Just in time for the little ones to go back to school for another year of reading, writing and ‘ritmatic, comes another valuable DVD collection from those award winning producers of children’s entertainment and education, Scholastic Storybook Treasures. This particular collection, Adventures in School, won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Videos. Scholastic Storybook Treasures adapts beloved children’s books into animated form. They’ve translated the works of Rosemarie Wells and Doreen Cronin, as well as producing cartoon versions of favorite characters like Curious George. Adventures in School gives us 14 stories, spanning from Petunia (1950) to How Do Dinosaurs Go to School (2007). All these stories revolve around school and things young kids might need to know before starting their first, or latest, semester.
Disc One collects some of the popular "Black Lagoon" stories by Mike Thaler, illustrated by Jared Lee. All three stories are about the fears and expectations kids have when starting a school year. The Teacher from the Black Lagoon is about a student who has heard about what a monster his new teacher is, and imagines all sorts of horrors until he actually meets her and is surprised by what he sees. The Librarian from the Black Lagoon is a similar tale about a student’s dread of the upcoming library field trip and how it defies his expectations. The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon covers the same ground, only this time, the source of apprehension is gym class. Also included on Disc One is Carl Best’s Shrinking Violet, illustrated by Giselle Potter. It’s the story of shy Violet, who avoids the spotlight at any cost. When she is recruited for a part in the school play, can she find the courage to step onto the stage? Will everyone laugh at her? What do you think?
Disc Two gives us a couple of the "Miss Nelson” stories by Harry Allard. These stories follow the daily exploits of the beloved school teacher and her students, who often need a harsh life lesson which causes Miss Nelson to assume her alias of crone-like substitute teacher Viola Swamp. Disguised as “The Swamp,” Miss Nelson gives tough love to her students.
In Miss Nelson Has a Field Day, our compassionate teacher realizes that the students aren’t taking the upcoming inter-school football game seriously, so she uses her alter-ego to push the students to develop the Eye of the Tiger. Miss Nelson is Back has our caring teacher sidelined with tonsillitis. Her students are bored when the stuffy, humorless Principal takes over the class, so they concoct a scheme to get rid of him by tricking him into thinking that Miss Nelson is back. The kids get to enjoy an unsupervised day until the real Miss Nelson catches on to their scheme. Miss Nelson slips back into her awful alias and takes over the class, making the students regret their sneaky stunt.
Also on Disc Two are three other tales. The Day Jimmy’s Boa Constrictor Ate the Wash, by Trinka Hakes Nobel and illustrated by Steven Kellogg, tells of a field trip to the farm that goes from ordinary to extraordinary when Jimmy brings his very large snake along. The Dot, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, tells the story of Vashti, who has no interest in drawing until a class exercise to draw a dot fires up her competitive instincts. Amazing Grace, written by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Caroline Binch, is the story of Grace, who wants to play Peter Pan in the school play. Everyone tells her that a black girl can’t play Peter Pan but Grace is determined to prove them wrong.
The final disc contains the newest and oldest stories in the collection. The old stories include Petunia, written and drawn by Roger Duvoisin. Petunia is a goose who isn’t as smart as she thinks she is. It’s a story about the damage a huge ego can cause and it illustrates that a little bit of knowledge does not go a long way. Monty, written and illustrated by James Stevenson, is an alligator who everyone takes for granted until he goes away. Will I Have a Friend in School?, by Miriam Cohen and illustrated by Lillian Hoban, is a self exclamatory tale. It’s Jimmy’s first day of school and he worries about whether he’ll fit in and make friends.
The newest stories are How Do Dinosaurs go to School? and Crazy Hair Day. In Crazy Hair Day, written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg, Stanley comes to school with a wacky hair style, mistakenly thinking it’s the annual Crazy Hair Day, but he got his dates wrong. It’s the day that the class picture will be taken. What will Stanley do? Everyone is looking at him. How can he take his class picture looking so strange? Finally, we have How Do Dinosaurs Go to School?, written by Jane Yolen and drawn by Mark Teague, which comically comments on children’s behavior by comparing them to the Dinosaurs.
DVD Bonus Features
The extra features include Spanish language versions of The Dot, Monty and The Day Jimmy’s Boa Constrictor Ate the Wash. This is also an interview with Mike Thaler, Jared Lee and Barney Saltzberg. Additionally, there is a read-a-long section and discussion questions.
"Scholastic Storybook Treasures: Adventures At School" is on sale August 24, 2010 and is rated G. Children & Family. Directed by Scholastic Treasures. Written by Harry Allard, Trinka Hakes Nobel, Peter H. Reynolds, Mary Hoffman, Barney Saltzburg, Roger Duvoisin, Jane Yolen, James Stevenson, Miriam Cohen, Mike Thaler, Carl Best . Starring Alfre Woodard, Calista Flockhart, Zach Braff.
