Dream Island

Gr 7 Up—Six short episodes tell the story of Skokholm Island, a small bird sanctuary off the coast of Wales. Naturalist Ronald Lockley lived "like Robinson Crusoe" on the island in the 1920s, and his writings made it famous in ornithology circles. Today, ecotourism helps keep the island preserved. With lovely videography and insightful interviews with naturalists, the segments take a close look at the various bird species that use the island as a breeding ground and touch on the nonavian animals that live on and around Skokholm. Much like the little island, these programs have an awkward charm: beautiful to look at, worthy of note, but with rough edges and not a lot of depth. An actor plays Lockley in sepia-toned re-creations from his diaries. There is old-timey piano music that plays during these scenes that sounds charming only the first time one hears it. Also, the sound mix is a bit off during the start of each episode—the music overwhelms the narration. The final chapter ends on an odd, melancholy note as the island's game warden takes a job in Antarctica, and the final image is him motoring away from the island in a boat.