What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this delightful animated series introduces preschoolers to the shapes and sounds of letters and starts them on the path to literacy by showing how those letters combine to form words. Characters frequently spell words aloud as the letters appear on the screen, and as kids become more familiar with the alphabet, they'll be encouraged to do the same. Simple storylines and vibrant characters will excite youngsters' imaginations and entertain them as they learn.

Families can talk about letters and their sounds and how they combine to make words. Test your preschoolers' recognition of letters as you read books and draw. Kids: What letters are in your name? Can you write them? What sound does each letter make? What other words can you spell? Encourage your kids' interest in words by reading to them, telling stories, and singing songs.

Common Sense Media Review
Words are all around us. And for preschoolers on the brink of understanding them, WORDWORLD is designed to change the way kids build the skills they need for future literacy.

The show is set in a colorful land where not only does everything have a name, but the places, objects, and inhabitants are formed out of the individual letters in those names. Whether it's a barn, a train, a bridge, or a duck, one glance at everything that appears on screen shows kids which letters make up its name.

Each episode follows the daily adventures of the seven main characters (called WordFriends) who live in WordWorld. Preschoolers watch as Sheep, Frog, Bear, Dog, Pig, Ant, and Cat read and spell their way through the minor mishaps that occur around them.

In one segment, for example, the friends happen upon an egg that's fallen from its tree. Taking charge of it, Sheep soon discovers that the egg is surprisingly restless and refuses to stay in one place for long. The group brainstorms ideas about how to make it comfortable, and Frog suggests building a nest. He gathers the components he needs to spell the word, and when the N, E, S, and T come together, they morph into a cozy bed for the tired egg.

This unique series is perfectly suited for preschoolers' learning level, and it will entertain them as it reinforces their knowledge of letters, sounds, and simple words. In fact, with its imaginative design work and the various font styles used to create the letter-based objects, the WordWorld package is so delightful that parents will be drawn in almost as readily as their kids.

Other great educational choices for preschoolers include Sesame Street , Wilbur , and Pinky Dinky Doo .