Published: May 26, 2009
25 Scholastic Children's Classics DVD Review
By Kam Williams 
Dinosaurs, Trucks, Monsters and More
DVD Set Features a Potpourri of Scholastic Classics
This 4-DVD set from the good folks at Scholastic is comprised of a veritable treasure trove of 25 classic modern fairy tales appropriate for children between the ages of 3 and 9. These imaginative yarns have been adapted into some very absorbing animated adventures featuring the distinctive voiceovers of such celebrities as Chevy Chase, Danny Glover, B.D. Wong, Patrick Stewart, Michael McKean, Andy Richter, Diana Canova and David de Vries.
Disc 1's offerings all share the same theme, dinosaurs, a subject which for some reasons fascinates today's youngsters to no end. Three are by Jane Yolen: "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?" "How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?" and "How Do Dinosaurs Get Their Food?" along with "Danny and the Dinosaur," "Dinosaur Bones," "Stanley and the Dinosaurs" and "T is for Terrible."
Disc 2 contains a half-dozen book award-winners, namely, "I Stink," "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," "Trashy Town," "The Remarkable Riderless Runaway Tricycle," "The Beast of Monsieur Racine" and "Arnie the Doughnut."
Parents who read their offspring to sleep regularly will probably recognize the titles by William Steig on Disc 3: "Pete's a Pizza," "Max's Words," "Moon Man," "The Great White Man-Eating Shark," "The Island of the Skog," "What's under My Bed" and "The Five Chinese Brothers." Finally, Disc 4 has Bev Cleary's "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" and "Wee Gillis," the latter a live action version of the famed Scottish fable from Munro Leaf.
A cinematic treat guaranteed to keep the tots and toddlers enthralled for days on end.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 4 hours, 53 minutes
Studio: Scholastic/New Video Group
Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze.
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