Product: Extreme Trains: The Complete Season One (2009)
Rating: 5.0
My child's favorite
I picked up this show because I wanted a change from Thomas the Tank Engine. I figured that even if my son didn't like it immediately, he'd grow into it. Well, I bought it when he was not quite a year and a half old; he's now 3 and still watches the episodes regularly. I've learned quite a bit about trains from the show myself! The host has a very in-your-face style -- which I can't fault him for, as I'm sure that's how he was directed -- and I get a kick out of my son's starry-eyed hero-worship: Matt Bown can do no wrong, and Matt Bown knows everything about trains, and Matt Bown lives in Maine, and Matt Bown works on a train...you get the idea. The other day, he woke up and told me that he'd had a dream where Mr. Rogers and Matt Bown were friends and rode on a train with him.So, if you have a train-crazy kid in your life, or you want to learn some things about trains yourself, you could do a lot worse. They do cover some notable train disasters, etc. so be aware if you or your child are sensitive to that sort of thing.