PBS International has licensed the new preschool series Elinor Wonders Why to Knowledge Network (Canada), Discovery Latin America, YLE (Finland), Hop! (Israel), SVT (Sweden), and e-junior (UAE).
The stories in Elinor Wonders Why center around Elinor and her friends Ari and Olive. In each episode, Elinor models the foundational practices of science inquiry and engineering design, using observation and willingness to ask questions and investigate. When she encounters something she doesn’t understand, like why birds have feathers or how tiny ants build massive anthills, she perseveres until she figures it out. Elinor Wonders Why encourages children to follow their curiosity, ask questions, figure out answers, and learn about the natural world around them.
“Kids love to ask questions about how the world works,” said Linda Simensky, Head of Content for PBS Kids. “That’s what makes Elinor Wonders Why such a perfect show for preschoolers. Kids will recognize themselves in Elinor’s boundless curiosity as she pursues the questions she wonders about – making observations and reveling in nature’s amazing answers.”
Elinor Wonders Why is created by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson and produced in partnership with Pipeline Studios. The series was developed as part of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS Ready To Learn Initiative with funding from the U.S. Department of Education and additional support from CPB. The Ready To Learn Initiative is a federal program that supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted to preschool and early elementary school children and their families.
“We are proud to bring Elinor Wonders Why, the newest in a long line of successful PBS Kids series, to the global marketplace and we are excited to continue growing our catalog with the amazing stories PBS Kids creates for children around the world,” said Joe Barrett, PBS International’s Head of Sales.