Kids Go! Picture Book and DVD by They Might Be Giants
Simon & Schuster; Har/DVD edition (November 3, 2009)
Ages: 4+
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
We LOVE They Might Be Giants. Love. Love. Love. Not only have they promoted our deep and spiritual admiration for conifers, the letter E and aspiring to be mathletes, they now want us to get up off of the couch. And, you know what? Their song rocked us so hard that we can’t stop dancing. TMBG have a great way with lyrics and beats, and they are also smart enough to have an ace illustrator and a genius video producer. They are the total kid music package all wrapped up in a monkey barrel of fun.

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Here Comes Science CD/DVD - They Might Be Giants
Disney Sound - September 22, 2009
Cautions: None
Ages: 5-12

Kiwi Magazine Review:
My daughter learned her alphabet and at least 20 country names thanks to They Might Be Giants, so, as a parent, I am completely comfortable with my elementary-school child learning a few things about science with this adorkable band. I adored them in the 80s before they launched into kid music, and now I embrace them as a parent. The music is not that patsy twangy stuff; it’s genuine rock with talented artists creating the rhythm. Seriously, if you pulled up to my car at a light and I was rocking out to TMBG, you would never realize it was kid music until you heard the word paleontologist. Warning: after my kid fell in love with the C is for Conifers song, we had to plant about a dozen trees. So, prepare for some excavations and experimentation.  If you buy one TMBG CDs, you are going to go back for all of the others.

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Mad Monster Party (1968)
Starring: Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett, Phyllis Diller, Ethel Ennis
Lions Gate: September 8, 2009
Cautions: Slightly scary

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Although animation and special effects today are out of this world, I believe some of the best story lines and characters were developed decades ago. Perhaps it’s just melancholy, but the Heat Mizer and Land of Misfit Toys have a special place in my heart. In this genre is this wonderful re-release of Mad Monster Party featuring Boris Karloff. It’s a must see just for the style of animation and characters.

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Mission to the Moon: (Book and DVD) by Alan Dyer
Simon & Schuster, 2009
Ages 9-12
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Description:
This wonderful book and DVD would make a great gift for the space explorer in your family. Every possible angle is covered in this 40th Anniversary celebration of the first lunar landing. I found that the adults were just as mesmerized as the kids while watching the DVD. An absolute must-have for all home libraries.

Loose at the Zoo DVD
Infinity Entertainment/Hepcat - May 12, 2009
Ages: 5-12
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This DVD is mesmerizing for kids and adults alike. Although tempting to personify the animals in this DVD with adjectives like ‘cute’ or ‘adorable,’ this is nature at its best, and this DVD captures the antics of a variety of animals and birds. From the tenacious tigers to the intriguing sloth bears, this DVD would make a great gift for any member of the family, regardless of age.

Synopsis:
Meet the babies at Washington D.C.’s National Zoo. But it’s more than just monkey business for these irresistibly cute and cuddly kids … Even animals have chores!

Milkshake - Screenplay DVD
Milkshake Music - 2008
Ages: Whole family
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
We just had the privilege of seeing Milkshake live and this band not only rocks the house (in our case, the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore), but they genuinely love kids and make music that speaks to them. Not overtly preachy, the tunes are rife with an “yay for me” theme but, more importantly, the music is danceable fun. This DVD captures the band’s talents in an ersatz rockumentary style (minus the Stonehenge) and kids jsut have to get up and dance along.

Product Description
Milkshake s first DVD release is a kaleidoscopic mix of live-action, animations and playful interviews with the band, along with two videos originally created for PBS KIDS. Bonus tracks feature live concert footage of Milkshake performing the Noggin favorite “Bottle of Sunshine.” Videos include favorites from the band’s award-winning CDs, including “Pirates,” “Baseball,” “ABC of Me,” “We Got a Band” and “Superhero.”

