Product Review

Good company makes any trip more enjoyable. In this animated double episode from the Dora the Explorer series, preschool viewers get better acquainted with little Dora's closest and most helpful travel companions: Backpack, Map, and Boots the monkey. Together, the group successfully returns Dora's library books on time and rescues Boots's red boot, all in about 45 minutes. However, this team of talking pals accomplishes so much more than simply enhancing the story lines. Whether Dora faces a grumpy troll, a huge rock, or a raging waterfall, her three sidekicks provide ample opportunity for interactive learning. All the characters speak and sing to their viewing audience, challenging them to point to the right supply from Backpack's cache, verbally repeat the route suggested by Map, and shout simple English and Spanish commands with Dora. Bright, evenly paced, and repetitive enough to inspire quick comprehension, this series scores big with little adventurers. --Liane Thomas