What's Gonna Work? Teamwork!

I love the WonderPets. (My daughter's summary: "A piggie, a turtle, and a duck... go in a boat... and get lots of animals!" That's about as accurate a description as I could come up with.)

The first time I saw the series, the cutesy voices made me squeamish. The voices are done by little kids who lisp and say things like "We'we a gweat team!" But I've gotten past that and learned to appreciate the finer aspects of the show. Here's what I like about it:

1. The pacing. Each episode opens with a crisis - an animal's in trouble! - and the WonderPets have to go to the rescue. There should be an underlying sense of fear and urgency, what with the need to build the flyboat anew (from the pieces scattered around the classroom in unpredictable places), get to an unknown destination, and solve some puzzle to save an animal that's in danger. Each of those tasks seems difficult. But the WonderPets don't hurry, and they don't worry. They take their time discussing the situation ("A baby seal... stuck on a rock... this is sewious... we have to help her..."). Then they mess around in the costume chest looking for their capes, and slowly put the boat together. They don't worry about how to get there because the boat just finds its way magically right to the animal. They don't feel trepidation about solving the puzzle because they just know that they'll find the tools they need. They trust each other completely and know that they'll win. I wish I could approach unknown tasks with the same calm faith in my own success.

2. The solutions. The tools to solve each puzzle are always right there, often in the early experience of assembling the flyboat (if they have to use a flashlight to retrieve a piece from the closet, then it's a sure thing they'll need a flashlight later to rescue the animal). Other times there's a pile of bricks or a rowboat right next to the homeless animal or the river. There is always one right way to do it, and they always find it.

3. The simplicity of their enjoyment. They take time out from their rescue missions to giggle and try on other costumes, slide around on the ice, or dance their way through the forest. They don't fight or whine that they're tired, like real preschoolers, or argue about the best way to go, or complain that they're bored. They just seem to find pleasure in everything that happens.

4. The clues. The decorations in the classroom are always relevant to the later adventure - if they're going to be rescuing a frog, there will be pictures of frogs, a diorama of a pond, and stuffed frogs displayed around the room. It's fun to notice these things and predict the storyline.

5. Old-fashioned charm. The classroom is a one-room schoolhouse of the most comforting, archetypal kind - cupola with bell, flag, peaked roof, maple trees planted all around. Very New England. Each episode opens with the children's voices saying goodbye to the pets, cheerful and friendly. Compared to the way my daughter is often crying and fighting as I try to transition her from one activity to another, the simple good naturedness of the children as they leave seems idyllic.

6. The supportiveness. The WonderPets really seem to like each other. They're always saying appreciative things - "Great job Tuck! You're really good at swimming!" "And you really helped when you found the wheel!" They don't take opportunities to cut each other down like real people do when they're working on a team project. They are just constantly pumping up each other's self-esteem. I wish people were like that.