Love in the Animal Kingdom

Gr 7 Up—This episode focuses on the mating rituals of various animals, including lemurs, wolves, gorillas, and damselflies. The viewers watch the bird of paradise's meticulous grooming of his "dance floor" before performing an extravagant dance to attract a female mate. Male gorillas display paternal instincts, and polar bears frolic in the snow as a demonstration of their health and fitness. Set to lively music, each courtship is intended to remind viewers of the habits and rituals humans perform, with the British male narrator describing the events in an amused tone. The sound and visual quality are both excellent, but the program uses no computer graphics to illustrate concepts or to highlight key words, nor does it utilize maps to show the geographic location of the animals. There are many moments that are clearly intended to be adorable or to manipulate viewers into finding human-like sexual behaviors. For example, the "rebellious teenage daughter" wolf sneaks off to meet a lone wolf while a sensual, bluesy harmonica plays. Overall, the program seems more appropriate for viewers who enjoy nature programs for entertainment rather than for educational purposes.—Ryan Henry, Daviess County Public Library, KY