Bob is getting antsy to leave Sunflower Valley and Bobland Bay behind. (Why, I don't know, when you've got an entire resort town named after you - a town you built yourself, mind you - it would seem you're doing something right.) Yet, here we are, finding Bob on at least his third sojourn into the 'real world,' where he helps kids understand how his fleshy counterparts create things. While a neat concept that kids will enjoy, this particular 60-minute On Site DVD has a more soporific effect than I'd like to see. What I'd really like to see is Bob instructing construction workers to not whistle at the pretty ladies.

Bob and the can-do crew intersperse clips from their show with lots of on site footage to demonstrate how skyscrapers are built, and in a bonus episode, parking structures. Each half-hour episode breaks down the super-basics of how these steel and concrete structure rise, with a little help from a cute truck and other construction vehicles that are animated differently from Bob's regular program, in a 2-D fashion, using what look like paper cutouts. It's a fresh counterpoint that my daughter really enjoys. In addition, preschoolers are shown working together on basic construction concepts; in this case stacking blocks for a high-rise, making a teddy bear elevator, creating parking spaces and finding appropriate material for a car ramp.

Ultimately Roley the steamroller ties everything together, singing a funky song that revisits varying steps in each type of construction. This varied blend of ways to present information, accompanied with the sum-up, results in an engaging experience for preschoolers. Lord knows we don't need four-year-olds trying to build skyscrapers, but as an amusing way to introduce kids to focused learning, guided by a character they love, Bob the Builder's On Site series of DVDs are a valuable tool when used sparingly.

With all screen programming for the very young, adults should watch with their kids, talking with them and generally forcing watching Bob from being a passive to an active experience. It's where On Site Skyscrapers becomes a bit of a slog. For obvious reasons truly interesting minutiae are left out of the mix, while hair-raising footage of dudes walking the high steel is absent. I was hoping for excitement, but bored by blandness. By the time Bob gets to roll through a parking structure, my motor has gone from idle to off, and the kid has to hit me with a building block to wake me up. Is it petty to complain that kids' programming is boring for adults? Not in the slightest, which is why Bob the Builder's On Site series will always be lower on my list than I'd wish. But for your construction-obsessed preschooler (and what preschoolers aren't construction-obsessed?) the On Site series is good fun with a mission.

The DVD

Video:
Bob The Builder comes at us in a fullscreen 1.33:1 ratio with a clear, sharp picture and bright colors - if only the presentation could liven up numerous scenes of wet cement a little bit more.

Sound:
Bob's Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Audio track is plenty for your child, and there are absolutely no audio problems to speak of. A well-balanced mix between music, dialog and narration means no tender ears will be offended.

Extras:
In addition to Closed Captioning and English, Spanish and French Subtitles, you get the usually convenient Auto Play function. (In our case it worked on its own - pop the disc in and let it do all the work - but if we tried to bypass it and go straight to the menu, problems ensued. Like, it just took us back to the beginning of the disc each time.) So, there's the Skyscrapers episode, and the Parking Structures Episode - which is essentially an unbilled extra - and also a Trivia Tune Up game, a Build It With Bob Puzzle and a ten-minute bonus episode; Roary The Racing Car: "Big Chris Learns To Fly". Roary is cute, but the trivia and puzzle don't seem like the greatest uses of my kid's time - although being adept with a remote and interfacing with a screen are ubiquitous skills these days, so there you have it.

Final Thoughts:
Bob The Builder: On Site - Skyscrapers is not a collection of Bob The Builder episodes, rather footage of Bob and crew illustrating various aspects of skyscraper and parking structure building, intermixed with footage of construction and kids engaged in learning-play - all narrated by the ever-charming title dude. It's simple, reinforces concepts through gentle repetition as a way to get kids ready for some school learnin', and will enthrall Bob The Builder fans. The subjects aren't as engaging for adults, which is a shame, since you moms and dads better be watching too! Nonetheless, how can this be any less than Recommended?

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