DVD Review: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this DVD is ideal for pre-reading children -- if nearly static images can keep their attention. Themes of creativity and diversity are explored.
- Families can talk about animation. What is animation? Does moving around cut-outs of drawings qualify as animation? Or must the characters speak and move fluidly?
- Talk about words. What are some silly words you like to say? Do you know how to rhyme?
Several well-known Dr. Seuss stories are fashioned into short movies by adding a bit of animation to the original illustrations. The episodes are taken directly from Dr. Seuss stories. "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" is a series of vignettes that explore counting and rhyming. Diverse species such as "wumps," "nooks," and "ginks" make appearances. "Are You My Mother?" traces a character's search for its mother and introduces the idea of matching. The vignettes explore the theme of tolerance by presenting diverse beings who look, speak, and act differently.
No one can beat Dr. Seuss for inventive rhyming, but the visuals are just close-ups of his original illustrations. This approach is perfect for young kids whose media exposure is limited. The slow pace follows the rhythm of being read to and could encourage them to pick up the books on their own. For more sophisticated preschoolers, the limited visuals here could mean attention spans won't hold up.
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