Grade all levels. Spectacular cinematography and fascinating factoids are combined to produce this fast-paced, attention-grabbing nature series that manages to pack a great deal of information into each 30-minute episode. Moving from pre-history to mythology and legend to the latest scientific discoveries, each program covers the gamut of its subject, not in-depth but in breadth. The signature Dorling-Kindersley technique of photographing and filming against a white background and using brilliant color is a visual delight. The filming techniques of zooming and angling, closeups and panoramas, even using the lens as an element by bouncing an acorn from a tree on it or splashing it with droplets of water, keep the eye focused on the subject, while the narrative describes exactly what is being viewed onscreen, allowing viewers to easily absorb the information.
