Cat Power!

Offering a child's celebration of the Caterpillar company's numerous earth-moving, land-shaping vehicles, Cat Power! is both fun and informative, even for grownups who likely have no clue how engineers work to make these big machines more efficient and environmentally friendly. First, animated host Mike and his inquisitive pal Henry run through a menu of Cat equipment, beginning with bulldozers that are so nimble they can rest on a small surface, see-sawing up and down while still pushing aside boulders. After dozers leave surfaces at a “rough grade” level, big graders come in to smooth everything out for parking lots or airport runways. Excavators of all sorts are also in the spotlight, with the most interesting ones now using less diesel fuel while digging up twice as much volume. Loaders, too, have been updated, with ejector blades that push out contents. Featuring a chapter on real vs. toy Cat machines, as well as a “Cat rap,” the program also includes an interesting section about Caterpillar's formation in 1925 and leap to diesel engines six years later. Sure to appeal to Cat fans—small and large—this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)