, Film Reviewer Idon't have children of my own, so the reputation of theseshows comes to me second-hand. But I am a professional, andI feel confident that nearly 60 years of watching television- five of those early years watching classics like , and -means that I am well equipped to take on thischallenge. One of them is the biggest kids' TV show inthe world and also currently a spokesdog for Queenslandtourism.
Another is one of the most successful localtelevision production this century - a BAFTA award nominee.And a third is a typically classy production from Apple.Until this week, I hadn't seen a minute of any ofthem! If you are concerned that your children - or thechildren you look after - are spending too much time withscreens and not enough time with books, I recommend you turnon captions (aka subtitles) so that kids still get to seethe words on screen at the same time as they hear thedialogue.
It will familiarise them with words and help themmatch the shapes to the sounds. It's not quite as good assitting and reading to them with your finger tracing eachword as you speak, but it's not a badcompromise. A family ofanthropomorphic Australian cattle dogs navigates thevicissitudes of life with good humour and love.
I wasat Te Papa on Wednesday for another job and while walkingaround the Bush City outdoor exhibition a pre-schooler ranpast me yelling, "There's a bear after me!" I'mreasonably confident that there was no actual bear, but itreminded me of the power of a child's im.
