Bear in the Big Blue House - Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Starring:Noel McNeal, Peter Linz, Vicki Eibner, James J. Kroupa, Tyler Bunch, Jennifer Barnhart, Geoffrey Holder, Victor Yerrid, Tara Mooney, Lynne Thigpen, Tim Lagasse, Carmen Osbahr, Alice Dinnean, Anney McKilligan
Director: Richard A. Fernandes, Jim Martin, Mitchell Kriegman, Martin Hugh
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Evening and morning routines take center stage in this two-episode tape. In "Go to Sleep," Bear's small bear friend Ojo is spending the night but fights sleep even though she is tired. Meanwhile, a friendly game of "Go Fish" in the kitchen keeps waking Tutter the Mouse, whose hole is only feet away. The whole gang wakes up from a slumber party at the house in "Morning Glory." Bear teaches them the importance of a good breakfast, brushing teeth, and allowing slow wakers like Ojo a chance to get their bearings, so to speak. The seven-foot adult stand-in also puts the kids to work while serenading them with a round of "Clean Up the House" before they head out for the day. If only it were that easy with little humans. Toddlers through kindergartners will enjoy this 48-minute video from the popular PBS series. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Description

Rise and shine with Bear and his friends in the Big Blue House for three comfy, cozy episodes that encourage proper rest, consideration for others, and help your child become more self-reliant! In "A Winter's Nap," everybody wants Bear's attention, and all he wants is some rest! A new day dawns for the gang in the Big Blue House in "Morning Glory," and Tutter wants to stay up and play when Bear says it's time to "Go To Sleep," because everyone knows there's fun morning, noon, and night in the Big Blue House!

Customer Reviews:

Witty and friendly and funny.......2007-04-28

Criteria for a children's video:

1. Do kids like it? Yes, my toddler loves this, sings along, and asks me to sing along, too.

2. Can the parents watch it without going bonkers? Yep, so far, so good, every time I see it again I notice new things. The puppets are sophisticated and the characters distinct. The music is fabulous, mostly inspired by modern American folk--how great to hear simple fiddle music and guitar instead of overproduced "showtunes." The simple music also means that if I sing the songs afterward, it sounds close to what my child remembers from the show.

3. Since kids will copy anything they see on TV or in a book, what is going on in this video? Gentle humor, good manners, good music. All things I'm glad to see her emulate.

That's the bare bones (ha!) of liking this series. But it goes beyond the basic. __Bear__ has subtle messages about food, getting along, and social differences. For instance, in one episode, Tutter the mouse is eating a sandwich, which he must learn to share. OK, we could see that coming. BUT! Without making a big deal over, it, the producers made the sandwich on whole wheat bread, quietly supporting good nutrition.

Another example or two; when Ojo the bear cub sleeps over, Bear makes her bed, very cozy, on the couch. When they have a birthday party (in a different episode), it's home made decorations and one meaningful present. A quiet message that you don't have to have a great deal of money to have a good time.

And there are significant female characters (Ojo, Shadow, Luna) who aren't made into gooey subservients as in so many kids videos (or feature films, for that matter).

Bear is the leader of the series, but often sings harmony to some other character, giving a simple message that you don't always have to be number one.

Hooray for Bear!

Bear Rocks.......2007-03-07

As always bear keeps kids busy and teaches them at the same time. This one is excellent to help get them ready for bed too. Bear is great, he teaches about import things such as brushing teach, combing hair, potty training, the seasons, colors, to share, doctor office visiting, among many other things. The best pre-school has to offer.

The Early Bear Gets the... Worm?.......2005-10-02

"Early to Bed, Early to Rise" is another in a series of "Bear in the Big Blue House" video releases ported to DVD. This DVD includes two episodes from the video release --- "Go to Sleep" and "Morning Glory" and adds in "A Winter's Nap."

"Go to Sleep"

Ojo stays over for the night at the Big Blue House. Bear helps her to get to sleep and then decides to turn in himself, when the doorbell rings. It turns out that his friends Jeremiah and Doc Hog have shown up for a card game, which Bear completely forgot about. Now Bear has to take care of them, while also seeing that Ojo isn't disturbed, as well as Tutter, who's sleeping in his mousehole. Featuring a great song from Shadow, "Rockabye," about how shadows watch over you at night.

"Morning Glory"

Bear helps everybody in the Big Blue House to get up in the morning after a sleepover, but some have more trouble rising than others. Once everybody is up, though, they're ready and raring for morning activities --- but not before enjoying a nice breakfast. Treelo just wants to play, play, play, but Bear and everyone else manage to convince him that it would be better to have some breakfast first. Featuring an old-favorite "Bear in the Big Blue House" song --- "Brush Brush Bree."

"A Winter's Nap"

Winter has come to Woodland Valley and Bear would like nothing more than a nice nap. However, he never quite seems to make it to the nap, as he has to help out his friends in the Big Blue House. Sleep evades Bear, but his friends have a nice surprise for him.

Like all of the other "Bear in the Big Blue House" DVDs, there aren't really any good special features on this. You only get the option to jump to songs from the episodes and previews for other Disney TV Shows and movies.

Great DVD for toddlers!.......2005-09-07

This is another excellent DVD in the "Bear in the Big Blue House" series. It has episodes concerning: going to sleep, "Go to Sleep"; starting a brand new day, "Morning Glory"; and napping, "A Winter's Nap".

"Go to Sleep" covers ways to lull yourself off to dreamland, even though you may not think you're tired, and the importance of a good night's sleep for a good day tomorrow.

"Morning Glory introduces Ray, the sun, who sings a good morning song with Bear. The episode incorporates the importance of breakfast, brushing your teeth, how different people take different amounts of time to wake up, getting morning chores done and how having a good morning can influence the rest of your day.

The message on the "A Winter's Nap" episode is a little strange, however. The episode is supposed to be about Bear and Tutter, the mouse, trying to take naps during the day, but neither one can seem to manage it due to various things going on in the house. In the end they both throw in the towel and join in the fun in a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality. While the rest of the episode talks about naps and how to get cozy and fall asleep, how good they are for you, etc., I really didn't understand the "Oh, well, can't nap? No big deal" message that came out near the end. Other than that though, it was a cute episode.

The character Shadow, whose segments I usually find a little creepy, is more down to earth in these and there are less of the cut-out shadow people scenes and more of Shadow just singing songs.

One that YOU can watch over and over again!.......2005-08-24

OK, call me selfish, but when looking for a DVD for my son to watch, I am hoping to find something that I can watch over and over again without going crazy. This is it. I love the bear, the big blue house, and all of his friends (coincidentally, so does my son). This one has great messages for kids about bedtime even when you don't want to sleep, the importance of breakfast, cleaning the house, and naptime!

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