KIDS FIRST! News

Turkey, potatoes, squash…bananas? Be sure to keep America’s favorite little monkey in mind when making your to do list this Thanksgiving. Curious George, the Man with the Yellow Hat and their friends bring a hearty serving of (mis)-adventures to the PBS KIDS Thanksgiving week marathon “Feast of Favorites” beginning Wednesday, November 26 (check local listings for days and times).

The marathon features the broadcast premiere of two CURIOUS GEORGE episodes from the series’ all-new Earth Science-themed third season: “The Man with the Monkey Hands / Whistlepig Wednesday,” and “George Digs Worms / Everything Old is New Again.” While the turkey is roasting and the pie is baking, kids can watch George and his friends compete in a recycling contest, explore weather patterns, dig for worms, and learn which leaves to stay away from in the backyard.

EPISODE 6
The Man with Monkey Hands - After warning George about the poison ivy lurking in the park, the Man with the Yellow Hat loses his balance and lands hands first in a brush of the itchy, poisonous leaves! With his hands bandaged, he’ll need help with everyday tasks such as brushing his teeth, making dinner, even typing a letter.  So being a clever little monkey, George invents some ingenious ways to make the Man’s life seem normal - like wearing swim fins to assist in picking apples off the floor and taping salad forks to his arms to act as temporary hands.  But George’s creations are put to the ultimate test when the Man has to present Professor Wiseman’s newest invention to the science board, salad forks and all!

Whistlepig Wednesday - Mr. Glass’ unique version of Groundhog Day is an annual city tradition of predicting when winter will start. Every year on the last Wednesday of August, Sherry the Whistlepig emerges from her burrow.  If she sees her shadow, it means cold weather is coming.  But what makes Sherry’s shadow so special? To find out, George and his animal friends camp out at Sherry’s burrow, but fall asleep while waiting for her to wake up.  At the shadow ceremony, Mr. Glass mistakes a sleeping George and each one of his friends for a whistlepig and presents them for the world to see.  But does a monkey, dog, cat, or pigeon shadow count?

EPISODE 7
George Digs Worms - Why is Bill yelling at a mound of dirt? He’s worm racing!  George turns to a pile of decomposed leaves to find his own prize worm and challenges Bill’s “Fast Freddy” to a race.  Pretty soon, the entire countryside catches worm-racing fever and watch as George’s worm, named “Ooh Ooh Ahh Ahh,” races its way to the championship.  But when Mr. Quint takes the wrong lunchbox on his fishing trip, George’s worm farm is in danger of becoming fish bait!  Can George save his slimy friends in time for the championship race?

Everything Old is New Again - The city is awarding the “Golden Arrows Award” to the building that collects the most recycling.  George is eager to help-once he learns what recycling actually is, of course. The building’s Doorwoman next door turns out to be tough competition, so George hunts down recycling materials from everywhere he can think of. The only problem is, he doesn’t know that he only recycle products after they’ve been used!  Will the tenants with the missing recyclables forgive a monkey who’s not just trying to win a contest, but also save the environment?

Guess who has your passport to adventure this fall? Buster Baxter, and he’s back in new special episodes of the hit PBS KIDS GO! series POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER. Buster is globe trotting overseas in international specials that chronicle his adventures in China and Egypt. The half-hour episodes will air Fridays during the regular Arthur timeslot starting on PBS KIDS GO! (check local listings for times).

“At a time when it’s more important than ever for kids to develop an understanding of the world around them, we’re thrilled to present our POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER international specials,” said Executive Producer Pierre Valette. “Through his lens, Buster has the invaluable ability to introduce kids to new faces, rich cultures, and the exciting ways that ancient traditions are interwoven into the modern lives of kids around the globe.”

On the heels of the 2008 summer Olympics, Buster travels to China in “Buster in Beijing” (premiering November 14, 2008) where he sees that a rapidly modernizing China is merging the new and the old. Buster learns that in the midst of the towering skyscrapers of modern Beijing, the age-old traditions of tai chi, ribbon-dancing, pigeon-racing, and noodle-making continue to thrive. On his adventures, Buster meets Chen Xi, a 9-year old who heads her neighborhood’s recycling initiative - and Yiyi, an 11-year old skating champion who runs a foundation for kids with cancer. From them, Buster learns that being a global citizen means caring for the earth and the people in your community.

Lastly, in “Buster’s Egyptian Adventure” (November 21, 2008), Buster discovers (much to his surprise!) that there are more minarets and mosques than mummies and mythology in Egypt today. In addition to exploring the bustling markets of Cairo, discovering the Great Pyramids, and taking a camel ride to the Sphinx, Buster also learns what it’s like to be a Muslim kid in modern Egypt. His adventures continue up the Nile River where Nubian children take him on a Felucca ride to Isis’ temple, invite him to a wedding, and introduce him to their pet crocodile. From the fertile valleys to the desert expanses Egypt is an eye-opening discovery at every turn.

POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER pioneers a format that seamlessly blends animation with live-action documentary footage to tell Buster’s stories from around the world. The series also crosses media platforms, taking Buster’s television travels to the Internet. Kids can check out Buster’s personal blog, interactive games, video clips, maps, and original songs at pbskidsgo.org/buster. Additionally, companion books by Marc Brown (published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), and educational materials support and extend the series into classrooms and libraries nationwide.

Qubo Channel, the TV and online entertainment service for children, is securing its place as the destination for high-quality programming with a full slate of great new TV shows for kids and an expanded kid-friendly schedule. The fun starts on Monday, November 3 with the debut of four new series SAMMY’S STORY SHOP, MAISY, GOFRETTE and ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES, an entirely new season of perennial favorite, DRAGON, as well as new episodes of many other popular Qubo shows (see attached grid for specific airtimes). Qubo Channel will also roll-out a new schedule that serves different age groups at different times of the day and will now feature several series on a daily basis.  All of Qubo’s shows will delight preschoolers and elementary school-aged children alike with engaging storylines that provide inspirational life lessons.

In addition to the four new series and new season of DRAGON, Qubo Channel will also debut premiere episodes of 3-2-1 PENGUNS, BABAR, MISS BG, MY FRIEND RABBIT, RUPERT, THEORDORE TUGBOAT and THE ZULA PATROL.  And if that weren’t enough to keep them engaged and entertained, kids can now catch some of their favorite Qubo shows everyday as DRAGON, 3-2-1 PENGUINS! and JANE AND THE DRAGON are moving from their weekend-only time-slots to become daily series.  Finally, Qubo Channel has revamped its programming schedule to better address children’s viewing patterns.  Every day from 5 AM – 1 PM (ET), Qubo Channel will air programming for preschool age children while the shows airing from  1 PM- 12 AM are geared more towards children ages 6 and up.  (Again see attached programming grid for details).

Here’s a closer look at what’s new for kids on Qubo Channel starting November 3:

SAMMY’S STORY SHOP – Airs daily at 5:30 AM  (ET) Combining imaginative play with the magic of storytelling, SAMMY’S STORY SHOP brings best-selling and award-winning children’s books to life with animated video adaptations of classic children’s books, including such titles as  Snowy Day, Make Way For Ducklings, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Tikki Tikki Tembo and The Napping House, among many others.  Each episode opens with an animated introduction by Sammy, the Story-Chef extraordinaire.   Using an imaginary magic pan and spoon,  Sammy cooks up stories – two to three animated shorts - for his best friends Wiggly and Sharlene, to enjoy.   The anthology series is produced by  Scholastic Media,  a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company.

MAISY – Airs daily at 6:30 AM and 10:00 AM (ET)
Based on the award-winning books by the British author Lucy Cousins, this colorful and endearing animated series features Maisy, a lovable mouse with a nose for adventure.  Joined by a colorful cast of friends, “Tallulah” the chicken, “Charlie” the crocodile, “Eddie” the elephant and “Cyril” the squirrel, Maisy is always up for trying new things and making discoveries that turn every day into something special. The series is distributed by NBC Universal.

GOFRETTE – airs daily at 7 AM and 10:30 AM (ET)
This animated preschool series makes its U.S. television premiere and chronicles the capers of an eccentric and inquisitive cat, Gofrette, and his friends who live in the colorful world of Zanimo.  Gofrette’s serendipity and out-of-the-box spirit teach children wonderful lessons about optimism and resilience. The series is jointly produced by Canadian-based Zoe Mae Productions and Subsequence Entertainment and is based on the best selling books from Doris Brasset and Fabienne Michot.  PorchLight Entertainment is the international distributor of GOFRETTE, excluding Asia and Canada.

ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES – airs daily at 3:30 PM and 9 PM (ET)  The classic animated stories in this series are adapted from the best-selling book The Book of Virtues by former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett.  Drawn from Greek mythology, American folktales, European fairy tales, African folklore, and more, the time-honored stories are designed to enlighten, inspire and spark the imagination, with each episode illustrating a central theme such as honesty, courage, responsibility, friendship and compassion.  The series is produced by PorchLight Entertainment in association with KCET/Hollywood.

