Críticas
November 2007
“this video is an asset for homes and school and public libraries.”

“This captivating animated video explores the animal kingdom in either English or Spanish. The first part explores the creatures’sounds: one by one, colorful computer-generated animals appear in the screen making their distinctive sounds as their names are briefly spelled out. Intriguing images accompany the narration of three poems in the following section. “Animals Stories” feels like viewers are reading a book: the pages flip, the words pop up as the narrator reads them, and the pictures remain still. The last section invites children to learn their ABC’s with the different animals. Narrated clearly by native speakers, well paced, and infused with lively background music, this video is an asset for homes and school and public libraries.”

Video Librarian
July/August 2007
Three Stars “Recommended”

Providing viewers with both English and Spanish-language versions of this half-hour program on the same disc, Bees Buzz & Lions Roar (Las Abejas Zumban & Los Leones Rugen) focuses on the world of animals as seen through the colorful collage-style animation of artist Kristin Reiber Harris. Segments include “Animal Sounds,” which matches onscreen animals to their respective signature sounds (such as buzzing bees and roaring lions); “Animal Poems,” recited by real-life kids; “Animal Stories,” including “The Bees Take Off” and “Cecilia Loves to Play”; and an “Animal Alphabet” (different for the English and Spanish versions) that features a handful of off-the-beaten-horse-trail entries (“H” is for heron, “V” is for vole, “X” is for…four ants having a chat?). DVD extras include three brief animated shorts. Suggested for ages 2 to 5, this bilingual production is recommended.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
April 2007
“an excellent DVD to add your collection”

I’m very conservative when it comes to image-based curriculum for my children. We are big into books. That being said, I was quite impressed with Bees Buzz & Lions Roar, a children’s English and Spanish DVD. It contains 30 minutes of animated animal material: animal sounds, poems, an animal alphabet, and stories. Bonus features include two short pieces, one about a dog and one about peas in a pod, as well as a story about seasons.

The animation reminds me of cut paper collages. It is full of colorful, simple shapes. Younger children will enjoy the repetition of words, images, and concepts, and this repetition should aid them in catching on to the vocabulary.

The video is for two- to five-year-olds, and they would find it delightful. Children this age love animals. There are more than 50 different ones here, including some unusual ones such as a vole, sturgeon, lemur, newt, and pelican. I really like the text subtitles that accompany the stories as a help in learning to read. And the animated page-turns are a nice touch.

I was pleasantly surprised by the mood and quality of the video. Many children’s videos present a barrage of images in a short amount of time, but Bees Buzz & Lions Roar has an enjoyable and calm pace. The sound effects are mostly appropriate (a frog belches once), and the narration is clear and easy to understand.

If your young children are learning Spanish, or if your older ones are and you’d like to provide something to include the little ones in your studies, this would be an excellent DVD to add your collection.

Washington Parent Magazine
February 07

“Bees Buzz & Lions Roar/Las abejas zumban y los leones rugen”

Bees Buzz & Lions Roar/Las abejas zumban y los leones rugen is an English/Spanish DVD geared toward toddlers through preschoolers. The animation is a mesmerizing mix of bright colors and slow movements. The result is engaging without being too distracting from the narration. The DVD is 30 minutes long and consists of short pieces about animals, the sounds they make, where they live and more. Viewers can choose to watch the DVD in either English or Spanish. My daughters, ages 3 and 4, are fascinated with the Spanish language, thanks to Dora the Explorer. Now, with Bees Buzz & Lions Roar, they can learn more Spanish and in greater depth, because the video teaches viewers full sentences, as well as single words and phrases. Visit the Turtles in Ties website for more information at www.TurtlesInTies.com, where you can also sample a portion of the DVD.

School Library Journal
November 06

Bilingual Education
This animated bilingual collection of poems, songs, and stories about animals and the alphabet introduces young children to members of the animal kingdom. The content is available in an English and a Spanish version. The name of the animal and an action it performs is presented at a pace that allows youngsters time to recognize and retain what is shown. Simple, bold animation, bright colors, fun characters, and engaging original music combine to create an entertaining and educational environment for learning a language. The voices are clear and articulate, and the words are well-enunciated. Bonus features include three additional short animation pieces about a dog, peas, and the seasons.

