Dora the Explorer - Swing Into Action [VHS]
Dora the Exploreris a Nick Jr. cartoon adventure aimed at young preschool children. The setting is a simulated computer game--flush with interactive pauses, colorful animation, repetition, and song--in which Dora and her monkey friend Boots journey through natural settings while solving small dilemmas. Dora is bilingual, speaking primarily English and offering a new Spanish word or phrase every episode. The series teaches children simple concepts and aids in the development of memory and problem-solving skills. In "Sticky Tape," Dora's friend Benny needs some sticky tape in order to mend a hole in his hot-air balloon and prevent it from crashing into Crocodile Lake. Young viewers are charged with helping Dora and Boots find the sticky tape in Dora's backpack, then delivering it across a windy river and over a slippery rock to Benny--all the while preventing Swiper the Fox from swiping the tape. In "Berry Hunt," Dora and Boots's excursion to pick blueberries leads them across the river, through a prickly forest, and into Swiper the Fox's homeland on Blueberry Hill. Their journey is relatively uneventful until they're forced to outsmart Swiper the Fox and a blueberry-loving bear. While parents are likely to find this 48-minuteDora the Explorerpedantic and repetitive, children 2 to 5 years old are fascinated by the show and will actively participate by singing along, shouting answers to Dora's questions, and offering a warning cry whenever Swiper the Fox appears. The series is quite similar to the popularBlue's Clues--in both, viewers help the main character fit together bits of information to solve a puzzle or complete a journey--butDora the Exploreris aimed at a slightly younger audience.--Tami Horiuchi