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The Library DVD Shelf

Down Under the Sea
Smithsonian Networks
Infinity Entertainment Group
c/o Greenleaf & Associates (publicity)
$19.98 smithsonianchannel.com

Down Under the Sea is a two-DVD documentary collection revealing
mysteries and wonders of the deep. "The Big Blue" focuses on the
planet's largest living creature, the majestic Blue Whale, with a
bonus "Footprints on Water: The Nan Hauser Story" episode about the
efforts of a tireless American conservationist. "Secrets of the Great
Barrier Reef" reveals Australia's 1,200 mile-long treasure and the
unique marine life that inhabit it. Colorful, wondrous, inspirational,
and yet also a sadly cautionary tale about the depredations humanity
continues to inflict upon the natural environment, Down Under the Sea
is a top-notch pick and highly recommended as a gift for nature lovers
as well as for public library collections. 2 DVDs, 140 minutes.

Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures
PBS Home Video
c/o SSA Public Relations
15260 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1730, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
9781608833078 $49.99 www.shopPBS.org

Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures collects a medley of
documentaries featuring Peabody and Emmy Award-winning host Jean-
Michel Cousteau and his top-notch diving team. Ocean Adventures is not
only about the mysteries and wonders of the deep, but also about the
need to better understand the ocean as well as practice sustainable
management of its wealth and offerings. The documentaries presented
are "Sharks at Risk & Gray Whale Obstacle Course", "Sea Ghosts & Call
of the Killer Whale", "Return to the Amazon", "Voyage to Kure Parts 1
& 2" (referring to the outermost islands of the Northwest Hawaiian
Island Archipelago), and "America's Underwater Treasures Parts 1 and
2". Highly recommended, especially as a gift for nature lovers and for
public library collections. 5 DVDs, 11 hours, closed-captioned,
widescreen.

The Decade of Destruction: The Indians
Adrian Cowell, producer
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
$59.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

The Decade of Destruction: The Indians (Classroom Version) is part of
an educational DVD documentary series chronicling how the Amazonian
rainforest has been under siege from 1980 to 1990. "The Indians"
specifically focuses upon the hardships endured by the many forest
Indian tribes, who have suffered immensely from colonists, loggers,
and the many unfamiliar diseases brought by both. Despite the
Brazilian Government's Indian Agency's efforts to protect native
peoples from devastation, many tribes have succumbed to or are
threatened by extinction. A sobering true story of human rapacity, The
Decade of Destruction: The Indians is highly recommended for classroom
viewing, along with the rest of The Decade of Destruction series: "The
Rainforest", "The Colonists", "The Development Road", "The Rubber
Tappers" and "The Politicians." 16 minutes.

The Storytelling Class
A film by John Paskievich and John Whiteway
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
1594589631 $295.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

The Storytelling Class is a DVD documentary following Gordon Bell High
School, located in Winnipeg. Gorden Bell is quite culturally diverse,
teaching students from around the world as well as native Canadians -
many of the student body are from locations plagued by war and other
ravages. The students' reading of the memoir "A Long Way Gone" by
Ishmael Beah, an accounting of his nightmarish days as a child
soldier, prompts the creation of a voluntary, after-school
storytelling project through which immigrant students can share their
stories with their fellow Canadian students. The climax of the
documentary involves Ishmael Beah and professional storyteller Laura
Simms traveling all the way from New York, in this heartwarming
documentary of finding commonality and learning to listen to one
another. 47 and 59 minute versions on one DVD, English SDH captions or
Spanish subtitles available.

Smith Show Entertainment
$24.99 each amazon.com

The "Careers for Teens" series of educational DVDs ideal for
introducing young adults to different prospective employment fields.
Each brief yet enlightening short film gives an up-close and personal
look at the hands-on work men and women do each day in their chosen
field. "Surgeon" includes a glimpse of real-life surgeons at work in
the operating room before orthopedic and cardiac surgeries, as well as
the challenges of balancing work and home life. "Researcher" tells of
biomedical researchers who dedicate their time and effort to learning
more about what makes living beings tick, and offers suggestions for
pursuing scientific research as a career. "Scientist for Disabled
Teens" follows three scientists who pursued their respective dreams of
clinical psychology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry despite personal
disabilities. "Pathologist" follows a teenage girl who becomes
involved in the study of pathology when she learns her sister has
cervical cancer. The "Careers for Teens" series are inspirational and
involving viewing, highly recommended for high school and public
library collections. 25 minutes each.

Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen, season three
hosted by Christopher Kimball, et. al.
America's Test Kitchen
c/o SSA Public Relations (publicity)
15260 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1730, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
9781608832705 $29.99 www.ssapr.com

The third season of Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen
collects all thirteen episodes of the popular cooking show, as seen on
public television. Filmed in a beautifully renovated nineteenth-
century farmhouse, Cook's Country features classic, family-friendly
recipes adjusted for the needs of the modern-day cook. In addition to
the easy-to-follow, how-to instructions for preparing delectable
dishes (with printable versions of all 29 recipes included), Cook's
Country offers tips on selected the best cookware and kitchen tools,
as well as tricks and techniques for savvy shopping at the
supermarket. Cook's Country is a delight for cooks of all skill and
experience levels, and an excellent gift for anyone responsible for
making meals to remember! The episodes are "Two Perfect Pies", "Family
Supper", "Old Fashioned Park", "Southern Comfort Food", "Beef Meets
Grill", "Everybody Loves Chocolate", "Hearty Italian Meals", "Northern
Cookout", "Southwestern Suppers", "Breakfast Show Stoppers", "Chicken
Two Ways" and "Ultimate Ham Dinner". 2 DVDs.

