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Word World DVD—A Kooky, Spooky Halloween

We’re big fans of WordWorld, where computer-animated animals set in lush, rolling, country hills are made of words. In fact, just about everything in this Technicolor world is made of letters. A Barn is made up of a chubby, easily readable B-A-R-N. Frog is comprised of F, R, O and G. And so on.

In the first narrated adventure, Pig ends up sleep walking around the farm with a sheet over his head, looking for letter B’s so he can assemble his Halloween treat Bags for the following day. Of course, all the other animals are terrified, believing Pig to be a real ghost.

My four-year-old found the suspense a little too much and ended up plastered against me throughout the entire episode. She’s very easily unnerved, though, and my six-year-old didn’t blink at the scary music or few startling moments. Also, at the end we learn “Sometimes things that seem spooky, are really just kooky.”

I love how WordWorld cleverly ties letters into objects, making the whole idea of English word construction seem logical (when we know that oftentimes it is NOT.) I dig the graphics and the characters and, both my kids wanted me to tell you that they totally recommend this DVD. (Though Belle said, “Tell them we love it a million.” She’s still working on her quantifiers.)

My favorite feature on this DVD is the music video. But that’s mostly because Milo threw himself to the floor and started break dancing as if the WordFriends were The Beastie Boys.

With a running time of 30 minutes, it’s short. It’s sweet. It’s fairly inexpensive. It’s full of neat graphics and simple words. And Belle says, “It’s a trillion good.” There you have it.

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About Angie

Angie (latte constantly in hand) raises her son, "Milo" (b. 2003), and her daughter, "Belle" (b. 2006), in Seattle with her lawyer husband. She is a writer, blogger and graphic designer who is egregiously tall and loves cookies with beer. She alternately struggles with existential angst and the fit of her jeans. Though she wearies easily of answering her son's constant questions and of negotiating with her daughter, she loves being present during their wonder years. One of her biggest parenting challenges is navigating Milo's severe food allergies. If she's not baking 50 cupcakes from scratch, she is reading ingredient labels and tutoring Milo, ad nauseum, to say, "No milk, eggs, tree nuts or peanuts please." Angie can also be found at: www.halfassedkitchen.com

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