Where the Wild Things Are…and 5 More Stories by Maurice Sendak: This is one of my favorite children’s books, and it was a favorite long before Jeremiah at Z Recommends pointed out the deeper level at which you could enjoy it (scroll down to the fifth paragraph). This DVD features the title story plus five other Sendak treasures, including Into the Night Kitchen, which fascinated me the first time I read it. (See Jeremiah’s review of that story as well…wish I had read between the lines!). My kids loved this DVD, especially George who has yet to read Where the Wild Things Are. Guess I better add that to the library list! The disc also features a getting-to-know Maurice Sendak blurb and Spanish and French versions of Where the Wild Things Are.

Make Way for Ducklings…and More Delightful Duck Stories: I have to admit, I didn’t get a chance to watch this DVD in its entirety though I did catch the first story and loved it! Make Way for Ducklings is a best-selling children’s book and it was the first time I had seen it. How did I miss this classic?

Harry the Dirty Dog…and More Playful Puppy Stories: This was one of my kids’ favorite DVDs out of the group. It was slipped into the DVD player quite a few times, especially by my son. Perhaps it’s because Harry loves to be muddy and Dot the fire dog is such a hero, whatever the reason, he loved it!

Night Before Christmas…and More Classic Holiday Tales: I don’t generally do anything Christmas (besides a little shopping) before the day after Thanksgiving, but when this DVD arrived, my kids couldn’t wait to watch it, so I gave in (pretty easily). And I’m so glad I did, because not only did it feature the original holiday classic but also taught my children a little bit about Hanukkah (In the Month of Kisley), Kwanzaa (Seven Candles for Kwanzaa) and a Hispanic Christmas dinner (Too Many Tamales). A little culture at Christmas time is a really good thing!

To wrap up this review, we also had a chance to watch a new DVD from Shout! Factory, Jane and the Dragon: A Dragon’s Tale. The DVD is a compilation of the first five episodes from the TV show, and if you haven’t seen Jane and the Dragon, then you’re missing out, especially if you have little girls. In this kingdom, girls are raised to be ladies-in-waiting, but not Jane. This 12-year-old rescues the prince from a ferocious dragon (he’s really not that ferocious) and is granted permission by the king to train as a knight’s apprentice. Her new friend, Dragon, is the perfect sidekick. I love his humor! The series showcases some pretty awesome 3D animation and every story so far has had a nice moral to it. It’s one of the few Saturday cartoons worth watching.

Quality children’s programming is hard to find on TV; the same goes for movies. Consider gifting your children one or two Scholastic Storybook Treasures or a Shout! Factory DVD this holiday season. Remember Where the Wild Things Are—classic stories stand the test of time. —Emily

Diary of a Spider…and More Cute Critter Stories title story features one of my children’s favorite books, Diary of a Spider, the sequel to the popular (and another Hill favorite) Diary of a Worm. The story is one of the few I can read—and watch—over and over again. The award-winning animated adaptation is engaging and of course the humor in the story is great for kids and adults alike. The DVD features more critter stories with Scholastic’s wonderful Read-Along option: Roberto the Insect Architect, Norman the Doorman, The Mysterious Tadpole and The Story of the Dancing Frog.

Corduroy…and More Stories About Caring brings the much-loved character from the classical storybook to life. On this DVD the title story is an animated adaptation of the original Corduroy, which tells the story of Corduroy’s search for his missing button in hopes it will help his being purchased and taken home. The story uses both live action and stop-motion animation. When the story first started I had to clue in my kids about the lovable bear, and because it started out in a dimly lit department store with a “live” teddy bear, they asked if it were a scary story. But I quickly put their fears to rest, as did the story itself, and the proceeded to watch it and the other features quite a few times that afternoon. The DVD also includes six other stories.

My children have thoroughly enjoyed their Scholastic DVDs and I have enjoyed their watching something other than Nick toons and Playhouse Disney. And if you have a preschooler at home you’ll definitely want to pick up a few of these DVDs; the Read Along feature is wonderful for beginning readers.—Emily

In March Scholastic unveiled six storybook classics on DVD: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom…and More Fun with Letters and Numbers; Chrysanthemum…and More Mouse Mayhem; Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type…and More Amusing Animal Tales; Curious George Rides a Bike…and More Monkeying Around; Good Night Gorilla…and More Great Sleepytime Stories; Harold and the Purple Crayon…and More Stories to Spark the Imagination. These storybook classics have been completely refreshed, re-authored and repackaged with new, thematic story collections and celebrity narrators. Yes, celebrity narrators!

The kids and I have enjoyed watching our Chrysanthemum and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom DVDs. They sure beat a few other DVDs we have (not naming any names) and I love that I can watch these without falling asleep! Each of the new DVDs offers at least an hour of stories, an enhanced read-long function allowing children to follow the narrator as the story is read, and a new kid-friendly navigation (mom friendly too).

Scholastic Storybook Treasures collection has won numerous awards including Parents’ Choice, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video, American Library Association Notable Video selections, NAPPA Gold Awards, and Parenting Magazine’s Best DVD of the Year making it the #1 award-winning line in the children’s video marketplace. All the more reason to enter our giveaway for your own collection of priceless stories (on DVD) from Scholastic Storybook Treasures!—Emily

* Giveaway! Scholastic is giving away five two-packs from the selection of DVDs mentioned above! Please leave a comment with a valid email address telling us your favorite storybook classic for our drawing. We’ll draw the winners from the comments and contact them via email. Deadline: May 20, 2008 (midnight). The winners will have 24 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.