There Goes a Tractor [VHS]
Dave Hood created theThere Goes a...series to show off the vehicles and jobs children tend to be fascinated with. As the host, he balanced information with slapstick antics, but always respected the people who perform the job as well as the kids watching the video. InThere Goes a Tractor, Dave Sidoni takes over as host and he's not nearly as good, too often indulging in a "golly gee" tone of voice that probably won't annoy kids nearly as much as the adults watching with them. In this episode, "Farmer Dave" looks at life on a big, industrial farm, with the focus primarily on the versatile tractor. The range of shapes and sizes of tractors (some have as many as six wheels per axle!) is quite impressive. Dave also takes a look at other types of farm machinery, from milking machines on dairy farms to helicopter crop dusters. He also tours an ice cream factory and examines the cheese-making process, but these are throwaway bits that are not explained very well. However, the heart ofThere Goes a Tractoris in the big vehicles and machines, and in that it does not disappoint.--Andy Spletzer