Dora the Explorer

All three of my kids and their friends aged 2 - 5, absolutely love Dora the Explorer. Dora is a five year old girl who sets out on a different adventure each episode with her friend Boots the monkey and her talking back pack. "Back Pack" has objects to assist on her journey, of which children can decide which would be the best item to use to get round different obstacles. Along the way she also encounters different characters to assist her. Some of these characters only speak Spanish so is a great way of introducing the language to infants. Educationally it is very stimulating, teaching pre-schoolers the basics in counting, colors, shapes and sizes with the introduction of Spanish. It also brings to children the understanding of different cultures. Highly recommended.

It seems that Dora feels she must yell at all times to get attention, which makes her as pleasant to listen to as fingernails on a blackboard. Even after enduring a few episodes of this show, I'm still trying to figure out what the creators think they are teaching? The few words of Spanish that are used aren't enough to form simple phrases, so why are they there? Mostly, it seems like they're trying to teach prepositions (up, down, through, etc.) and they're padding it with a few Spanish words to fill out the half-hour episode. I think her parents should keep better tabs on her and around the house more instead of letting her wander through forests and valleys all the time. That, and there's something evil about her eyes.

This is a wonderful show for children. It's perfect for pre-schoolers and toddlers. The lessons are hidden in Dora's adventures and not force fed. In my opinion, one of the best parts of the show is the bilingual aspect. Characters speak both English and Spanish. My 20 month old can count to ten in both languages thanks to this show. The adventures are fun and interesting, with an emphasis on sharing, compromise, and interactivity. Catchy songs are interspersed with recurring themes. The repetition can be annoying for a parent, but it's just what young minds need to aid in learning. Unlike other "children's" shows, there in almost no reference to commercial tie-ins. Yes, there is Dora merchandise available, but they don't waste time or insult your intelligence pushing it on the show.

Dora is one of the few, if any female stars of an animated show. The problem solving, bilingualism and non-violent approach is a breath of fresh air in the blast-em-up world of children's animated shows. How could anyone argue with that?

Why do adults feel the need to get on here and critique a children's show. It isn't made for adults. It isn't going to capture the attention of adults. It's going to seem annoying to adults. That's because the target audience isn't adults. Dora was made to teach children an alternate language and help them with problem solving and it did exactly that. Yes, Dora asks the audience questions (that may indeed have quite obvious answers) every five minutes but who cares! I'm not a Dora fanatic, I never even liked Dora that much but I think it's strange for people to come on here and give Dora or any children's show or movie 3 stars and say they don't like it. Of course if you're not the target audience you're most likely not going to like the product. Now I could understand if it was because the show is problematic or something but it's Dora. All she does is go on adventures with her friends and tries not to get robbed by Swiper.