REVIEWS+

The Adventures of Compass and Alarm Clock

Experiment with Water
NOT- -AVAIL-ABL-E.
COPY ISBN
Gr 2—4—Compass and Alarm Clock are two toy robots in this computer-animated program that is intended to explain the properties of water. Compass acts as the teacher, while Alarm Clock provides the comic relief. A brief introduction explains floods and tsunamis. Four water experiments dealing with surface tension and capillary action are shown. While metric measurements are used in the narration, standard measurements are shown on the screen. There is little logical flow to the program. Scientific principles do not build on one another, and the concept of surface tension is never explained in the bubble experiments. There is also a gratuitous monster truck ride unrelated to the concepts being presented. The animation often lacks clarity and has annoying tiny white dots that move around in front of the characters.—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Reviewed by Kitty Chen Dean , Oct 01, 2011

Be the first reader to comment.

Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?