arh-51749 I know that everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I just have to say something. I loved Between the Lions when I was little, even though I can barely remember it. My favorite episodes were "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain" and "Rumpelstiltskin" (aka "The Miller's Daughter"). And that Cliffhanger song is catchy. And besides teaching children how to read, it also teaches about literature. It has Greek myths, fairy tales, folk tales, children's books, and even a true story. And literacy is important. Also, Sesame Street, Sagwa, and the Bearstein Bears are good shows. And you do realize South Park is a cartoon, right?*I don't know if there are any spoilers, but this being my first review, I just want to be safe.

EpeeBill This show is the about the best 30 minute reading lesson you can give your kids short of having a reading teacher give them a one-on-one lesson. It presents a sound or word in multiple ways to get children thinking about how our reading works.It also uses contemporary children's books so if one show really works with your kids, you can take them to the library and see the same book they saw on the show. (Although they won't see talking lions)The show focuses on teaching reading, not math or manners or anything else, which is where it differs from Sesame Street. It also doesn't try to make jokes for the parents who might be watching the show with their kids. So, if you're not a small child or the parent of one, you probably won't see much point in the show. There is a quite negative review of this show on this site and it's probably from someone for whom this show was not intended. Some kid's shows really are just for kids.

ms-hope I just can not begin to understand the negative comments about this show. There is nothing negative about it. My 18 month old son and I watch it every morning and we both love it. It teaches the pronunciation of words, the long & short sounds of vowels, etc. I think this show is wonderful and it will remain a part of my son's daily activities. (I even find myself watching it when he's asleep)

david-345 Between the Lions is one of those shows where it appears that you are not allowed to have an opinion about it or it's content. The series has gotten almost universal acclaim and anyone attempting to voice a differing opinion gets shouted down as someone who is against literacy. I'm not against literacy, far from it, but I am against bad television and Between the Lions is about as bad as it gets. Have the critics who praise this series actually taken the time to watch it? How on Earth can this thing teach children how to read? It might have a noble goal, but that goal is buried under tons of obnoxious characters and bad skits that really, really grate on one's nerves almost from the get go. And people wanted to drive Barney the Dinosaur off the air and leave this thing on?PBS would be better suited to keep repeating Reading Rainbow ad nauseum as it is far superior to Between the Lions, for that matter why don't they repeat the Electric Company, a show that was both educational and very funny? These lions should be put on the endangered species list.