Review: Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy DVD

Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy
DVD Release Date: April 13, 2010
Run Time: 21 Minutes
Studio: Imagination Publishing Group
Interpreter: Carol Downing, Associate Director of Blossom Montessori School for the deaf

The DVD is an extension of the book Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy by Tina Turbin. It represents "literacy and the importance of good quality education for the deaf." It is a very simple production with the computer-enhanced pages of the book being turned on the screen as the story is read by the author. The main function of the DVD is the "sign interpretation" for the deaf, enacted by Carol Downing, who stands next to the image of the book pages. My two-year-old daughter was completely fascinated by what Carol Downing was doing, even if she did not really understand the purpose of it. I appreciated this aspect of the DVD as I have long had a fascination for American Sign Language,  teaching it to myself out of a ASL dictionary for use in church when I was younger, and now using it a little to aid communication with my children as they learn to speak.
For parents, the most interesting feature of the DVD is the scrolling text at the beginning of the video, read aloud by Tina Turbin, that provides some interesting information about the deaf community in general and specifically, the Blossom Montessori School that the interpreter represents. Here is some of the information that the DVD provides:

->> 93% of all deaf children are born to normal hearing families.

->> Only 10% of those families learn to effectively communicate with their own child or children.

->> About 85% of deaf High School graduates only read at a 3rd to 4th grade level.

The Blossom Montessori school is "unique in that some of their students are deaf, some are hard of hearing and some hear like you and me, yet have deaf parents and deaf siblings." The website gives more details about the school, and something I found especially interesting on the school's website is the list of myths regarding deafness. 

For more information about the author, Tina Turbin, or the book and DVD visit: www.DannyTheDragon.com/, http://TinaTurbin.com/, or http://www.GlutenFreeHelp.info/.

In accordance with my previous review of the boo, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, I was also given some Danny the Dragon swag: two bookmarks, two large-ish stickers, and two door hangers with the phrase "QUIET PLEASE I AM READING." I will give these away to two readers using random.org. Just be a follower or subscriber to my blog and post a comment of your email to the DVD review or book review and I will enter you into the drawing.

I have had no entries so far, so please enter!

Watch this blog for a future interview of the author, Tina Turbin!






*I received this DVD free of charge from the publisher for review purposes.*