Young Kids Get a Feel for the World from this Stuffed Dinosaur Named Barney

While the recession rages on and many actors can’t get jobs, one cult hero, Barney the purple dinosaur, rises to full-fledged stardom this month with a new series for preschoolers. The 6-foot star of the award-winning “Barney & the Backyard Gang” home video series helps children have fun as they learn about manners, ecology, fine arts, nutrition--you name it.

The premise of the series is that Barney is really a stuffed toy who comes to life through the imaginations of a multi-ethnic group of six children. Their adventures occur both in a day-care classroom and a playground, and the series emphasizes interaction--viewers are encouraged to sing along with the characters.

“Barney & Friends,” weekdays beginning Monday 9-9:30 a.m. and 3-3:30 p.m. KPBS and 2:30-3 p.m. KVCR; Tuesday 7-7:30 a.m. KCET. For 2- to 5-year-olds.

MORE KIDS’ SHOWS

The creator of “Benji” is behind the 1979 movie The Double McGuffin (Sunday 10 a.m.-noon KTLA), about a group of teens who try to unravel a plot to assassinate a Middle Eastern prime minister. For ages 12 and up.

What is a naked mole rat? What does a Tasmanian Devil look like? These and other questions are answered on ZooLife With Jack Hanna (Sunday time tk KABC), a new syndicated series starring the director of the Columbus Zoo and some of the world’s most unusual species. For all ages.

Superman--Christopher Reeve, that is--comes to Avonlea (Monday 8-9 p.m. Disney Channel) in a guest role as an evil man in pursuit of priceless gemstones. For all ages.

A new CBS Schoolbreak Special, “Different Worlds: A Tale of Interracial Love” (Tuesday 3-4 p.m. CBS), concerns a romance between a black boy and a white girl who find that societal tensions and their own hesitation make their relationship difficult. For 12- to 17-year-olds.

Whoopi Goldberg narrates “Koi and the Kola Nuts,” a Swahili folk tale about a chief’s son who sets out to find his way in the world, on We All Have Tales (Tuesday 7:30-8 p.m. Showtime). Herbie Hancock provides the music. For 4- to 8-year-olds.

An episode of PBS’ series The Creative Spirit (Thursday 8-9 p.m. KCET) examines how experiences in childhood determine creativity. A child psychologist points out ways to detect early signs of creativity in kids. For ages 15 and up.

A fun-loving bachelor is left in charge of his nephew and nieces in Uncle Buck (Friday 9-11 p.m. CBS), the 1989 film by “Home Alone’ “s John Hughes. John Candy stars with Macaulay Culkin as the nephew. For ages 8 and up.

Talk about peer pressure: A music video with 300 kids encouraging young people not to smoke airs on Wide World of Kids (Saturday 6:30-7 a.m. KNBC). For all ages.

Totally Kids Sports (Saturday 6-6:30 p.m. Nickelodeon), third in a series of six magazine-style sports specials for kids and hosted by a team of kids, spotlights the upcoming baseball season. For 6- to 11-year-olds.

The Disney Channel airs a free programming preview Friday through next Monday on participating cable systems (consult your cable operator for details).