel of bonus features.
The first disk in the set is Chrysanthemum…and More Mouse Mayhem, recommended for ages three through eight. In the title story, Chrysanthemum, a mouse who loves her name isn’t so happy with it when the kids in school make fun of her. Other stories on Chrysanthemum…and More Mouse Mayhem are “A Weekend with Wendell,” about the quiet mouse Sophie who needs to make herself heard when she spends time with her more boisterous cousin; “Owen,” a mouse who thinks it’s time to give up his beloved blanket; “The Caterpillar and the Polliwog,” a story about growing up and changing; “Hondo and Fabian” is a day spent having fun doing not much of anything 
with Hondo, the dog, and Fabian, the cat; and the live-action “Mouse Around,” in which a tiny mouse is separated from his family and friends and wants to find his way home. Bonus features include Spanish-language versions of “Owen” and “The Caterpillar and the Polliwog.”
Recommended for ages three through nine, there are six stories on Rapunzel…and more classic fairytales including the title story about a girl locked in a tower who must assist in her rescue. “The Elves and the Shoemaker” is a very old tale about elves helping out a kindly old shoemaker (who really needs help); “The Talking Eggs” brings magic into a little girl’s life when she becomes friends with an eccentric, elderly woman; “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” is an adventure as three goats search for fresh grass; “Princess Furball” hides her identity under a coat made of a thousand furs when the king falls in love with her; and, my favorite, “Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China,” in which the children are much more clever than old Red.
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati