Product Review

Mirthful music inspires these two episodes from the Nick Jr. series Dora the Explorer, blending interactive songs and musical instruments with problem-solving games. Confident, bright, and bilingual Dora invites preschoolers to join the fun while decoding a few puzzles along the way. In one story, Dora needs to find some musical instruments so her hometown band can have a parade; in another, Pablo's magical flute gets lost in a storm and must be retrieved. In both cases, Dora and Boots come to the rescue in their usual sunny style, providing interactive pauses to engage viewers in computer-simulated riddles. Adding to the fun, Dora introduces simple Spanish words and encourages audience repetition. Predictability is key to the show's success: viewers will happily anticipate the familiar routines of Map and Backpack as well as the pesky antics of Swiper the Fox. On par with other Dora programs, there is plenty of toe-tapping fun for ages 2 to 5. --Lynn Gibson