The Human Race Club: Vol 3

Based on the children's books by, and starring, Joy Berry, The Human Race Club series is comprised of half-hour stories/lessons which introduce children to basic moral and social concepts. In the tape we watched, the opening episode "Casey's Revenge" was an inventive look at fighting between brothers and sisters. After being constantly ribbed and ridiculed by his older sister Theresa, Casey eventually gets his chance to avenge himself, when his sister plans a slide show for a party, and Casey finds a rather embarrassing slide of his sister sitting on the porta-potty during a camping trip. And in "The Lean Mean Machine", Maggie's bossy attitude over the upcoming go-cart race results in an all-around loss for all of the club members. Besides the central story, each individual episode features a song and commentary by author Berry. These are intelligent and well-told stories that stand alone without the extraneous song and psychology lesson (some of Berry's terminology would be more appropriate for parents in an office setting, rather than kids huddled around the TV). These minor quibbles (and the fact that no neighborhood gang would ever call itself the "Human Race Club") aside, the HRC series, which includes two other volumes, is recommended. (Available from most distributors.)