Between the Lions

My kids are now 5 and 3 and they both just love this show. They stop whatever they are doing and pay attention to the show. They love Gawain's Word, Chicken Jane, and the musical skits. We always let our kids watch this entertaining and well-written program. Even my husband and I have found tips that we didn't realize before regarding English grammar.

This show is the about the best 30 minute reading lesson you can give your kids short of having a reading teacher give them a one-on-one lesson. It presents a sound or word in multiple ways to get children thinking about how our reading works.

It also uses contemporary children's books so if one show really works with your kids, you can take them to the library and see the same book they saw on the show. (Although they won't see talking lions)

The show focuses on teaching reading, not math or manners or anything else, which is where it differs from Sesame Street. It also doesn't try to make jokes for the parents who might be watching the show with their kids. So, if you're not a small child or the parent of one, you probably won't see much point in the show. There is a quite negative review of this show on this site and it's probably from someone for whom this show was not intended. Some kid's shows really are just for kids.

1. I am a parent of a 6-year-old child with autism. 2. Said child has difficulty with language due to her disorder. 3. "Between the Lions" helps her with her reading and language skills. 4. I graduated from college with a degree in psychology.

Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone would dislike the show. I find it enjoyable to watch with my daughter, and find that a good deal of the humor is directed at grownups who may be watching with their kids. My little girl loves this show, and it really is helping her learn. Those who don't like it either aren't paying attention, or simply don't understand child psychology and the learning process. This is a clever and well-done series, and I am grateful to its creators for how much they have influenced my child's reading and language skills. Music and repetition are especially key to learning with special needs kids. This show has all that and more.

Let me start by saying that I have a child. I have read comments from several people either praising the show or hating it. And I fall in the category of liking it. The skits are childish but it's what helps keep child interested in the program. Since you may notice that children these days tend to have short attention spans or be more interested in video games instead of a book or informative programs. My only complaint these days is that there hasn't been very many shows like this out there. These days there are only repeats .Which sort of annoy my child.But it ends of giving us time to stop and read a book and bond. We only hope that PBS will have new programs that keep kids interested in reading.Not just the annoying bright colors and creatures and make odd noises...

This series wonderfully combines learning and entertainment and provides a half-hour where the children will be enthralled in the jokes, skits, and songs; and the parents will not mind watching along with their children. Each show centers around a vowel sound that is constantly repeated in different skits and songs for effective teaching value. Each show also contains a theme; one delightful episode focused on Shakespeare in a light manner for a quick introduction to the Bard for young children. They might not have understood the verse, but the fact that a chicken puppet played Juliet will have them giggling. This is a great show to rival other shows that teach reading, especially Reading Rainbow.