‘Bear’ Special Offers Reassurance to Children

Parents concerned about their young children’s inevitable exposure to 9/11 anniversary media coverage will appreciate the gentle approach taken by Jim Henson Television’s two-part “Bear in the Big Blue House” special, “Welcome to Woodland Valley,” airing at 1 p.m. each weekday this week on the Disney Channel.

The hourlong special is crafted with care to give children a sense of security by showing how a community can be like a family, pulling together in times of crisis, as Bear and his neighbors work together to rebuild the Woodland Valley library, which has been badly damaged by a storm-toppled tree.

Viewers learn the meaning of “community” and “together” as Bear, a member of the town’s Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company, invites all the residents to a rebuild-the-library planning session, and Tutter the mouse and his little pals assuage their concerns by collecting donated books to restock the shelves.

Bear cub Ojo, however, needs extra cuddling and comfort from fatherly Bear; when she feels more secure, she helps out with the solution to the biggest rebuilding challenge: what to do with the tree.

Reassurance, the kind that adults can offer a child, is what the program--which incidentally expands the setting beyond the Blue House to the surrounding town for the first time--is all about. It’s delivered from start to finish within the show’s trademark gentle framework: Bear’s paternal warmth; charming, safe-haven sets; terrific music that’s both sophisticated and child-friendly; informed writing; and realistic reflections of children’s emotions.

The “Welcome to Woodland Valley” episode of “Bear in the Big Blue House” airs Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. this week on the Disney Channel.