Life (Education Edition)

Gr 3 Up—This series, which premiered on the Discovery Channel earlier this year, features gorgeous cinematography, with breathtaking close-ups, soaring aerial shots, and astounding long exposures of slow-moving animals (such as starfish) that truly capture their life drama. The DVDs cover birth, death, hunting, mating, finding or creating shelter, and play, showing how various species act in these situations; no footage is ever too graphic or gruesome for elementary school classes. The programs offer an overview of various classes of animals (fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, amphibians, deep sea creatures) and plants, occasionally focusing in on a specific behavior or evolutionary trait that exemplifies some unique characteristic: dolphins using mud nets to hunt, a toad so lightweight it can throw itself off a cliff to escape a predator and land unharmed, a small fish capable of climbing the rocks of a waterfall. The Making of LIFE is an entertaining documentary about the series that showcases the talented and daring videographers. Oprah Winfrey is a good choice as narrator. Her friendly, resonant, and animated narration complements the glorious images. The DVDs can be viewed in their entirety or by individual segments that showcase particular animals. There are a few moments when the image fades to black, as though for a commercial, and are a bit distracting. Still, this is a minor quibble with an otherwise terrific, entertaining, education, beautiful, and thought-provoking series.—Geri Diorio, Ridgefield Library, CT