Between the Lions - Little Big Mouse [VHS]
PBS television's engaging, enriching children's series is worthy of the acclaim and awards it is receiving from parents and educators across the U.S. It is no coincidence that this 30-minute program--complete with puppets, music, and mirth--has the look and feel of such quality shows asSesame StreetandArthur. Indeed, the creative geniuses behind those productions (as well asThe Electric CompanyandZoom) have collaborated to develop a literacy adventure for youngsters age 4 to 7. It combines the best elements of whole language and phonics curriculums, and its mission is to give children a love of books while equipping them with reading skills. This is accomplished through clever storytelling, skill-building segments (with playful puns like "Gwain's Word"), and humorous repartee between members of a lion family who run an enchanted library. Each episode uses a single story as the backdrop for teaching words, surrounding vowel sounds, and word families. This particular episode features "Little Big Mouse," a variation of Aesop's fable "The Lion and the Mouse." From the story line, viewers learn the keywordlittle, which is the starting point for a host of minilessons, such as the "short i" vowel sound, and words derived fromit--hit,lip,rip,trip, and so on. Each skill segment moves seamlessly to the next, reinforced with songs and slapstick interludes with knights, Dr. Ruth (Wordheimer), and a cyborg mouse named Click. Perfect book-learning fun for lucky little viewers from 4 to 7 years old.--Lynn Gibson