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One of the nice things about blogging is getting review copies of DVDs and books. I work with several children’s and adult book publishers and get a variety of books - everything from cooking to photography. From Click Communications, I get a lot of terrific Disney movies and grownup films like The Kite Runner (see my review here).

But a lot of the kids’ movies that get pitched to me I don’t accept, things like Caillou the whiniest cartoon boy ever. So with reluctance, I had Special Ops Media send me Handy Manny - Fixing It Right and Disney’s Little Einsteins - Race for Space after consulting with my daughter, Lucie. She said she’d like them. And she was right, she did. But then again, she’ll watch just about anything including America’s Next Top Model. (Heck, it’s my guilty pleasure, too.)

All in all, Handy Manny - Fixing It Right and Disney’s Little Einsteins - Race for Space aren’t bad. Handy Manny is sort of like Bob the Builder meets Chico and the Man.” (Am I showing my age here?) And Little Einsteins is like Meet the Robinsons. The animation is o.k., too. It’s just that they’re not very original and kind of boring. Plus, we’re not big Disney Channel fans. (I much prefer their movies and their Pixar division’s films.)

Also, these are just repackaged TV episodes according to the Amazon reviews. If you’re a fan of either of these shows and have a TiVo, you already “own” the shows and can watch them any time your child wants. Plus, if you have a DVD-R, you can make copies to play in the car.

Still, you may want to watch these clips and decide for yourself:

HANDY MANNY: FIXING IT RIGHT Clip 1

LITTLE EINSTEINS: RACE FOR SPACE Clip 1

My advice? Go to the library and get a few good books instead.

As my kids get older, it seems like it’s harder to find the time to read to them. By the time dinner dishes are put away, and backpacks are packed for the next day, it’s pass everyone’s bedtime and there is no time to read. While there is no substitute for a parent and child getting together to read, there are sources out there to help fill in the cracks.

The Smart Television Alliance
The Smart Television Alliance a great online source for parents and caregivers to easily find television programming that is educational and entertaining for kids, on the parents’ schedules. They’re also a committed supporter of the NEA’s annual Read Across America project. They even had some of our kids’ favorite TV characters give them reading suggestions.

The Smart Television Alliance has partnered with the Disney Channel to produce a Public Service Announcement to help impart the importance of reading to children everywhere. The Disney Channel asked Super Bunny, star of the new Playhouse Disney series “Bunnytown,” to read his favorite bedtime story to a friend - A Boy and His Bunny. You can see the video below.

kidthing™
kidthing released an animated digital version of Horton Hears A Who! by Dr. Seuss for Read Across America Day. It’s available for free exclusively on for download on kidthing. The pages come to life on your computer screen with animation, narration and sound effects. Parents also have the option to turn the sound off and read the book aloud. It’s very slick but as a parent you are totally in control to what books you’re downloading.

kidthing is a secure internet-based global learning platform for children, parents, teachers, family and friends that delivers the next generation Internet-based learning environment through its proprietary distribution, publishing and social networking platform. Parents and teachers can purchase, customize and personalize content for kids and can share this in private sharing groups. Publishers and content creators around the world can make their works available in the kidthing store in an enhanced electronic format. It’s sort of an online version of Kindle for children’s books with social networking features.

YouTube
There are many videos of books from Rosemary Wells to Curious George available on YouTube (probably bootleg versions, I’m guessing. I’ve created a playlist on YouTube of some kid friendly titles for my kids to watch. (I’d love to post a video here, but it keeps goofing up my blog.)

The DVD of Enchanted was released this week. And thanks to the folks at Click Communications, I have a preview copy that I hope we can watch this weekend, since we were too busy last week.

You see, it was my daughter Lucie’s fifth birthday, which included a fancy Disney princess party. Unfortunately, her little majesty decided it was her party and she could cry if she wanted to. Yes, she spent most of the time pouting or up in her room crying and screaming. Luckily, the other kids had a good time and everyone enjoyed a gorgeous and delicious Disney princess birthday cake made by Cutting Edge Cake Design.

The Queen Mother (that’s me) wasn’t happy with the bratty princess who was FINE once she started opening presents. So after I cleaned up, I went to my royal chambers for several hours to work on my plans to have this blog “prettied up” by Girly Blog Designz. (I’m so excited! More details coming soon.) The Queen was still peeved at the princess the next day, but finally issued a royal pardon.

Since Lucie is too adorable to be mad at for very long, like most fairly tales this tale of the pouty princess had a happily-ever-after ending. And so does Enchanted, a romantic spoof of Disney fairy tale films.

