Discoveries … Africa—Tanzania: Arusha & Lake Manyara National Parks

An engaging entry in Jim and Kelly Watt's high-definition travelogue series, Discoveries … Africa—Tanzania: Arusha & Lake Manyara National Parks features knowledgeable safari guide Stanford Malinga showcasing such natural attractions as Mount Kilimanjaro, the Ngurdoto Crater, and Lake Manyara (and its flamingo population), while also providing a look at city life in Arusha, including a street market and a visit to the nearby Mto Wa Mbu primary school (where students in grades 1–7 learn English, sing, and train for examinations to further their education). Notes on soil erosion, cultivation, and the importance of tourism to the area's economy are included, but some of the most enthralling content comes from the up-close-and-personal wild animal footage and related information. Viewers learn about giraffes and monkeys and their ways of communicating, the parasitic relationship between birds and buffalo, the banded mongoose, the silver-cheeked hornbill (with its huge “nose”), hippo habits, Africa's largest concentration of olive and yellow baboons, and more. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)