Vowel Power

PreS-Gr 1—Vowel Power includes five episodes from this Emmy Award-winning PBS series. First airing in 2000, each episode is approximately 25 minutes long and features puppets, live-action characters, and guest celebrities as well as short animated features. All are designed to help young children grasp the skills necessary to learn to read, including phonemic awareness, phonics, and an introduction to a wide range of vocabulary words. Each segment is full of dynamic characters and sure to entertain children of all ages. The five fun, fast-paced, and educational episodes focus on different phonic sounds. "The Chap with Caps" targets the short "a," "Pecos Bill Cleans Up the West" the short "e," "Little Big Mouse" the short "i," "The Last Rock" the short "o" and double "o," and "Fuzzy Wuzzy, Wuzzy?" examines the short "u" sound. Children will love lion cubs Lionel and Leona and their parents Cleo and Theo, who host each episode, as well as the myriad of other regular characters, such as Tiger Words, the Great Smartini, and the Word Doctor. The DVD also includes extra features, such as the option to display English subtitles and digital video descriptions. Recommended for all libraries.—Amy Joslyn, Fairport Public Library, NY