Scholastic Storybook Treasures: Wheels On The Bus Sing-Along Travel Kit (New Video DVD w/CD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+ (CD: B-)     Extras: C+     Shorts: C+

 

 

Scholastic has had much success over the years, including with characters like Curious George and Clifford The Big Red Dog, but they have also produced many one shot shorts and books, et al, which is evident in a new box set geared towards a preschool audience.  A new double DVD set from what the company is dubbing the Storybook Treasures series has been issued with the added feature (via closed captions) of “Sing-Along” in The Wheels On The Bus Travel Kit.

 

It is a sort of gift set, with two separate DVD cases and other goodies meant to educate and entertain preschool audiences.  One DVD is entitled The Wheels On The Bus Travel Kit and has seven shorts including the title short, Joseph Had A Little Overcoat, Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!, All The Colors Of The Earth, Keeping House, Hush Little Baby and the especially effective Musical Max, also included in Spanish. 

 

The second DVD is There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly that offers eight shorts including the title entry, This Land Is Your Land, Frog Went-A-Courtin’, Over The Meadow, Giraffes Can’t Dance, The Chinese Violin, Dem Bones and Changes, Changes.  In both cases, some are better than others and a few are not too impressive, but each disc has enough for its intended audience.  Cyndi Lauper, Billy Dee Williams and Arlo Guthrie are among those who narrate on this second DVD.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image varies from short to short, but a few more are softer than expected/hoped for, though color is often good.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound throughout is usually stereo, but some older shorts have good monophonic sound, which is more what we expected from such compilations.  Extras include the shorts counted as bonus shorts, bonus CD, discussion questions on the DVDs, travel tips for parents, an activity book and a small crayons set.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo