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African CatsThe start of African Cats, another Disneynature documentary opening on Earth Day, is grand. The camera shows wide, dry plains in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve as Samuel Jackson narrates, “Every day in the heart of Africa, amazing true stories happen that no one ever sees.” While you may be anticipating that what you’re about to see will be new, in fact, the film shapes a “story of two mothers” to fit a formula.
Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey DoWhat is there not to love about a carnival? The sights, the sounds, the smells...well, maybe not all the smells, and I suppose some of the sights are better left unseen. But the noises are fun, aren’t they? This might be a good time to come clean and confess that I have never been to a carnival. I based all my carny conversations (There have been several.) on what I learned of carnivals from Charlotte’s Web, which is why I am so excited about this new Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do, for providing me with that trip to the carnival that I’ve never taken.
Math-A-Magician Activity SetUpon opening the Math-A-Magician Activity set, I discovered a spinner board, a big magic hat and two bags of plastic rabbits. One bag was smaller rabbits, while the other was larger rabbits. Both bags each contained six rabbits that were orange, green, and purple for a total of 36 rabbits (18 small and 18 large, 12 orange, 12 green, 12 purple). The first thing I noticed was that the small rabbits seemed a bit too small for a 4-year-old and could definitely pose a choking hazard, while the larger rabbits were the perfect size. While looking at the colors and also the corresponding colors on the spinner, I noticed that…
The GreenzysA 5,000-year-old pine tree named Orinda is growing weak due to pollution. Her very last pinecone is her only hope to help create new pine trees. When it is stolen by the evil “Grimy”, Orinda’s branches magically grow and stretch around the world, pulling in eight unsuspecting animals to help her. The animals are doubtful that they can help rescue Orinda’s treasured pinecone, but with Orinda’s simple touch, they are given special powers. Their fur turns green and a “Greenzys” heart appears on their chest. Like a band of superheroes, “the Greenzys” follow a trail of…
RioKidnapped from his jungle home as a baby macaw, Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is rescued by a very nice little girl named Linda (Leslie Mann). Together, they grow up in snowy Minnesota: she becomes a bookstore owner with a particular affection for her bird, and he becomes her constant companion, grateful for the hot chocolate and cookies she serves him every afternoon. Their lives are turned upside down when a Brazilian ornithologist named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) informs them that Blu is the last of his kind, then urges them to fly with him to Rio de Janeiro. Here, he hopes Blu will mate with the last female blue…
PlayStation Move HeroesPlayStation Move Heroes brings together characters from three of PlayStation’s most popular game franchises — Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter and Sly Cooper — for a series of challenges and events. The player chooses to play as one of the familiar characters — Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Dexter, Sly or Bentley — and is transported to a futuristic event location where they compete in a high-energy challenge. Each challenge typically takes three to four minutes to complete and is like a full-featured, long mini-game.
Monster High: The Ghoul Next DoorThe second novel in Lisi Harrison’s Monster High series, Monster High: the Ghoul Next Door, picks up where the first book leaves off, focusing largely on the character Cleo de Nile. My hopes were high after the first few pages; I found the fast-paced Egyptian references and jokes in the opening paragraphs quite entertaining, and I was happy to find more of the “girl talk” banter and teasing among the monster gang that was featured in the first novel.
Easter Round-UpFlowers are popping up, and the birds are chirping, which means the spring holidays are just around the corner. While sweet treats abound, toss a new book or two into the mix, and watch the kids hop into your lap for some cuddle time.
Soul Surfer“I was born to two diehard surfers: how could I not have salt water in my veins?” Looking back on how she came to love the sea and surfing, 13-year-old Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) describes something like a perfect childhood: long hours in the sun, lots of support from her super-tanned parents (Tom, played by Dennis Quaid, and Cheri, played by Helen Hunt) and older brothers (Ross Thomas and Chris Brochu), and a best friend, Alana (Lorraine Nicholson), with blond hair and a competitive spirit to match her own.
Your Shape: Fitness EvolvedYour Shape: Fitness Evolved is a video game (sort of) that turns your Xbox 360 into a home workout system. The disc is loaded with exercises created by the Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines that provide workouts that focus on Cardio, Stamina or a combination of both. All the exercising is done by following the on-screen trainer as if it were a real person leading a class at your health club. The Kinect motion-capture camera system puts your image on the screen with the trainer and allows the trainer to offer targeted advice and guidance.
