Adventures from the Book of Virtues

I saw this show when I was about 10. The basic plot was of a pair of kids who would go away to this wonderland where animals talked and each episode would be a folktale of different racial origins, be it Chinese, Japanese, Native American, Greek, whatever, in a condensed and easy to comprehend form.

Each episode has a moral and is animated rather well. For the most part, most of the episodes are rather entertaining, though I haven't seen it in like 5 years. Watch if you see it on ^-^

I remember stumbling across this show as a PBS kid, half-expecting another Saturday morning cartoon with goofy sidekicks and zany plots. What I got instead was a bison named Plato calmly explaining the importance of honesty while a hawk named Aurora narrated ancient parables. It wasn't exactly thrilling--but it stuck with me in a quiet, thoughtful way.

What I Appreciated: The show genuinely wants to help kids grow into better people. Each episode tackles a virtue--like courage or responsibility--and uses classic stories to make the lesson feel timeless. I found myself thinking about those fables long after the credits rolled. There's something oddly comforting about a buffalo dispensing life advice. The animal mentors give the show a gentle, almost meditative vibe that's rare in children's programming. In a world of irony and sarcasm, this show goes all-in on earnestness. That's admirable, even if it's not always exciting.

Where It Lost Me: The animation feels dated, and the dialogue can be a little too textbook. As a visual thinker, I craved more dynamic storytelling and expressive character design. Sometimes the moral lesson overshadows the plot. It's like the show is more interested in teaching than entertaining, which makes it feel more like homework than adventure. While it occasionally dips into global folklore, the stories mostly come from Western traditions. I wished it had cast a wider net--it could've been a beautiful bridge across cultures.

Final Take: Adventures from the Book of Virtues isn't a show I'd binge, but it's one I respect. It's like that quiet teacher who didn't try to be cool but taught you something you didn't realize you needed. For me, it lands at a solid 6 out of 10--thoughtful, sincere, and just a bit too tame for its own good.

OK, this is going to sound campy, i was a babysitter when this came out, along with the fact of younger brothers and sister. This is one of the few videotapes that i taped (off of PBS) and took with me that EVERY parent did not have a problem with their kid watching. In the age where your TV babysits your child more than you do, this is a program i could turn on and they would actually walk away with something other than mush on the brain. it was good from children 8 to about 14 (my 14 yr old brother (at the time) watched it fascinated for a long time, and is still one of his most cherished memories (one of the few times we didn't fight was when it was on) if you find it, or get a chance to watch it DO! definitely worth it