Go Diego Go!: Lion Cub Rescue - DVD Review (SpongeBob DVD Giveaway)

"Deep inside the jungle where nature's running wild / Coming to the rescue is a very special child / Talking to the animals and swinging from a vine / This rough and tough adventurer is working all the time / Ya viene Diego. Diego. Diego. Go, Diego, Go!"

Lions, lions everywhere! Earlier in the month we reviewed Pinkney's Caldecott medal winning book, The Lion and the Mouse. This week we watched the newest Diego DVD, Lion Cub Rescue.

Released today, January 26th, the Go Diego Go! : Lion Cub Rescue DVD includes four exciting animal rescue adventure episodes. Like in all his shows, Diego, an 8-year-old adventure hero, works to save the animals and offers children advice on how to take care of the environment while also encouraging children use their imagination and participate in the rescue. The four episodes are as follows (95 minutes total length):

"Welcome Home, Lion Cub!" - Diego and baby Jaguar visit the grasslands in Africa and help Lion Cub and the Lion Cub's daddy rescue lion family members while traveling back to the pride for Lion Cub's party. They rescue Baby Lion from a stream's rapid water, free Cousin Lion from a net animal trap and locate Sister Lion hiding in the tall grassy field.

Animal Sound: Roar
Actions: Creeping, Crawling, Freeze, Jump, Claw
Spanish Phrase: "De tal padre, tal higo." (Like father, like son.)
Environmental Advice: Pick up and throw away trash like bottle tops and plastic bags found outside

"Diego's Ringed Seal Rescue" - The Ringed Seals live in a special rescue home in the arctic because their snow caves have melted. Diego and Alicia work together to save Baby Ringed Seal "Susie" from a polar bear and bring her safely back to the Ringed Seal Rescue Center. Along the way, Susie must navigate through an icy path, dive in and out of ice holes and find her way in a snow storm.

Animal Sound: Bark
Actions: Wiggle, Flap Arms

"Diego Reunites Hippopotamus and Oxpecker" - Hippopotamus must relocate from his river home to Hippo Lake and his "symbiotic" friend Oxpecker accompanies him on his journey. Hippo relies on Oxpecker to eat the bugs off his back and keep him clean. When Oxpecker searches for water plants for Hippo to eat, the rushing water pulls him toward a pipe entrance. While Diego and Hippo journey to save Oxpecker, they stomp through tall grass and hippo gets overheated and searches for a water hole to cool off.

Actions: Stomp, Open Mouth Wide
Spanish phrase: "Los mejores amigos son los qué se ayudan!" (Friends who help friends are the best friends of all.)
Environmental advice: Turn off the water when you brush your teeth

"Diego's Orangutan Rescue" - Diego travels to the rain forest Island of Borneo and together with his friend, Burgin, they help out the orangutans. Baby Orangutan floats away down the river in a canoe and Big Sister Orangutan asks Diego for assistance.

Animal Sound: Ooh!
Actions: Swing, Wave Arms, Duck head
Environmental advice: Plant trees and flowers

I like the animated Diego episodes and DVDs because they introduce my children to environmental issues in a child friendly way. The short episodes can be used in conjunction with books and other curriculum to teach kids about different types of animals and their habitats. Kids also learn Spanish words and the shows enourage movement and interaction. Both my children really enjoy singing along to the special songs incorporated in the shows. My daughter's favorite episode on this DVD is the one about the Hippo/Oxpecker. Even I didn't know what a "symbiotic" relationship was prior to watching this episode. You learn something new everyday, even from Diego!

SpongeBob SquarePants: Viking-Sized Adventure DVD also releases today. This is the description according to the fact sheet: "Join SpongeBob and his pals as they go on a Viking-Sized Adventure, weather a storm, fill in for super heroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and meet Mr. Krabs grandpappy the pirate. Guest stars include Dennis Quaid and Ian McShane!" My kids are a little too small to enjoy the humor in this one, so I'm giving away my SpongeBob review copy to a Brimful Curiosities reader.

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(DVD Source: review copies provided for free for review purposes by Paramount Home Entertainment and Nickelodeon. All opinions expressed are my own. I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)