With children's television, there are good programs, terrible ones, and plenty of mediocre ones in between (just as with adult programs, in fact). The increasing number of children's shows on DVD is a great boon for parents, who can pick the best for their kids to watch sans commercials, and completely ignore the rest, which is a lot harder to do when kids are relying on watching whatever happens to be playing on broadcast TV. The preschool-oriented animated show Max and Ruby is one of the "good guys" and parents will be pleased with this release, Max and Ruby's Christmas.

Max and Ruby are (anthropomorphized) bunny siblings: Max is only three, but he's very independent-minded, and Ruby is his seven-year-old big sister. Each episode of the show features three mini-episodes focusing on some event or activity in their lives. For instance, the opening mini-episode "Max's Christmas" has Ruby explaining the tradition of hanging up stockings and leaving out snacks for Santa on Christmas Eve, while Max wants to sneak out of bed to catch Santa in the act. The names of the mini-episodes gives a good idea of the topics: Episode 1 has "Max's Christmas," "Ruby's Snow Queen," and "Max's Rocket Run," Episode 2 has "Ruby's Figure Eight," "Ruby's Surprise Party," and "Ruby's Tent," the first bonus episode has "Ruby's Tea Party," "Max Is It," and "Ruby's Science Project," and the second bonus episode has "Ruby Writes a Story," "Max's Dominoes," and "Grandma's Attic."

The episode structure, with the three completely independent, stand-alone mini-episodes in each one, is very well suited for the very young viewers for whom this series is intended. The plots are simple enough for little kids to understand and enjoy, and the very short length (three separate stories in a 25-minute episode) means that each story can focus tightly on some small aspect of Max and Ruby's daily lives.

The show models a number of excellent behaviors for its young viewers. One thing I was impressed with was the way the writers use the two characters to expose viewers to language: Max, as the younger, speaks very simply, and the young viewers can easily identify with him and understand him, while Ruby, the older sister, uses more complex sentences and vocabulary, but most importantly never "talks down" to Max. The episodes also abound with examples of imaginative play, like Ruby setting up a complete tea party for her dolls, and cooperation between the two siblings: even though they are sometimes at odds with each other, they always sort things out amicably and enjoy spending time together, which is a great lesson for viewers.

Another pleasing aspect of the show is its simple but attractive visual style, which uses bright colors and distinctively drawn but simple animated characters and backgrounds. It's eye-catching but not too "busy."

The DVD

As noted in the main body of the review, this DVD contains four episodes of Max and Ruby. Though two are described as "bonus episodes," all four (running a total of 102 minutes altogether) are accessible from the main menu, and a "play all" feature plays all four. Conveniently, the chapter stops allow viewers to skip to the beginning of each of the mini-episodes.

Video

Max and Ruby's Christmas is presented in the show's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The colorful animated scenes appear bright, vibrant, and attractive, with no flaws or noise in the image.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack provides a pleasant listening experience. The dialogue is always crisp and clear, and the cheerful theme music sounds good, while remaining in the background where it belongs.

Extras

There's not much by way of bonus content here. A mini-game called "Christmas Morning Match-up" asks viewers to match up the presents to the right bunny; it's non-interactive (the "next" key just shows the solution) so it's something that's best done with parents to ask the right questions. Other than that, we just get a preview of the Nick Jr. Baby Video and a general set of previews for other Nick Jr. programs.

Final thoughts

Max and Ruby: Max and Ruby's Christmas is a cute and well-done animated program for preschoolers, with attractive visuals, age-appropriate stories, and a positive message for kids. With a total of four episodes (only one of which is really Christmas-related) this is a good DVD to pick up to watch all year round. Recommended.