Wilbur Visits the Farm

Wilbur, an adorable and not-too-hokey calf puppet, hosts this barnyard romp in which small children (the box says "3 months to 3 years") who are acquiring language and recognition skills will learn the names and sounds of 14 farm animals. The presentation follows a simple format: Wilbur introduces a name and asks for a sound ("What does a duck say?"), and is answered by a quick succession of head shots of kids ("Quack, quack!"), which is followed by lots of baby-animal footage with the animal in question making plenty of noise. What could be a rather pedestrian video is transformed into a truly charming production by its professional puppetry, fine production values, and overall lighthearted, creative touch. Also, the kids are cute and represent a good cross-section of America, so any small viewer will probably be able to identify with at least one child happily shrieking, "hee-haw, hee-haw!" Highly recommended. Two other titles are also available: Wilbur Teaches Parts of the Body and Wilbur Sings the Classics. Aud: K, P. (E. Gieschen)