Look and Listen : A Little Dinosaur Finds Himself Far, Far From Home

Audio

Little Proto’s T-Rex Adventure. An Odds Bodkin Musical Story. Rivertree Productions. 73 minutes. CD: $15. Cassette: $10. (800) 554-1333. https://www.oddsbodkin.com. Ages 3 and older.

Little Proto the Dinosaur runs away from home, worried that the impending hatching of his baby sister means Mom won’t love him anymore. Old Wrinkles, the wise triceratops, persuades him to go home, but a hungry pterandodon snatches him up and flies far away from Proto’s nest near Lookout Hill and Big River.

That’s just the beginning of Proto’s adventures with Bump the pachycephalosaurus, Old Wrinkles, King Geoffrey the T-Rex and a dancing herd of plant-eating ‘saurs on their great migration across the Sea of Grass, who tell of their legendary, vanished One-Horned King. It’s a richly textured yarn, told by professional storyteller Odds Bodkin, a master of imagery and character.

Video

The Peace of Paper, an Introduction to Origami. World Information Videos. 53 minutes. (212) 222-4440. $25. Ages 8 to adult.

Atmospheric music, some Zen-like philosophy, words to inspire and engaging storytelling accompany the how-to’s for nifty folded paper creations. A multicultural array of experts in the ancient art of origami--one is only 11 years old--show viewers how to turn sheets of paper into creatures and objects: a hopping bunny, a pretty star basket, a flapping bird, a backward airplane, a tulip and stem, and a pop star--the night-sky kind. The step-by-step instructions are clear, and while not for young children, older children and adults won’t have trouble following along.

Sign and ABC’s. Aylmer Press. 50 minutes. $15. (888) SIGNIT2. Ages 5 to adult. https://www.signit2.com.

From Steve Kokette, creator of the engaging “Sign Songs” video, this playful, well-produced introduction to American Sign Language is enjoyable for anyone. It teaches the alphabet, finger-spelled words and expressive signs for many words with the help of a raft of kids and two highly appealing professional actors who take center stage, acting out word skits to bring the lessons to life: Antionette Abbamonte, formerly with Cleveland SignStage Theatre, and John Kinstler, a former member of the National Theatre of the Deaf.

Real Girls, Real Sports. TalentShine Productions. 30 minutes. $15. https://www.throwlikeagirl.com or https://www.amazon.com. Ages 8 to 14 and parents.

Shelley Frost, one of the original co-producer moms of the “Babymugs” video, and Ann Troussieux, another mom, have filmed girls talking about playing sports--how it feels, what the challenges and rewards are, what it’s like to win, to lose, to be part of a team. Parents weigh in too. You might wonder if every one of the girls profiled would choose to continue playing if not for some of the parental steering, but the emphasis on the positives is sincere.