The Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade

“Getting along means no pushing, no pulling hair, no hitting. It means taking turns”. Well. That’s good advice! Mango the Monkey and Papaya the Parrot ride the bus to learn about getting along and taking turns in “The Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade”, starring the voice of Roger Daltrey from The Who as Aragon the Dragon bus driver. There are two other DVDs in this series, and Mango’s Big Dog Parade will be available to buy on January 22nd. This is one I think you are going to want to buy!

Although the bus is on it’s way to a Big Dog Parade, the bus riders have a whole bunch of adventures before they get there. A man wearing a safari hat takes the kids to a “Jungle Bug adventure”, where the kids see close-ups of a praying mantis, millipede, bumblebee, butterfly, dragonfly, caterpillar, leaf-cutter ants, ladybug, tarantula, army ants, beetle, and grasshopper.

Next, everyone sings “The babies on the bus say kiss kiss kiss”-cute babies! The singing kitties are Kaitlyn’s favorite (cats on the bus go meow meow meow). I should mention the character of Coco, played by Kara Stribling, who is the voice of Annie in the Disney show Little Einsteins. She is very talented. Also, the music for the show was created by Laura Hall, who you might recognize from Drew Carey’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and who plays Coco’s Mom.

Two passengers fight over a toy truck, then they talk about taking turns and sing a chorus of “The Wheels on the Bus”, which is repeated often during the video. The bus stops to pick up a dog who has almost missed the bus because he was Procrastinating. The scene changes to a boy’s bedroom where a woman dressed as a mommy dog sings a song about procrastination to her “dog” son. It’s a cute song. Another really cute scene shows the babies on the bus, who say “kiss kiss kiss”, with scenes of Moms smooching really adorable babies-I liked that one!

Next, everyone takes turns to help clean up and fix the bus. They line up to take turns washing their hands before having a healthy snack. Three passengers are holding boxes of baby chicks, so they count the chicks, then sing “the chicks on the bus say peep peep peep” .

There’s an odd scene with some ballerinas and a boy who I think is supposed to be a fairy, he flies over the bus and guides it to the parade. The show ends with scenes from an actual dog parade, with dogs dressed in costumes.

There’s a lot to like about this DVD. Cute kids, cute songs, and important lessons about sharing, taking turns, and getting along, with examples kids can relate to. Kudos to writer Timothy Armstrong for working all of those elements together into a DVD that is fun, not obnoxious. I kept thinking about “Barney”, which also has kids, songs, and lessons, but is just so annoying. If “The Wheels on the Bus” was a TV show, I would have no problem with my daughter watching it every day!

For more reviews of this DVD and other great products, visit The Parent Bloggers Network blog.