All About John Deere for Kids

Although John Deere's sales primarily come from lawnmowers these days, the company continues to market toys and other licensed products that keep its trademark tractor mystique alive for today's suburban children. Hence the appeal of All About John Deere for Kids, a fun look at old tractors, new tractors, huge tractors, lawnmowers, Deere highway construction equipment, and multipurpose Gators (utility vehicles), all with pertinent details on horsepower, model names, etc. (The price for the largest farm tractor is a cool quarter of a million, but it comes with a CD player and GPS navigation system--for those who get lost in their own fields while rockin' out to John Mellencamp, one presumes.) There are several catchy original songs accompanying the footage of machines planting, cultivating and harvesting, or excavating, dumping and loading (sometimes the clip is played backwards for a few old-fashioned laughs, as a field, say, is un-harvested). Even though this is ostensibly for kids, more than a few parents and grandparents may be drawn to this as well (with or without Junior). Recommended for public libraries, even (especially?) those in urban areas where few residents have ever seen the signature green and yellow tractors. Despite a tacky commercial for a toy store at the very end of the program, this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)