DVD Review: Lost in the Woods

"Lost in the Woods" is a charming DVD tale about wildlife, an

imaginative mix of video of real wildlife at work, play and leisure

in the woods, available at www.strangerinthewoods.com.

Intended for preschoolers, the best measure of this piece I can give

you of the show is that my 3-year-old loved it.

Colorful and kid-friendly songs about the coming of spring open the

show. A cast of characters celebrate spring, from the of course deep-

voiced frog to many other denizens of the forest. A box turtle

narrates and meets a young raccoon, who's not really lost but is

looking for his brother. The conversation is painfully inane for

adults, but apparently wildly entertaining for the preschool

audience. And, there's a theme -- sometimes, the young ones must find

their own way; besides, there are times when parents can't be with

their offspring, because they have to provide for them and keep them

safe.

In the end, the raccoon is reunited with his brother, and viewers are

treated to a short sequence of a fawn frolicking near his mother in

the meadow - something 3-year-olds also seem to relate to very well.

The creators are a brother and sister pair with backgrounds in

documentaries and children's films. They provide the voices for the

characters, and wrote and directed the film and accompanying music

as well. Technically, it's well done, but parents, just remember --

it's for them (preschoolers) not you. If the DVD is too much to ask

of parents, there's a book as well, telling a similar story in print,

and there's a curriculum guide to accompany it as well.

The story is a followup to "Stranger in the Woods," another wildlife-

themed story with music created by the pair.