Featured TV on DVD Review: Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs A to Z
September 30, 2012
Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs A to Z - Buy from Amazon
I get a lot of Dinosaur Train DVDs to review, which isn't problem, as they are my favorite preschool Edutainment TV series. The latest one is Dinosaurs A to Z. It has nine 11-minute segments, not the usual eight, plus some extras. So what dinosaurs do we learn about this time?
This DVD has the usual special features for a Dinosaur Train DVD. I.E., more segments with Dr. Scott D. Sampson the Paleontologist, DVD Rom game and printable pages, plus parent and teacher information. On a side note, I really like how they have subtitles on these DVDs. It is useful for parents (and critics) to get the name of the dinosaurs right, in case they want to look up more information on them.
Dinosaur Train is arguably the more educational of the edutainment releases I get to review on a regular basis, and they don't sacrifice entertainment either. Dinosaurs A to Z has an excellent price-per-minute compared to most such shows and better extras as well. It is easily worth picking up.
The Show
It Mrs. Pterandon's birthday and Mr. Pterandon has got her tickets to the Corythosaurus Concert. When they get there, they learn about the Corythosaurus crest and how they use it to communicate, and to make music.
The kids (Shiny, Tiny, Don, and Buddy) are having races, but Buddy keeps on losing, until they try running. They start saying Buddy is the fastest runner around, but Mr. Conductor was talking about the fastest dinosaurs and mentioned Ornithomimus. Don thinks Buddy will beat an Ornithomimus in a race. When they finally meet them, not only do they run fast, they talk just as fast.
Tiny likes being really small, as she can get into small places. However, when they find a spot too small for her, she's upset. When she learns about an even smaller dinosaur, a Microraptor, she's jealous.
Tiny, Buddy, and Mrs. Pterandon are going to a picnic and learn an Einiosaurus herd is going there as well. They meet Ernie Einiosaurus and learn that some dinosaurs live in large families called herds.
Dinos A to Z, Part 2, Spread the Word
Dinos A to Z, Part 3, The Classification
Dinos A to Z, Part 4, A to Z Picnic
A four-part special that starts with Tiny and Buddy in Junior Conductor club and they sing The Dinosaurs A to Z song with Mr. Conductor. When they realize the first four dinosaurs in the song are on board on the Dinosaur Train. That's when Tiny gets a Big Idea. She wants to get all 26 species from the song on the Dinosaur Train at the same time then have a huge picnic and sing The Dinosaurs A to Z song altogether. Tiny and Buddy are super excited, but Mr. Conductor is more than a little nervous about trying to pull it off. But he has help from Buddy, Tiny, and his mother! As if he wasn't nervous already.
The whole family travels to the North Pole to celebrate the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. They get to go to the Festival of Lights and see the Aurora Borealis. The Extras
The Verdict
- Submitted by: C.S.Strowbridge
Filed under: Video Review