The Big Space Shuttle

One of the most important aspects of a children's video is how appealing it is to adults, who, after all, have to hear it as the background soundtrack to their lives until their children reach a new age and replace it with something more obnoxious. The Big Space Shuttle manages to avoid this dilemma entirely by turning adults into children again. We've all seen the shots of the Space Shuttle taking off, but this video shows us what we don't usually see: how it's transported to the pad, how astronauts are trained (underwater and in free falling airplanes to simulate gravity), where the food and fuel and rockets come from, how the shuttle is landed without engines, and what thunderstorms and shooting stars look like from outer space. Intelligent questions are asked and answered in ways that are not overly simplified for children and yet not too complicated for them to understand. The editing style and graphics are fun but not pointlessly glitzy. The Challenger disaster is touched upon but not sensationalized. In short, this is a great value (especially for the price), and--from a strict professional standpoint--all I can say is, "WOW! This video is totally cool! I want to see it again and again." Now, if I can just get my kids to turn off C-SPAN for a second. Other titles in the series include: The Big Submarine (VL-5/97), The Big Aircraft Carrier (VL-5/96) and The Big Plane Trip (VL-3/95). Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Ray)