Enchanted features an animated heroine (Amy Adams as Giselle) from a kingdom far, far away who finds herself transformed into a real live woman in bustling New York City. Susan Sarandon plays the evil sorceress Narissa (who may just outdo another Disney baddie, Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil). Narissa exiles Giselle from her fairytale kingdom and James Marsden is the handsome prince who travels to the Big Apple to rescue her. Of course, all the moms will swoon over Patrick Dempsey (from “Grey’s Anatomy”) as a contemporary knight in shining armor. Idina Menzel plays his girlfriend Nancy who suspects Giselle might just be a little too good to be true.

The film is rated PG and Amazon.com reviewer, Tami Horiuchi, recommends it for ages 6 and older with parental guidance due to some scary images and mild innuendo. Besides watching a fun movie with my family, I’m looking forward to spotting the 13 scenes in Enchanted that reference Classic Disney movie scenes.

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I was first exposed to the world of Baby Einstein videos when my friend - an occupational therapist - and her family stayed with us a for a few days. Her son was less than a year old and an extremely high need child . They took drastic measures from a darkened room with music and a special swing just to get him to sleep. (It ended up being severe GERD and the poor kid was in pain.)

One thing that always calmed their little boy down were Baby Einstein videos. They limited his viewing time, and only relied on the videos when they needed a break. My friend worked with many special needs children and knew that the videos were a great tool in getting her son comfortable and quiet.

In August 2007, Frederick J. Zimmerman, PhD., Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, and Andrew N. Meltzoff, PhD. came out with a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics that supposedly found that among babies ages eight months to 16 months, every hour spent daily watching programs such as Baby Einstein translated into six to eight fewer words in their vocabulary.

The media picked up on it immediately and Disney asked for an apology. Yet, no one pointed out that the study was preliminary and not very scientific. In fact the researchers were very biased since Dr. Christakis had a reputation for blaming TV for a variety of behavioral problems in children  and had been targeting Baby Einstein videos since 2005. I was so ticked off that I wrote “The Real Scoop on Watching Baby Einstein (just because you have a Dr. in front of your name doesn’t mean you’re right).”

I’ve been a big defender of QUALITY videos and television ever since. In fact, I support groups like the Smart Television Alliance, a coalition of nonprofit organizations committed to helping parents use technology to find and watch quality television programming. With this in mind I whole heartedly support parents use of Baby Einstein videos so they can take a break to shower, eat a snack, answer the telephone or make dinner.

Videos like Baby Einstein - Baby’s First Moves are meant to be shared with your child. In fact, the Baby Einstein website gives parents tips on ways to use the videos. Here’s one:

Make it a Family Affair
Consider using DVD time as a way to interact with the whole family. If baby has an older sibling(s) around, you can invite them to watch the DVD with you. (Nathan enjoyed watching videos like this with Lucie when she was a baby.) Encourage your older child to point out the names of the animals, say the colors or even make animal sounds. They will love playing with baby and will be excited about showing off how much they know!

Also, it’s not about your baby sitting like a big lump in front of the TV watching a video and drooling. With Baby Einstein - Baby’s First Moves, which was sent to me by Baby Einstein/Disney to review, it’s about getting up and moving! The video is an interactive “celebration of babies’ movement milestones.” This includes walking, clapping, jumping, and dancing.The purpose of the video is to get parents and their children discovering movement together. So grab a copy of Baby Einstein - Baby’s First Moves and get your jiggy on!

 
Everyone who read Beowulf in high school raise their hands. O.K., now all of you who either enjoyed reading it or remembers what it’s about, keep your hands raised. I’m guessing there aren’t many hands up because most people thought reading Beowulf in English class was the height of drudgery. It was for me and I like mythology.

So when I received a review copy of the unrated director’s cut of Beowulf from Click Communications, I was hoping to have my faith restored in epic poetry and mythic hereos. Here’s the movie description:

In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all, Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, he incurs the undying wrath of the beast’s ruthlessly seductive mother who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle throughout the ages, immortalizing the name Beowulf.

Academy Award® winner director Robert Zemeckis tells the oldest epic tale in the English language with the most modern technology, advancing the cinematic forum through the magic of digitally enhanced live action. A stellar cast is led by Ray Winstone (“The Departed,” “Sexy Beast”) in the title role. Joining him are Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as the cursed King Hrothgar, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s mother.

Sounds cool right? Well, Beowulf ended up being an R-rated Shrek. I wouldn’t recommend showing it to even the most mature teenager since it’s violent, gory, and there’s too much sex and lust. First, Hrothgar, King of the Danes disrobes, and tells his people to make merry. (And boy do they ever.) I love Anthony Hopkins, but don’t want to see a nude cartoon version of him doing pelvic thrusts. Ick.

Then super hottie Beowulf shows up (Ray Winstone) to fight Grendel. And he must disrobe to do so. (Can you say beefcake?) It’s amusing - and distracting - to see how the director always placed something in front of Beowulf to hide his crotch. Of course, Grendel’s mom (Angelina Jolie) is naked too and she gets it on with Beowulf, his predecessor and his heir, which doesn’t exactly happen in the original tale. Oops.

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