If You Don’t Take Care of Your Body, Where Else Are You Going to Live?

Marilyn Hersh, Hillside Elementary School, Farmington Hills, MI -- School Library Journal, 7/22/2008

If You Don’t Take Care of Your Body, Where Else Are You Going to Live? DVD. 30 min. Porchlight Home Entertainment. 2008. #1022. $14.98.

Gr 1-4–Featuring a combination of colorful animation, live-action footage, energetic music, this program teaches youngsters that healthy eating and physical activity are not only good for you but also fun. Trevor Romain, motivational speaker and child advocate, is joined by animated characters Skye, Jack, and Daryl. It’s time to compete in middle school field day games, but Jack and his friends are busy eating junk food, playing video games, and partaking in other “slothful” endeavors. The competition, meanwhile, is diligently training for the event. Jack and his friends lose all the fiend day events. Trevor talks to the group about taking care of their bodies, the “most high tech machine there is.” Jack and his friends take Romain up on a 30-day fitness challenge and have a second chance at field day. All of Romain’s fitness tips look like a video game with fantastic music and incredible graphics. Team Underdog wins over Team Extreme in the do-over, but Trevor quickly points out that that getting fit is more about a change in attitude than winning. Bonus features include an interview with Romain about healthy eating and limiting screen time and his signature song, “Move Everybody.” The entire program is paced perfectly for the intended audience, teaching without preaching. A great message for kids, delivered in the perfect package.