PBS
PBS Kids has a new offering this week: Dinosaur Train. Young dinosaur siblings Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, and Don (an adopted T. rex and three pteranodons) join their parents in a quest to learn about all the other dinosaur species out there. Each episode includes two short journeys on the time-traveling “Dinosaur Train,” which carries passengers to the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras. The train accommodates dinosaurs of all sizes in amusing ways and comes with a conductor who’s full of fun facts about the next type of dinosaur on the list. Terms like hypothesis are used frequently as the young siblings reason out why a dinosaur might have a special feature, like crowns and flat teeth. Each short is followed by a quick paleontology lesson about the real dino behind the cartoon, and the show ends with a song. It’s the kind of educational fun we expect from Jim Henson Productions, a slow-paced, fact-filled treat for the dino-obsessed tot that will still hold the attention of slightly older siblings.
—KJ Dell'Antonia
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