In Between the Lions

I am impressed by the PBS kids show called In Between the Lions. It is intended to teach reading to first through third graders. It follows a variety show format much like Sesame Street and The Electric Company. Sesame Street is intended for preparing preschoolers by teaching letters and numbers. The Electric Company is for fourth, fifth and sixth graders to expand vocabulary, reading skills and social skills.

In Between the Lions features a family of lions who live in a library. Sesame Street and The Electric Company is set in the city. The library approach is good because it parallels the setting of elementry schools. The lions have a computer mouse friend who uses technology to illustrate the simple stories the lions read. They also have monkeys with various personalities who appear in the show.

The mother lion is nicely dressed in the African style with large necklaces. The father, son and daughter lion are dressed in a typically American style. The artistry of the library is also impressive. It is a large building in a wooded setting with human children sitting around reading quietly. I only wish my local PBS station showed it more often. It only appears once at 8 a.m.