Media Matters: Monster

Monster


Late yesterday afternoon, I realized that I hadn't picked a DVD/CD for this week's Media Matters post. Yikes! I'm working my way through Ken Burns's Civil War documentary and a long-ish book on CD, so anything I chose needs to be short. I scanned the DVD selection; my eye caught a DK Eyewitness DVD. 27 minutes! Perfect!


DK (Dorling Kindersley) is a powerhouse publisher known for their high-impact graphic design. Pick up a DK book, and you'll probably find it hard to put it down. Occasionally, I find the doorstoppers a bit overwhelming, but kids (especially boys who devour fun facts and nonfiction) love them.

DK's Eyewitness series, covering an array of science, history, and cultural topics, is probably its best known product. I was pleased, but not surprised, that its Monster DVD follows the same principles of its Eyewitness books; lots of fascinating information with appealing graphics. Monster features a variety of animals that many find scary, such as spiders and the great white shark. Viewers also learn about the Loch Ness Monster and Dracula (the brief discussion about Vlad the Impaler might gross out sensitive viewers). I really appreciated that the narration doesn't condescend to children; adults will enjoy this as much as the DVD's intended audience. For children (the book and DVD series is aimed for children 8 and older) interested in close ups of creepy crawlies and huge animals, this should be a hit.