Let's Explore... Furry, Fishy, Feathery Friends

The story unfolds in a pet store as 7-year-old Mekenzie and her dad go shopping for the practically perfect pet. Kids will enjoy this fast-paced production, and will probably be impressed by Mekenzie, who seems to have no problem wrapping a snake around her neck or letting a giant tarantula crawl on her. However, she wisely does not pick up and play with the scorpion, which is also part of this pet store's menagerie. (One can imagine a child arriving on the front porch with a fully armed scorpion and saying, "Gee mom, it followed me home...") But this Wal-Mart of pet stores also stocks the usual variety of traditional choices like birds, dogs, cats, hamsters, ferrets, fish, turtles, frogs, and lizards. Lots of jazzy music, rhyming narrative, and comical ground level shots of critters in motion keep the video moving right along, and the program does a good job of explaining the various differences between prospective pets. Although there's some attention paid to pet owner responsibilities, the tape is a bit too much like a trip through Toys-R-Us at times. Parents watching this with kids will need to talk to them about regular care, feeding, and dealing with pet exhaust, because by the end of this show, kids will be sold on the idea of acquiring a "fun to have" creature of some sort. Recommended. Ages 5-12. (E. Swanson)