Wild Kratts

Gr 1—4—The Kratt brothers, Martin and Chris, have been making animal-themed television programs for children since the early 1990s. Their latest show, Wild Kratts, offers their trademark high energy, great camera work, solid science, fun scripts, and snappy animation, while throwing in a new twist: the brothers become animated characters. Each program is bookended with live-action footage of the Kratts interacting with animals, setting the scene for the escapade to come, and offering concluding thoughts. A few minutes into each program, they transform into cartoon versions of themselves and begin an adventure. The cartoon Kratts are aided by a team of three young people who work out of a high tech, mobile headquarters shaped like a turtle. Each program focuses on a different animal, in a different place on the planet. The brothers also must defeat some recurring villains—people who want to exploit or kill various animals for profit. Using real science as well as science fiction (the brothers have super suits that give them special animal-like powers, such as the speed of a cheetah or the flight of a falcon), the Kratts save the animal and the day. This DVD offers ten half-hour episodes first broadcast on PBS television stations earlier this year. They focus on mammals (including bears, whales, aardvarks, and honey badgers), fish, reptiles, and insects. These shows would make an entertaining accompaniment to a more traditional science lesson.—Geri Diorio, The Ridgefield Library, CT