DRAGON _- airs daily at 9 AM and 12:30 PM (ET)
Based on the books by best-selling Scholastic children’s author Dav Pilkey (author of the popular Captain Underpants series), DRAGON stars a kindhearted blue dragon who is friendly and helpful, but tends to see things from a much different perspective than most of us–and that’s when the fun begins. Set in a colorful world populated by a menagerie of animal pals, the series playfully explores themes that are universally identifiable to children: wanting a friend, being afraid of the dark, and trying new things.  This season, Dragon’s adventures include concocting an unusual lemonade recipe for his lemonade stand, resisting the urge to open a package that arrives two days before his birthday and what to do on a picnic when you forgot to assign someone to bring food or games!  DRAGON is provided by Scholastic.

Teach your children what election day is all about by watching the upcoming Election Day episode of the Emmy Award-winning animated series “WordGirl.”   The episode airs Nov. 4^th on PBS and the PBS Kids GO! cable network, and features lead character Becky Botsford running for fifth-grade class president. This is the perfect show for children on Election Day, giving them a taste of what elections are all about, and introducing the words “elect” and “candidate.”  (Parents will love it too, as it includes some slyly funny references to the current Presidential campaign.) Check out a two-minute teaser on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cawSBHnYm_A.

This fall, Arthur and his friends are back for a 12th season premiering Monday, October 6, 2008 on PBS KIDS GO! (check local listings). In all-new episodes, Arthur, D.W., Buster, and the whole gang learn the importance of getting out, getting active, and getting involved in their community. New episodes will air Mondays throughout the fall, with five additional episodes premiering in spring 2009.

In “Room to Ride” (October 13), Lance Armstrong makes a special trip to Elwood City during an episode about the importance of bike safety and good citizenship. Worried that there aren’t enough safe roads to ride their bikes, Binky and his friends take to the streets to convince residents to vote for new bike lanes. When all hope seems lost, Lance gives Binky support and encouragement to never give up his cause. Boston’s Bike Czar, former Olympic Cyclist Nicole Freedman, lent her expertise developing this episode. Freedman was hired by Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino in 2007 to help make the city more hospitable to bikes.

“This fall is an especially crucial time for kids to learn the importance of voting and community involvement,” said Executive Producer Pierre Valette. “We’re so happy that Arthur and his friends–with the help of familiar faces like Lance Armstrong–continue to help bring awareness and understanding to kids about what’s going on in their world.”

Additional episodes premiering this fall include “The Chronicles of Buster,” where Buster’s obsession with an epic film series on DVD starts to take a toll on his friendship with Arthur; “D.W.’s Stray Netikin,” where D.W. panics after a scary clown virus ruins the Read family computer; and “On this Spot,” where Arthur is thrilled to learn that the legendary Sitting Bull once passed through Elwood City–but wonders how he can get his friends to care more about local history than celebrity sightings.

ARTHUR, based on Marc Brown’s best-selling books, is the highest rated weekday children’s series on PBS among children 6-11 (Source: For PBS, NTI Pocketpiece, October 2007-June 2008). ARTHUR has won numerous awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA and six Daytime Emmys–four for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program. ARTHUR is produced by WGBH Boston and Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. Executive producers are Pierre Valette (WGBH) and Toper Taylor (Cookie Jar), and Marc Brown (Marc Brown Studios). Directed by Greg Bailey.

Coming to your neighborhood, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! continue on week #9 on a road trip about being engaged and healthy. Throughout the summer, this virtual trip encourages kids to fuel their minds and bodies by making healthy choices with inspiration from health-themed episodes and online activities.

These programs and learning games show kids how their favorite character role models in ten different series live healthy and smart. See more at pbskidsgo.org and listen to They Might Be Giants sing the summer theme song “Get Up and Go!”

Enjoy the following terrific episodes on “Cyberchase”

7.30.08 CYBERCHASE #608 A PERFECT SCORE
When Buzz and Delete waltz off with Inez, Jackie must be Hacker’s partner in a dance competition to ensure her friend’s safe return.

7.31.08 CYBERCHASE #609 CHAOS AS USUAL
Overpowered by Hacker’s team of titans, the kids track patterns in player performance to improve their chances of winning.

8.1.08 CYBERCHASE #403 PENGUIN TEARS
The CyberSquad tries to stop Hacker from taking the Prism of Penguia.

Parents and teachers can find articles, activities and book suggestions from CYBERCHASE to complement this week of programs by clicking here.

The qubo broadcast blocks on ION Television, NBC and Telemundo will feature a new “Space-Age-Summer” schedule as well as a new animated space series, “THE ZULA PATROL.”  And, everyone’s favorite elephant, “BABAR”, joins the block as well.

*** [Please note that the new programming will likely be pre-empted on NBC on Saturday July 5 due to that network’s Wimbledon tennis tournament coverage.  But all of the shows will air on “qubo on NBC” in their regularly scheduled time slots beginning Saturday, July 12.] ***

The first five readers who go to http://www.kidsfirst.org/contact-us/ and tell us what they love about the “Kenny the Shark Series” will receive their very own copy of “Kenny the Shark: Catch a Wave!” Make sure you include your email address so we can let you know you won.

