Arthur and adoption

From another blog...(sorry, wish I could remember where.......)

ARTHUR and friends welcome a new character - a baby sister for Binky
Barnes - this fall when the Emmy-Award winning series tackles
adoption from a child's perspective. On Friday, September 7th (check
local listings) the series starring Marc Brown's beloved animated
aardvark captures a family's experience with adoption in a special 2-
part episode.

In 'Big Brother Binky', Arthur's friend Binky's family adopts a baby
girl from China and Binky learns not only the importance of being a
big brother but that families come in all different shapes in sizes.
Binky manages the joys, and sometimes difficulties, of understanding
his new sister with humor and imagination and becomes the proudest
big brother in Elwood City.

Expanding upon the series' well-established commitment to addressing
topics that children of all backgrounds can relate to, this episode
undertakes a topic that affects millions of people every day in all
parts of the world. By exploring the adoption process from Binky's
anticip ation of the baby's arrival, to the ups and downs of getting
to know one another, and finally to the joy of welcoming the baby
into Binky's heart and home, ARTHUR opens the doors for discussion
around adoption among parents, children, and educators. According to
ARTHUR creator Marc Brown, "What the series does best is reflect the
lives of kids in an authentic and fun way that resonates with both
viewers and their parents. Because adoption is so important to so
many families, we thought it was a great opportunity for ARTHUR to
explore this subject.

"Executive Producer Pierre Valette adds, "We put a lot of work into
this episode -- including extensive research and interviews with many
adoptive families. To tell this story thoroughly and well, we decided
to devote both 11 minute animated stories in the episode to it --
something that we rarely do. We hope that the millions of families
touched by adoption in this country, and around the world, will find
familiarity and accuracy in our portrayal of the experience of these
characters."