DVD Review: What's in the Bible

Dad:  This is a bit of a departure for us...
Gracie (age 9):  What is a "departure"?
Dad:  It means this is different from what we normally do.  We usually review children's books on Bookie Woogie.  But today we are making an exception in order to highlight a great new DVD series.
Isaac (age 11):  We should start another blog called DVDeegie Woogie that just does DVD reviews.  Although, we do not have time to do two blogs...
Dad:  But these DVDs do sort'a fit here.  Because they are for children.  And they're about a book.
Gracie: (singing)  The B - I - B - L - E...
Lily (age 7):  The DVDs are called "What's in the Bible - with Buck Denver."
Gracie:  Buck Denver - man of news!
Isaac:  It is made by Phil Vischer.
Gracie:  He's awesome.
Dad:  How much do we love Phil Vischer?
Lily:  Lots!
Gracie:  He's stinkin' awesome!
Lily:  Phil Vischer is a puppet... guy.  I mean, he likes to do puppets.
Dad:  Puppeteer.
Isaac:  He's also the guy who made VeggieTales.
Dad:  And how much do we love VeggieTales?
Gracie:  VeggieTales is also stinkin' awesome!
Dad:  Tell us what VeggieTales is...
Isaac:  I think everyone in the whole world knows about VeggieTales.
Dad:  Well just in case, why don't you tell us about it.
Gracie:  VeggieTales is a show about a bunch of vegetables and fruits that can talk and dance and sing and tell you stories from the Bible.
Lily:  And Phil Vischer also made JellyTelly.
Gracie:  JellyTelly is stinkin' awesome!  Everything he does is stinkin' awesome.
Isaac:  It's hilarious.
Dad:  Do you think there are people who haven't heard about JellyTelly?
Isaac:  Yes.  I think it would be new for pretty much everybody.
Dad:  Although, we've been watching it from day one -- from the very first day it launched in November 0f '08.
Gracie:  JellyTelly.com is an online show about the Bible.
Dad:  And each day there is a new episode.
Isaac:  There are stories and songs.
Lily:  And they are funny!
Dad:  Are there any talking vegetables on JellyTelly?
Lily:  No.  There are people puppets!
Isaac:  With extremely skinny arms.
Gracie:  Like Buck Denver -- man of news!
Dad:  And these new "What's in the Bible" DVDs feature characters from JellyTelly.  Did you know it's always been my fantasy to do Bookie Woogie with puppets someday?
Isaac:  It is?
Dad:  Instead of recording and typing reviews, we could build our own puppets and film them talking about books...
Isaac:  We've got to do that!
Dad:  Maybe we'll surprise our readers with puppets in some future installment.  But for now, tell me about some of the puppet characters on "What's in the Bible"...
Lily:  My favorites are Clive and Ian.
Gracie:  Ian!  He is absolutely hilarious.  He's the little short one with the round head.
Lily:  They are funny.
Gracie:  They are the funniest guys on there!  Ian should have his own show called "The Funniest Things Ever."  Think about it, Mr. Vischer.
Lily:  I want to tell you about the Scat man.  Brother Louie.  He tells things through body language while he goes "Wassa Bah Doosie Pah! Vabadoo Voo Dadada!"
Dad:  Lovely scat, Lily.
Gracie:  Every time the Pastor Paul puppet comes on, our little brother Elijah says, "Look! A Jonas Brother!"  But he doesn't look anything like a Jonas Brother!
Elijah (age 4):  Yes he does!  He has black hair.
Isaac:  Rhett and Link are on here too!
Gracie:  They play the amazing Bentley Brothers.
Dad:  And how much do we like Rhett and Link?
Gracie:  They're stinkin' awesome!  (singing) "Genesis begins it alllll...."
Isaac:  I also like the Popsicle Stick Theater.  They draw these little pictures and stick them on popsicle sticks and do little shows.
Dad:  So it's like puppets performing puppets.  Which is weird...
Gracie:  No it's not.  It's stinkin' awesome!
Dad:  So Gracie, if you had to describe these DVDs in two words, would you say that they are "awesome" and that they "stink"?  Is that what you are telling me?
Gracie:  NO.
Lily:  They are not really stinky.
Gracie:  "Stinkin' awesome" means better than awesome.  It's like, Double-Awesome.
Dad:  So, besides puppets, what else is on these DVDs?
Lily:  Songs.
Isaac: (singing)  "Hallelujah, look what God can do..."
Gracie: (singing)  "The Bible is a book, it's a bunch of books, sort of like a whole library..."
Dad:  Pause.  Pause.  I need to hit your "pause" buttons.  Okay, since you are quoting me whole episodes after just watching them once, I assume the songs are catchy?
Isaac:  We like them so much, we can memorize them easily.
Gracie:  And they are funny!
Isaac:  You can usually remember stuff that's funny.
Gracie: (singing)  "The Bible is a book with about a billion pages, don't read it all at once, you're better off in stages..."
Dad:  Do you only remember funny stuff, or do you remember any facts as well?
Gracie:  Over 40 people wrote the Bible over 1600 years.
Dad:  And why are these books all bound together in one cover?
Gracie:  The canon.
Dad:  And what's the "canon"?  There were lots of other writings floating around in the first century...
Isaac:  And there were people who decided which books they wanted in the Bible, and which ones were just interesting.
Dad:  Yep - interesting vs. inspired.  And what does the word "inspired" mean?
Gracie:  Jesus talking through the guys' heads, and the guys choosing the words?
Dad:  Uhhhh... that sounds very close to... making sense...
Gracie:  "Inspired" means God giving the writers of the Bible the ideas, and then they chose the actual words to put down.  God's ideas, and people's words.
Lily:  The shows teach you about words that you never, never knew.
Dad:  So did you learn anything new, Lily?
Lily:  I learned that the cover of the Bible is made out of cow.
Dad:  Leather?
Gracie:  Ha hah ha!
Dad:  Did anyone learn anything else?
Gracie:  I learned that in the back of the Bible there's a book that talks about the end of the world.
Dad:  The book of Revelation.  You didn't know that?
Gracie:  No, I didn't.
Dad:  So are you going to skip to the back of the Bible and read it yourself?
Gracie:  I'm going to wait for the DVD.

Sunday School Lady in a canoe & Buck Denver man of news, by Lily

Clive & Ian (and a pony), by Gracie

Rhett & Link as the Fabulous Bentley Brothers, by Isaac

Creator: Phil Vischer
Published, March 2010: Tyndale
Like it? Find it

Here are a few more links for good measure:

What's in the Bible
VeggieTales
JellyTelly
Clive and Ian
Rhett & Link
The Bentley Brothers

And here's a fun preview:




Time for a Giveaway!  Tyndale provided us with our preview sample, and they've also sent us certificates to pass out here on Bookie Woogie.  The certificates entitle one lucky winner to redeem free copies of the first two episodes: "In the Beginning" and "Let My People Go."  To enter the drawing, simply leave a comment below.  A week from today, on March 15, we'll randomly select one person to receive the free DVDs!  Good luck!  Spread the word!