Hang ten with Discovery Kids¹ human-friendly shark when “Kenny the Shark: Catch a Wave” splashes onto DVD June 3rd from Genius Products
and Discovery Kids. This is the 3rd volume of the “Kenny the Shark” series, which continues to attract fans on the Discovery Kids
Channel. A two-time Environmental Media Award Nominee for Children¹s
Animated Series in 2004 and 2005, “Kenny the Shark” allows kids to
absorb a wealth of fun fish facts by sinking their teeth into the
daily adventures of a loveable Tiger Shark. In “Kenny the Shark: Catch a Wave,” Kenny and his human friend Kat make waves in and out of the water as they learn how to surf, create home movies and discover special talents. There¹s no telling what exciting things will happen when these two friends get together for some summer fun, with 77 minutes of summer-themed episodes including Kenny¹s Home Movie: Attack of the Flying Sharks featuring real-life shark footage from Discovery¹s
³Shark Week² and a special bonus episode of “Growing Up Creepie.” The
“Kenny the Shark: Catch a Wave” DVD will be available for the
suggested retail price of $12.95.

Miss Rosa and Mr. Steve, two new teacher/presenters will join the PBS Kids preschool block, wrapping around shows and segments, on May 19 2008.  Played by Jennifer Pena, Miss Rosa is a teacher who will introduce Spanish-language words and phrases into the preschool-targeted block, while Steve Roslonek (aka SteveSongs) will portray Mr. Steve, a music teacher who will fold-in original songs and music related to each day’s theme. teacher and actress Jennifer Peña will guide kids through curriculum-based activities and introduce Spanish words and phrases as “Miss Rosa,” and musician Steve Roslonek will join as the music teacher, “Mr. Steve,” performing interactive original songs and music related to the day’s curriculum theme.

Jennifer Sherman has supervised as well as animated on productions such as “Jacob Two Two,” “Max and Ruby,” “Yummi-Land,” “Futz” and “Peep and the Big Wide World” for 9 Story Entertainment since March 2003.

Since graduating from Sheridan College in 1988, she has been involved in the animation industry in Toronto on many levels. Jennifer has animated on a number of television commercials, televisions series, and also worked on a feature film for companies such as Lightbox Studios, The Animation House, Calibre and Nelvana. The transition from classical animation to digital computer animation was a natural progression for Jennifer in 2002.

CP: Looking at your background, it seems that you have covered a multitude of styles in animation. What do you feel is your strongest area and what do you enjoy doing the most?

JS: What I feel is my strongest area is character driven scenes. I love it when a character makes you feel the way they feel and have you believe in them. There’s something powerful in a subtle head turn or gesture that makes you forget it’s not real. When I watch really well done animation, I love to get lost in the character and the story.

CP: What brought you to 9 Story Entertainment?

JS: A colleague of mine recommended I apply for a position as an animator. At the time I had no idea how Flash animation was done but he said, “Animation is animation no matter what the format is, it’s simply a different tool.” True enough.

CP: Jacob Two Two is very different from Peep and the Big Wide World, which you also worked on. What steps do you take to capture the magic of Jacob?

JS: Jacob is geared to a bit older audience than Peep so this allows us to explore a broader range of issues that older kids deal with. There are so many different personalities in the show that each character brings a familiarity with it. Growing up even today, I’m sure lots of kids have to deal with a group of bullies, an annoying older sibling, geeky friends or a science teacher that’s just plain weird. It’s a show that is rewarding to be able to really act out all these different characters. The voice actors really help drive the characters in this show. As an animator you are given the sound track and a roughly timed storyboard to work with. When the sound track is inspiring the animators, imagination can take over and this can really add to the scene.

CP: Please give me an interesting anecdote of something behind the scenes in the Jacob Two Two production.

JS: There were times when I was attempting to explain how a scene should play out and I would find myself acting out the line for the animator to “get” what I was meaning. It’s pretty goofy to see a grown woman acting out something Greedy Guts would say and do like sobbing at the thought of having his doughnuts taken away.

Jacob’s character is a really nice reminder that it’s okay to mess up and not always be perfect at everything you do. The important thing is that he’s always willing to try. That’s something I believe we can all relate to.

CP: In your opinion, how has Jacob Two Two benefited from its affiliation with qubo?

JS: It’s great that qubo has been able to take a quality show like Jacob Two Two and bring it to a new and larger audience to experience and enjoy.

CP: Is there anything you would like to add?

JS: I believe all animators are actors inside with the ability to be anyone or anything they create. The only limitation in animation is your imagination, so stretch those imagination muscles kids and dream big!