Corduroy…and More Stories About Caring
Posted on July 28, 2008 at 5:19 pm
A| Lowest Recommended Age: | Preschool |
| MPAA Rating: | NR |
| Profanity: | None |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | None |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Mild tension |
| Diversity Issues: | None |
| Date Released to DVD: | July 29, 2008 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B0018O3P2C |
My very favorite DVD series for kids is saluting the 40th anniversary of the classic book Corduroy
This DVD also includes some of the series very best, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel and the one that really made my children laugh, Smile for Auntie. This is a gem.
Thanks for reminding me of this. I spent hours with this book and the video with my oldest daughter. Everytime we pass a laudromat we make reference to the artist there who makes paintings based on the clothes spinning in the dryer.
Mike Mulligan has been my life-long hero. I remember very clearly my mom taking me past a construction site simply so I could see “Mike” deep in the hole. I was probably no more than 3 or 4.
I realize that DVD’s are convenient, and that professionals do the voices. But nothing compares to reading this book with a kid – and helping each other make the sounds and do the voices.
However, it might take a while to explain “steam shovel”. Perhaps it is time for a renewed version that keeps the charm but upgrades the machinery. Of course, the ending might have to change too. With our upgraded HVAC equipment it is very unlikely that a Big Digger could be converted to heat and cool a building. Maybe there can be a Mike in Space – a Shuttle that becomes a Lab that heats and cools and does all the computations.
The story of Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne the steam shovel was one of my very favorites, too. I am pretty sure I first heard it on “Captain Kangaroo,” but I think I also heard it at my local library’s story hour. The devotion and the way they solved the problem were so simple and endearing, every bit as satisfying now as it was when I first heard it.