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From BBC Video comes Planet Earth - The Complete Series (DVD)

With an unprecedented production budget of $25 million, and from the makers of Blue Planet: Seas of Life, comes the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production, over 2,000 days in the field, using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations, shot entirely in high definition, this is the ultimate portrait of our planet. A stunning television experience that captures rare action, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet’s best-loved, wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, this blockbuster series takes you on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth’s most extreme habitats. Planet Earth takes you to places you have never seen before, to experience sights and sounds you may never experience anywhere else.

Planet Earth DVD Game

You live here…but how much do you really know about the Planet Earth? Watch spectacular footage from the epic documentary, answer the questions, and complete the puzzles to save our Planet Earth. Travel to never before seen places, witness amazing sights, and meet the world’s most elusive creatures…all while trying to save Planet Earth. Challenge your family and friends with a unique cooperative game play aspect. Educational and fun for the entire family. The Planet Earth DVD Board game is made with 90% post-consumer recyclable material. Specialty Only version comes in embossed tin with a bonus card game included!

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Yo Gabba Gabba!: New Friends DVD
Nickelodeon: April 7, 2009
Ages 4-8
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Ok. Jack Black dressed as DJ Lance Rock. I am nearly speechless, although I let out a giant squeal when Jack appeared in orange from head to toe. Fans of Yo Gabba Gabba are going to be delighted with this new DVD. And, if you haven’t seen the show yet, this DVD is a great introduction.

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Sesame Street - Follow That Bird - 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (DVD)
Releases 3/24/2009
Cautions: None
Ages: Preschoolers and up

Kiwi Magazine Description:
We were just discussing exactly what kind of bird Big Bird might be. He’s got the shape of a duck, feet like a chicken, color of a Goldfinch…what is he? Well, he’s lovable, adorable and great with kids, so we love him regardless! As usual, Sesame Street delivers another great story about home, love and friendship.

Producer’s Description:
Big Bird leaves Sesame Street to live with an “adopted feathered family,” but gets homesick and decides to return to his old pals.

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Praying with Lior DVD
Produced and directed by Ilana Trachtman
First Run Features, March 24, 2009
Audience - 10-100
Cautions: Lior’s mom dies from breast cancer, many very sad moments

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Lior has a big challenge ahead; his Bar Mitzvah is impending and he has to prepare for it which includes reading from the Torah and delivering a five-minute speech in front of 300 people. An awesome task for any 13 year old, Lior also has the added challenge of Down syndrome and coping with the loss of his mother to breast cancer. Lior is so eloquent that there isn’t a dry eye in the synagogue (or, presumably, in the eyes of those who watch this DVD). Regardless of your religious views, this DVD will definitely help put all things in perspective. By the end of the film, I was one big, soggy mess of gratitude and I have only Lior to thank for that. 

Aside from cheering for Lior and his family as the Bar Mitzvah date approaches, there are some other amazing moments in the film. One of Lior’s classmates (Aaron) says something incredibly insightful and profound for a boy of 13. Roughly interpreted here, he says that everyone on earth has a test and Lior’s test is bigger than many others because God knows he can handle it. Aaron then goes on to say that God is also testing those in Lior’s community and seeing how people treat him.

Have at least one box of tissues on the ready for this emotional, uplifting film.

Producer’s Synopsis:
An engrossing, wrenching and tender documentary film, PRAYING WITH LIOR introduces Lior Liebling, also called “the little rebbe.” Lior has Down syndrome, and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Is he a “spiritual genius” as many around him say? Or simply the vessel that contains everyone’s unfulfilled wishes and expectations?

Lior - whose name means “my light” - lost his mother at age six, and her words and spirit hover over the film. While everyone agrees Lior is closer to God, he’s also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration, and an embarrassment, depending on which family member is speaking. As Lior approaches Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony different characters provides a window into life spent “praying with Lior.” The movie poses difficult questions such as what is “disability” and who really talks to God? Told with intimacy and humor, PRAYING WITH LIOR is a family story, a triumph story, a grief story, a divinely-inspired story.

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