It's A Big Big World: Be Happy and Healthy collects five episodes from across the show's run that convey themes of health and taking care of yourself or others. Like a lot of It's A Big Big World, we don't get any undiluted lectures but more stories about the animals that are very subtle means for communicating the important messages to kids. Parents will appreciate episodes like Sappy Monkey that stress good eating habits by showing what happens to Winslow after eating too much. Eating too much usually isn't the issue with young kids; I'm constantly amazed at how my four year-old manages to stay alive on nothing but cheese pizza and drinkable yogurts... Other episodes like Wartz's Workout and A Good Heartbeat are unabashed commercials for exercise. Ironic that a show on television is stressing to kids the importance of not being TV-watching couch potatoes... The remaining episodes, Balance and Roots Rock have more to do with understanding your place in the world and your responsibility for the environment than just personal health. Everything is handled with good humor and a focus on the animals that kids will appreciate.

The decision to produce themed DVDs with compilations of shows that play to similar concepts is fine, but it doesn't account for new viewers. The songs and stories are easy to get into but there isn't always real continuity between each show for the characters. At some points, you will see characters and have no idea what they are or why they are around. The segments after each show that teach some neat facts about one of the animals portrayed in the show are helpful, but taking the stories out of context is still a little strange. Each episode is mostly stand-alone so it's not like you'll be lost or like your kid will be lost watching anything contained in It's A Big Big World: Be Happy and Healthy. The questions you may have relate to what kind of animals appear in the show. It would be nice on the DVD to at least include a section for character bios to help those of us that haven't dialed into the show previously on television. The option to watch just the songs and the explanation about specific animals helps, but doesn't take the place of a good introduction.

The animation and puppetry is really well done, with the animation and filming done well enough to create a nice sense of wonder. The camera tends to move fluidly but naturally around the characters, making things feel more natural and organic. Snook, the main character represented by a large sloth, often sticks his nose directly into the camera or looks out through the television and talks to the viewer. This device is nothing new, but it always helps to engage kids and get them involved. Especially in the case of this series of episodes, your kid will have a chance to do some fun exercises and play along during the mission to get in shape or stay healthy. Compared to the vacuous nature of many kids' shows, It's A Big Big World: Be Happy and Healthy is awesome in how is balances education and entertainment. Some kids will already have moved past a show like this and crave straight action. If you're trying to avoid moving your child right into older-kid fare, but are tired of Dora and other shows very focused on the youngest viewers, It's A Big Big World: Be Happy and Healthy will be a nice bridge. The learning opportunities are many in the sense that kids learn about the animals and their habitat and then learn from the animals during the show. The voice-acting is natural and well done, and the songs are well produced. Parents won't want to stick around for repeated viewings, but they will be happy their child is getting an injection of learning and values along with all the flashy animation, dancing, and singing.