Sunday, January 31, 2016

Reading Rainbow Fans Will Love the New “MISS NELSON IS BACK” DVD (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent a screener from the vendor in order to write up an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.



NEW READING RAINBOW DVD
“MISS NELSON IS BACK” FEATURES FOUR
CLASSIC EPISODES FROM THE ICONIC SERIES



I grew up watching Reading Rainbow on PBS with my two brothers and was excited to share this beloved children's series with my two girls, who are now fans of Levar Burton and Reading Rainbow.  Not many of my favorite shows have lasted so that I could share with my girls, but ones like and the Magic School Bus series have, and make for great family time together.  

Who hasn't seen Reading Rainbow?  It is hard to find an adult or child who hasn't seen the show or at least heard the catchy theme song.  Can you believe Reading Rainbow has been around for over 30 years?  Boy, do I feel old knowing that I was around before the show launched on PBS.  :-)

Fans of the show, both young and old, will enjoy this new DVD, which includes four full-length stories, including everyone's favorite teacher, Miss. Nelson. Here is more about "Miss Nelson is Back" and the three other stories which make up this approximately 120 minutes new DVD release...

"PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing four episodes from READING RAINBOW on the new DVD “MISS NELSON IS BACK.” The four episodes and books featured in this DVD are “Miss Nelson Is Back,” read by Ruth Buzzi, “Our Big Home,” read by Naomi Judd, “How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World,” read by Helen Mirren and “Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express,” read by Brian Dennehy.  

This fun-filled DVD is chock-full of great kid friendly adventures. Join LeVar as he gets made-up like a movie monster, visits with a food scientist who is working to develop new ice cream flavors, learns all about trains from a railroad engineer, and participates in a magic act! In addition to going on these field trips, kids will learn cooking tips from a chef, uncover that things aren’t always what they seem, and watch LeVar visit the United Nations and explore ways children can help others both locally and across the world. 

READING RAINBOW aired on PBS from 1983-2009. Hosted by LeVar Burton (“Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Perception”) for its entire 26-year run, the program encouraged a love of literature in millions of children and garnered more than 200 awards, including 26 Emmys and a Peabody Award.

More about the four episodes that you will find on this new DVD release, which hit store shelves on January 12th...

“Miss Nelson Is Back” – Reader: Ruth Buzzi:
Illusions appear in abundance in this episode. As part of his birthday celebration, LeVar gets made-up like a movie monster, and then gets involved in Harry Blackstone’s magic act. Ruth Buzzi reads “Miss Nelson Is Back,” all about a group of rowdy students who try to take advantage of their teacher’s absence when she’s out sick, and how she gets revenge on them by pretending to be “the meanest teacher in the world, Viola Swamp.”

“Our Big Home” – Reader: Naomi Judd:
LeVar visits the United Nations building to learn more about how different countries of the world try to work together. Naomi Judd reads “Our Big Home,” a poem about how everything in the world is connected and how we all must work together to make it succeed.

“How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World” – Reader: Helen Mirren:        
LeVar and a friend point out that following recipes and cooking foods tend very much to be science experiments. They work on recipes which include lasagna made with rice, a marinara sauce, and apple raisin muffins. Helen Mirren reads “How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World,” a tale about a lady who goes to elaborate lengths to get all the ingredients to make a pie after she finds her local grocery store closed.

“Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express” – Reader: Brian Dennehy:
LeVar takes a train ride in this episode. Along the way, we learn about trains and how the transcontinental railroad came to be. Brian Dennehy narrates the true story of how a young teen named Kate Shelley saved the engineers of a train that crashed into a river when the bridge near her home collapsed, and how she got word to the nearest station to alert them to stop the express train.
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You don't need me to go on and on about Reading Rainbow as you already know how wonderful this beloved children's series is.  I just wanted to make sure you knew about this recent DVD release so that you could pick it up and add it to your growing Reading Rainbow DVD library. :-)

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About Reading Rainbow and LeVar Burton:

The award-winning Reading Rainbow children’s television series launched in 1983 to encourage reading. By the end of the series in 2009, it had produced 155 episodes, all hosted by famed actor/director LeVar Burton, best known for his distinguished TV roles —  most notably Kunta Kinte on Roots and Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 2011, Burton formed RRKidz with his business partner Mark Wolfe with the commitment to bring to the next generation of kids the finest reading and enrichment experiences found anywhere. They hold rights to the Reading Rainbow classic television series and brand through a partnership with series creator WNED/Buffalo. Reading Rainbow is now a fully reimagined digital service, with the mission of bringing a passion for reading to Every Child, Everywhere-- at home, in the classroom, and on the go. Reading Rainbow ® and its logo are registered trademarks of Western New York Public Broadcasting Association (WNED-Buffalo) and used with permission. © 2015 RRKidz, Inc.

About PBS KIDS PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms and community-based programs.  Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS also offers mobile apps to help support young children’s learning. The PBS KIDS Video App is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Chromecast. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

ABOUT PBS DISTRIBUTION:

PBS Distribution is the leading media distributor for the public television community, both domestically and internationally, extending the reach of these programs beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system, stations, and producers.

PBS Distribution offers a diverse range of programming to our customers, including Ken Burns’s films, documentaries from award-winning series such as NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, dramas from MASTERPIECE, as well as films from independent producers and popular children’s programming. PBS Distribution offers consumers high-quality content in multiple formats including DVD, Blu-ray, digital download, and digital streaming, and is also a leading source for factual content for international broadcast, cable, and satellite services.

READING RAINBOW: MISS NELSON IS BACK
Street Date: January 12, 2016
Genre: Kids
Run Time: Approximately 120 Minutes
SRP: $6.99
Format: DVD

Disclosure:  I was sent a screener from the vendor in order to write up an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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