Copyright ©1996, ProMotion, inc.
www@acloserlook.com
You might not choose a turtle to answer your kids' questions and help them figure out what's right to do, but Wally T. Turtle knows about kids. He's been giving his friendly and sometimes-zany counsel for several years in the magazine Guideposts for Kids (formerly Faith Õn Stuff).
Now Wally (alias Mary Lou Carney) is sharing his wisdom with help from Jodi Benson and their five young friends in the Guideposts Junction series. Benson, of Little Mermaid fame, tells stories and sings great songs to the kids who appear to be about eight to ten years old. The starting point for each of the six videos comes from some of the hundreds of letters kids all over the country write to Wally each month about situations that seem too big for them to handle.
Each video has three episodes, and each episode, using a particular letter as its starting point, emphasizes an important moral value. The following list shows the titles of the videos and the values each story highlights. Only the first two have been released to date.
The stories are suitable for both individual use and a variety of groups from church to scout to school. The sets are brightly colored, and the big mail bag in the middle of the floor at the start makes the connection with letters to Wally. Jodi Benson's vitality and movement indicate her love for the kids, for the Lord, and for what she is doing. And her beautiful voice makes the songs memorable.
Occasionally, Wally's voice isn't clear, but that may be just to adult ears. He's a very kind figure, almost a Mister Rogers, and kids can certainly use more of that today. Each video runs about 30 minutes.
Sparrow Communications Group has joined Guideposts to produce a CD from the soundtrack of the video-both stories and songs. After seeing the video a time or two, playing the CD makes a great backdrop for other activity like writing a letter to Wally. He's a wonderful friend.
Copyright ©1996, ProMotion, inc.
www@acloserlook.com