Guest Author - Marci Ann Peterson

My girls simply love the PBS show Super Why! And bonus, this show does not annoy me. So, they can watch and I don't feel like I am going to go crazy and rip all my hair out.



Super Why!, is geared to the preschooler crowd, though my girls 5 and 6 are definitely no longer preschoolers, so it does entertain a slightly older crowd as well the younger kids. Designed to teach the fundamentals of reading through a fun interactive storybook setting, Super Why! will catch the attention of your children and hold it throughout the show.



The show takes place in Storybook Village where four friends; the super readers-Red (of Little Red Riding Hood), Littlest Pig (The Three Little Pigs), Princess Pea (The Princess And The Pea), and Whyatt Beanstalk (Jack's little known younger brother) must change into their superhero persona's whenever a problem arises to save the day.



Their superhero persona's each have a different ability or skill that will help to save the day! There is Wonder Red with Word Power, Alpha Pig with Alphabet Power, Princess Presto with Spelling Power, Super Why with the Power to Read, and Super YOU with the power to help! The Super readers once donned in their super hero attire can then literally jump into any story or book to find the answers to everyday preschool problems and situations.



Each episode starts out with one of our beloved super readers encountering a problem that involves one of the other characters from Storybook Village, ie. Jill from Jack and Jill is not being nice. The problems will require everyday preschool skills and social skills to resolve. Whyatt will then call all his super reader friends to the secret clubhouse "The Book Club" where they will meet together and then change into their superhero outfits. They then fly into the books to learn how and why other characters have acted similarly, ie. Why is the big bad wolf so mean?, and how to solve the problem. Be prepared to hear the superhero cry of "Super Why and the Super Readers to the rescue," each and every time they transform!



Inside each book they will meet other characters from the story, play reading games and activities to overcome any obstacles in their way, and search for key letters. They will learn and practice reading skills such as, letter identification, spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension. Super Why even has the ability to change the end of the story and save the day, ie. he can change the big bad wolf into a small good wolf.



As soon as the problem is resolved and they have gathered all the key letters they then fly back to the book club to decode the letters and to figure out how to solve their own problem, ie. the big bad wolf was acting so bad because he was sad. He has no friends. The episode then ends with the characters using what they have learned to show your kids how to solve their own problems. Yay! The Super Readers and Super You have saved the day!



I like the way that it teaches reading skills and a love of books to my girls. But it does so much more than just teach reading skills, it teaches social skills, how to interact with others and how to resolve your problems in a polite way, seeing other people's side of the story, and just basically doing your best!



I totally recommend Super Why! and hope that it becomes a family favorite for you too!