It's A Big Big World is a quiet show that has a lot of good things to teach children that haven't swung completely toward the frantic, Saturday morning spectrum of kids' entertainment. In this installment of five episodes on disc, we have a focus on what makes each animal in the World Tree unique. For those who don't have previous experience with the show, it all takes place on a giant tree. The setting is nice, with green, jungle panoramas everywhere. The animals are represented through puppetry and the entire cast of characters is quite small. Each episode will usually include all the characters in brief segments, but revolve primarily around one or two.

The five episodes include World Tree Cuisine, One Monkey Too Many, Ick Alone, Ant Ray Vision, and The Big Race. You can easily view the synopsis of each episode, but the more important question is what your kids are likely to take away from the show. You might expect with a title like It's A Big Big World: Everybody's Different that the show will cover heady topics like racial intolerance or gender equality, but you'd be wrong. The focus is more on helping kids recognize that each of the animals has a very unique and valid existence. There are moments where we get to a subtext or deeper message as in Ick Alone where Ick is set on convincing everyone that Burdette is somehow bad and should leave because she's different than everyone else. Other episodes like The Big Race and One Monkey Too Many highlight each animal's particular strength or weakness and the fact that everyone can coexist peacefully by accepting themselves and celebrating or accommodating differences in others. The concepts of empathy, understanding, tolerance, and acceptance are woven into this series of shows.

It's A Big Big World: Everybody's Different never slaps you in the face with its message, and kids are as likely to take away the unique animal facts shared at the end of each episode or appreciate the songs as they are to suddenly become wise to the ways of the world. The subtlety of It's A Big Big World is both a strength and weakness. Little Ones that have already gravitated toward more action-packed fare won't be likely to sit through this more peaceful experience, short as it is. It's A Big Big World gets a lot done in a short time and manages to pack in good songs for each episode. The songs are actually a big focus of the show and this comes across in the DVD by way of a feature that lets you view the short animal-fact sequences along with the songs or replay specific songs as you like. Parents looking for a fun show that has something to teach kids and that doesn't involve any shooting will enjoy It's A Big Big World: Everybody's Different. It's a nice step-up from the early shows like Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer, that still retains a very bright, friendly style, simple themes, and nice music.