| Once upon a time kids learned many of their school lessons in the three-minute episodes of Schoolhouse Rock. These educational cartoons came on during the commercial breaks of the less-than-edifying Saturday morning fare in the 1970s, and despite their healthy content, kids stayed glued to the screen to sing along to the somewhat psychedelic cartoons. Countless children hummed their way through social studies. The Preamble to the Constitution is much easier to remember when it's set to music. And everyone who saw the cartoon remembers how a bill becomes a law ("Oh, I'm just a bill, a lonely old bill, sitting here on Capitol Hill"). These and eight other shorts make up America Rock, a 30-minute program that will stir patriotism and teach kids a bit of history. Whether you're an adult who remembers fondly his Schoolhouse Rock days or a parent trying to help a child with school, this selection will have you singing that "knowledge is power." A bonus cartoon of "My Hero Zero," performed by the Lemonheads, is included at the end. --Jenny Brown |
