Adventures of Ethel Mermaid and Tad Pole: The Hydrologic Cycle

In this tongue-in-cheek guide to the hydrologic cycle (what used to be called the "water cycle"), Tad Pole and Ethel Mermaid (two actors in costume) take viewers on a brief tour, introducing key concepts and vocabulary. Beginning in Ezra Pond (get it?), the pair consider places where water is stored (ponds, rivers, lakes, aquifers), the process of transpiration (what used to be called "evaporation") whereby water becomes rising vapor, and precipitation, in which water returns to Earth (often in the form of ruined picnics). Although there are a handful of special effects, this is a relatively simple production with most of the action taking place as a conversation between the two principals in a single setting. The opening volume in a five-part series, The Hydrologic Cycle is followed by: From Source to Tap, Water Treatment, Source Protection and Fun Water Facts (series price: $189.95). A more entertaining, less expensive, and still educationally sound choice here might be Disney Educational Productions' Bill Nye the Science Guy: Water Cycle/Oceanography, priced at $49.95. Optional. Aud: I. (R. Pitman)