The Adventures Of Jay Jay the Jet Plane; Grandpa Worked On the Railroad

If there is a shortage of train engineers or airline pilots during the first quarter of the 21st century, no one will be able to blame the video industry: every other children's program released these days seems to be a plane, train, or truck video. The Adventures of Jay Jay the Jet Plane is not your standard tour of the airport video, however; it's an impressive model-animated quartet of short stories revolving around the title character and a hangarful of flying friends. Reminiscent of the popular BBC animated series Jimbo and the Jet Set (VL-7/91), these tales teach simple lessons: the importance of following rules, cultivating the imagination, being determined, and helping out friends. Clever use of scale model backdrops, video special effects, and darling airplanes ensure that this will be a big hit with kids aged 2-6. Highly recommended.Grandpa Worked on the Railroad, by contrast, is your standard tour of the railroading world. "Dad" and four hyper-eager children (like TV kids) come across Grandpa's old scrap book, and get a close-up look at life aboard a steam locomotive. Viewers watch Engineer Joe and Fireman Nick as they drive the train and stoke the engine, respectively, while the locomotive lumbers up a steep grade. The kids also sing a clever rhythm song describing how a steam engine works, learn hand and whistle signals, and mime a series of cars being connected together. Overall, it's a good program (though the last five or so minutes is repetitive, simply replaying earlier songs), with a little education, a little goofiness, and a reasonable amount of fun for ages 2-7. Not in the same league as What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?: Railroader (VL-1/95), this is recommended for libraries that aren't already bogged down with similar fare. (R. Pitman)