About.com Rating



Bottom line: The Where's Spot? and Other Stories DVD contains many animated Spot stories for young children to watch. The simple stories and animation reflect the original book versions of Eric Hill stories, and a subtitles feature allows kids to read along as the stories are told.
MPAA Rating: NR
Genre: Children's animated
Guide Age Recommendation: 2-5 years
Runtime: Approx. 30 minutes

Where's Spot? and Other Stories - Overview

Where's Spot? and Other Stories contains an animated cartoon version of the popular children's book Where's Spot?

as well as other stories about Spot the puppy. The stories and animation are very simple and attractive to young children, and the animation on the DVDs reflects that of the books exactly. Kids will enjoy watching Spot's little adventures as he learns, plays and explores in the following Spot stories:

• "Where's Spot?"
• "Spot's Lost Bone?"
• "Spot at the Playground?"
• "Spot Goes to the Park"
• "Spot Finds a Key"
• "Spot Goes Splash!"
• Plus 3 bonus episodes:
  
• "Spot's Bath"
• "Spot's Umbrella"
• "Spot's Treehouse"

This DVD makes an excellent companion to Eric Hill's Spot books. Kids can read the books and then see the story come to life on the TV. Stories like "Where's Spot?" help young children conceptualize simple concepts like inside, behind and under. Also, the simple words are great for beginning readers. Just turn the subtitles on and kids can read along with each Spot story.

Where's Spot? and Other Stories - Guide Review

We just happen to have the book Where's Spot?, so I read it to my children before we watched the Spot stories on this 30th Anniversary DVD.

Despite the fact that the animation is very simple -- nothing like some of the computer generated or even 2d stuff that is available -- the kids loved watching the Spot stories come to life.

There is a reason that these little stories by Eric Hill have stood the test of time, and part of that reason is that the puppy tales are perfectly suited for very young children. They capture the wonder that lies in little everyday adventures, and that wonder is retained in the DVD versions of the stories.

Reading the books to your children as well as watching the DVDs is a great way to get them excited about reading, and with the subtitles turned on, kids can follow along with the DVD stories and get even more exposure to the text. "Where's Spot?" the book also contains flaps that let kids look in, behind and under things in order to help find Spot, and that is something that the DVD just can't do. So, while just watching the DVD will keep kids entertained, the learning can really be enhanced by reading the books together as well.

Where's Spot? and Other Stories - Bonus Features

• 3 Bonus Episodes (listed above)
• "Spot's Shapes and Colors Game": Kids can practice colors and shapes by using the remote to choose the correct shape.
• Eric Hill Reads "Where's Spot?": Video of Eric Hill reading the book to a plush Spot toy.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.