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Our Favorite Videos
Here are some of our family's favorite DVDs:
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The Princess Bride
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An unbelievably delightful tale about a shepherd, a princess, a giant, a swordsman, and a spy.
Our family's favorite video, for all ages. It's got great performances by Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Wally Shawn, Andre the Giant, Billy Crystal, Peter Falk, and -- our hero -- Mandy Patinkin. If your kids like princesses, sword fights, intrigue, heros, daring rescues, and bad guys with six fingers on one hand, this is the movie you want!
Directed by Rob Reiner, based on a book by William Goldman. (Ask us about the book, which we just finished reading to our kids!)
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Road Construction Ahead
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The original video of real-life heavy equipment, for truck-crazy kids.
This is the video that started it all -- real-life videos of things that kids love to watch. And Fred Levine Productions does a great job, with great narrators, music, and information that makes this tape interesting for grown-ups, too.
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Babe
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A little pig goes a long way. What can you say about a movie like Babe? It's absolutely perfect, that's what. This is the story of a pig, Babe, who thinks that he is a sheepdog, and a farmer, Farmer Hoggett, who had faith in him. Separated from his mother, Babe is reared by Fly, a motherly sheepdog who teaches him that he can do whatever he puts his mind to. Sheepdogs herd by intimidation, which doesn't work at all for the gentle Babe; instead, Babe politely asks the sheep to obey the farmer's commands.
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Castle (based on the book by David Macaulay)
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In the live action sequences, David Macauley leads viewers on a tour of an ancient fortress built during the time of England's Kind Edward I. A colorful animated story dramatizes medieval life and the exciting siege of Macauley's castle. He explains the castle's cultural and sociological significance as well as its architectural design.
- Rabbit Ears: This amazing series of half-hour stories was created over a decade ago. Each classic story is told by a famous actor with wonderful music to match. They are all good, but we particularly like "The Elephant's Child" and "The Tiger and the Brahmin."
Our Favorite Stories on CD
We love listening to storytellers when we are on car trips:
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Dinotopia
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The original Dinotopia adventure!
Arthur Denison and his son Will are shipwrecked on an island where dinosaurs and humans live together in harmony. This superb award-winning production is not only an extraordinary work of intricately woven sound, voices, and dinosaurs (!), but the publishers have added something new -- the book opens with the author, James Gurney, introducing the story. For this tape, James Gurney has rewritten the introduction and recorded it. For the first time ever, you'll hear the voice of the author as he takes you into the amazing world of Dinotopia!
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The Fourth Tower of Inverness
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A Jack Flanders radio mystery -- mystifies the whole family!
Jack Flanders arrives at Inverness to encounter strange and perilous happenings in the old Victorian mansion. Counting only three towers, Jack has the nagging feeling that he's seen a fourth. Attempting to evade lurking dangers, Jack searches hollow walls, underground passageways, and moving panels to discover the secret entrance to the fourth tower. Climbing the spiral staircase he finds a series of doors, each opening into a different dimension.
With a cast of characters including Jack's aunt Lady Jowls, her half-sister Eeny Meeny, the strange cigar-smoking Little Frieda, Dr. Masoula the alchemist, Old Far-seeing Art the caretaker, and the lovely but dangerous Madonna Vampira!
- Jay O'Callahan: Jay is a fantastic storyteller frm Massachusetts who tells his own amazing, creating stories for both kids and adults.
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