Children’s Book Watch
www.midwestbookreview
April 07

Bees Buzz & Lions Roar: A World of Animals Just for You is a cheerful, bilingual English/Spanish DVD for young viewers ages 2 to 5. More than fifty animals appear in animated shorts and stories, from ants and herons to poodles and fish. Presented in a friendly and humorous tone, Bees Buzz & Lions Roar is sure to appeal to young animal lovers everywhere. Animal sounds, poems, and an educational animal alphabet round out this delightful collection perfect for parent-child viewing and family fun. 30 minutes, color.
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/apr_07.htm#dvd
Other articles or features

News & Advance, Lynchburg, VA September 2007
McLean/Vienna Connection newspapers, March 6, 2007
Charlottesville Daily Progress, December 2006
Multilingual Living, March 2007

EDUCATORS

Mary Ann Duffus
Founder
Brooksfield School
McLean, VA

Turtles in Ties has done an incredible job with this delightful DVD! Its appeal from early toddler to preschooler will provide an amusing and effective tool for the parent encouraging the development of Spanish for their child at an early age.”

Matt Schewel
Director of Two-Way Immersion Program
2nd and 3rd grade Immersion Teacher
Southwest Elementary
Durham, NC

I particularly enjoyed the animal stories in Spanish. Listening and following along with text is an important aspect of emergent literacy,and I think it could even be used in Kindergarten for a listening center. As far as outside the classroom, I think the DVD would be quite
valuable to Hispanic families. We see a lot of kids who struggle with literacy in both English and Spanish, so I think it would be a great tool for them to watch at home and practice their skills. It’s also important for those Hispanic parents, many of whom are struggling to
learn English as well, who want to help their children get a head start but don’t know how to do so.

Tullio Cedillo
Professor Spanish
Lynchburg College

I watched your CD, I think it is wonderful. I like it a lot. It has a variety of exercises appropriate for little children.

PARENTS

Laura P.
Alexandria, VA
Son age 2 1/2

My son loves Bees Buzz and Lions Roar! The fun characters and colorful designs grabbed his attention immediately. The light-hearted whimsical stories are presented in just the right way so we can have interactive
discussions about what he’s seeing and experiencing on the screen. He’s learning so much and having fun at the same time. Keep the stories coming!

Laurel F.
Lynchburg, VA

Kids ages 1 and 7
I’ll let my daughter give you a review of the DVD…she’s crazy about it! She loves it in English, she loves it in Spanish…we think it is great. Hallie took Spanish all semester and she picked up enough words and phrases to make watching it in Spanish to be fun. She gets very excited when she recognizes a word or phrase. We both love the Bob Marley-esque montage about the fish in the sea! And Baby Max cracks up at the Peas in a Pod bonus track. I don’t know what it is - but he just belly laughs out loud during that one.

Ephraim S.
Falls Church, VA

As parents of a 2 year old boy, 4 year old girl and a 7 year old girl we are always looking for DVDs that educate and have age appropriate content for our children. “Bees Buzz & Lions Roar: A World of Animals Just for You!” is perfect for our kids in that it presents a variety of animals from around the world, each matched to a letter of the alphabet and a variety of beautifully illustrated stories. Each section of the DVD is colorful with excellent animation and illustrations and the narration quality and sounds are top-notch. Unlike other DVDs that present too much too fast, this DVD is perfectly paced allowing our kids to quickly process each part in to their memories. They later recall the alphabet, animals and stories easily and accurately when away from our TV. We have found that watching it often, either on the road or at home, helps reinforce the learning experience. We are always exploring the Spanish version bundled on the same DVD allowing our family to learn another extremely valuable language. We recommend this DVD highly to anyone with kids of all ages 1-100!

Rebecca W.
Arlington, VA

My three-year-old liked the animal sounds, poems and alphabet. He really liked the science-themed bonus story. My five-year-old liked all of the above, and I think she liked trying to follow the text in the bee and bear stories. She is on the cusp of reading on her own and having the text with the story really reinforces the sounds of the words. She also really liked the science bonus story. As a parent, I liked the slower pace of the DVD. I think a lot of other children’s media is too fast-cut and doesn’t help focus building young attention spans.

Kathy D.
Manhattan Beach, CA

My daughter, Juliet, is 22 months old and is fasinated by bees. She refers to all bugs as “bees”. When she saw the bee on your DVD cover, she had to watch it. Since then, it is the first DVD she requests. She calls it “Bees Baa” because she can’t say “Buzz”. She really responds to the voices of other children so she loves the narration by the little girl. Juliet can sleep soundly when I stroll her through a construction zone, but she wakes up immediately if she hears another little girl laugh or talk!

The DVD is delightful, and you are very talented. Thank you for sharing your talent with us!