PBS KIDS will be honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. with the PBS KIDS Across America initiative, featuring a variety of new series, specials, shorts and playlists.<\/p>\n
Beginning on May 1 with Wowsabout<\/em>, a new special from The Jim Henson Company that is set in Sequoia National Park, the initiative will also see the debuts of America\u2019s Awesome Kids<\/em>, City Island: USA!<\/em> and Xavier Riddle Celebrates American Heroes<\/em>, as well as new content from Molly of Denali<\/em> and Alma\u2019s Way<\/em>.<\/p>\n The half-hour special Wowsabout<\/em> features live-action puppets shot on location. It follows the artistic and musical hedgehog Roxy and the fastidious, city-raised pig Ronald as they navigate their friendship and discover the natural wonders of America on their first camping trip together.<\/p>\n GBH KIDS\u2019 America\u2019s Awesome Kids<\/em>, a series of 25 live-action shorts, will premiere on May 22. Produced in coordination with 23 PBS stations across the U.S., the series showcases kids from coast to coast, revealing what is special about where they live, their hobbies and passions and how they are making a positive impact in their communities.<\/p>\n This will be followed on June 12 by City Island: USA!<\/em>, a miniseries of six two-minute shorts from Future Brain Media. Blending animation with real live-action locations across the U.S., the series follows Watt, a little lightbulb with big ideas, and his best friend Windy the kite as they soar from City Island into real-life America. Guided by their teacher, Mr. Rubric, they visit landmarks in each of the five U.S. regions.<\/p>\n Launching on June 22, Xavier Riddle Celebrates American Heroes<\/em> consists of four hour-long packaged specials from 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films. The specials will celebrate \u201cordinary\u201d American kid throughout history who went on to do extraordinary things. Animated episode compilations from Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum<\/em> spotlight heroes such as Julia Child and Mark Twain to Jackie Robinson and The Wright Brothers.<\/p>\n Rounding out the initiative are the premieres of \u201cHappy Birthday Qyah,\u201d a special two-part Molly of Denali<\/em> episode coming on June 15, and an Alma\u2019s Way<\/em> short celebrating the U.S.\u2019s 250th birthday on July 2.<\/p>\n PBS KIDS will also curate compilations of videos and games from fan-favorite series that support civics and broader social studies learning. Featured series will include Arthur<\/em>, City Island<\/em>, Cyberchase<\/em>, Daniel Tiger\u2019s Neighborhood<\/em>, Donkey Hodie<\/em>, Molly of Denali<\/em>, Peg + Cat<\/em>, Phoebe & Jay<\/em>, Rosie\u2019s Rules<\/em>, Sesame Street<\/em> and Together We Can<\/em>. A Wild Kratts<\/em> collection will feature animals seen across America, including bald eagles, bison, beavers, wolves, rattlesnakes and more.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited to embark on this fun and learning-filled adventure with kids and families across the U.S., its territories and beyond,\u201d said Sara DeWitt, senior VP and general manager at PBS KIDS and Education. \u201cPBS KIDS is uniquely positioned to share content that reflects the lives of our young audience while also introducing them to the wide array of places and stories from across our country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PBS KIDS will be honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. with the PBS KIDS Across America initiative, featuring a variety of new series, specials, shorts and playlists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":31476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[146,12006,8473],"class_list":["post-31475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-pbs-kids","tag-pbs-kids-across-america","tag-sara-dewitt","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n