Core Fusion Bootcamp with Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650, Silver Spring, MD 20910
9781598284522 $16.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Core Fusion Bootcamp with Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito is a
cardio and strength training fitness DVD, featuring five ten-minute
workouts that can be mixed, matched, and combined as desired.
Featuring fast-paced exercise sequences from the Exhale mind/body
spa's nationally renowned Core Fusion classes, Core Fusion Bootcamp is
best used with a little inexpensive equipment (light hand weights, a
mat, and a playground ball are recommended). Core Fusion co-creators
Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito host this excellent fat-burning,
heart-strengthening workout, ideal for home DVD fitness libraries. 60
minutes, widescreen. Also highly recommended for the health-conscious
is "Shiva Rea Power Flow Yoga" (9781598285062, $24.99 185 min.), which
is packed with thirteen of the best segments from Shiva Rea's previous
Yoga DVDs, allowing viewers to tailor the length and focus of a
flexibility-building yoga workout to their personal needs.

Dance with Julianne: Just Dance!
Julianne Hough
Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200, Troy, MI 48084-3304
$14.98 www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Choreographer and two-time "Dancing with the Stars" champion Julianne
Hough presents Dance with Julianne: Just Dance!, a fitness DVD
featuring three energetic routines great for burning fat, toning
muscles, and feeling good. Dance with Julianne is designed to work the
whole body to vigorous and catchy music; it's a great way to have fun
while staying active and healthy. In a special bonus feature, Julianne
offers a one-on-one personal dance lesson, demonstrating key dance
steps at a slower pace and offering helpful tips to improve one's
technique and personal style. A "Behind the Scenes" featurette rounds
out this enriching addition to exercise and fitness DVD libraries. 46
minutes plus 7 minutes dance lesson.

Building the Great Cathedrals
PBS
c/o SSA Public Relations
15260 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1730, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
9781608833030 $24.99 www.ssapr.com

Building the Great Cathedrals ($24.99, 56 min.) is an episode of the
award-winning public television series NOVA on DVD, exploring the
extraordinary medieval architectural achievements that were the grand
Gothic cathedrals. Some of these institutions took the effort of
entire towns, and as long as hundred years to build; many are on the
verge of collapse today. Modern engineers, architects, art historians,
and computer scientists study the great cathedrals today - both to
learn more about how such incredible temples were created, and to
devise ways to save them from ruin. An amazing study of the genius of
medieval builders and the beautiful fruits of their labors, Building
the Great Cathedrals is a choice pick for public library DVD
collections. Also highly recommended is NOVA episode "Crash of Flight
447" ($24.99, 56 min.), which explores the mysterious 2009 tragedy of
Flight AF447, which was lost over the Atlantic Ocean despite its many
elaborate safety and navigation features, as well as a pristine safety
record.

The Nature of Existence
Roger Nygard, filmmaker
Walking Shadows
www.walking-shadows.com www.TheNatureOfExistence.com
c/o Greenleaf & Associates (publicity)
$24.95 DVD / $29.95 DVD 2-disc collector's set / $29.95 Blu-ray

"Trekkies" filmmaker Roger Nygard presents The Nature of Existence, an
extraordinary documentary about The Big Questions - why are we here?
Who or what created the Universe? Does God exist? What are morality,
and spirituality? The Nature of Existence explores all these mysteries
from a multitude of scientific and spiritual perspectives - the people
giving testimonies range from physicist Dr. Steve Biller, to Rabbi
Boruch Kaplan, to notable author and atheist Richard Dawkins, and many
more. The result is a film festival award-winning voyage of ultimate
discovery, highly recommended for anyone who has ever wondered: Why?
204 minutes (2-disc collector's set), English subtitles, widescreen.

The Seekers Guide to Harry Potter
Dr. Geo Athena Trevarthen
Reality Films
21321 Oakwood Lane, Foresthill, CA 95631
$19.95 www.reality-entertainment.com

Dr. Geo Athena Trevarthen has extensively and independently researched
the lore of the popular Harry Potter fantasy series; now she shares
her findings in The Seekers Guide to Harry Potter: The Secrets and
Symbols Behind Harry Potter's World, a DVD exploring the hidden
secrets of J.K. Rowling's captivating fantasy world. The Seekers Guide
to Harry Potter is a completely unauthorized account (not licensed,
endorsed, or affiliated with J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros.) that delves
into the mythos of the magic in Harry Potter's world, and its shamanic
history. A wonderfully enriching supplement to the widely beloved
books and movies, highly recommended to devoted Harry Potter fans.

The Legend of Tillamook's Gold
Questar
307 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60601
9781594643736 $14.99 www.questarentertainment.com

The Legend of Tillamook's Gold is an amazing, family-friendly
adventure following a Julie (played by Suzanne Marie Doyon), an
ordinary 14-year-old girl who stumbles across an ancient coin on the
beach connected to a Native American legend about a lost treasure.
With the aid of her grandfather (played by Emmy nominee Max Gail) and
his friend Standing Elk (played by Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman), she
sets out on her quest to discover Tillamook's forgotten gold. An
unforgettable journey ensues, in this enthralling saga highly
recommended for family and public library collections alike. 107
minutes.

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