SESAME STREET SELECTS: Episodes 1.1-1.3

Here's the happy news up front: this one is a yes. Netflix has gathered "select" episodes of the beloved Sesame Street so a whole new generation of children can meet Elmo, Abby, Telly, Grover and the rest. It is high-quality entertainment, full of color, music, skits and art — and it engages viewers of every age while it teaches.

More than that, these episodes teach the right things. Friends work together. They encourage one another. And when someone gets it wrong, they own it and make it right. There is genuinely nothing here to guard your children against.

So gather the little ones and press play. This is worth watching together.

Three classic episodes from Sesame Street, chosen for a new audience. In "The BubbleFest," the street hosts a bubble festival and the friends learn, step by step, how to make the perfect bubble mix. In "Elmo & The Monarch Butterfly," Elmo and Telly hunt for insects and uncover fascinating facts about metamorphosis. And in "The Good Sport," a game of hot potato goes sideways when a little bragging hurts a friend's feelings. What happens next is the lesson — and we'll let your children discover it.

Four stars, and they're earned. This is children's television made with real craft: bright and inviting, playful in its music and skits, and genuinely educational without ever feeling like a lecture. Each episode moves easily between puppetry, cartoons, songs and guest segments — actor George Lopez teaching Elmo and Abby about liquids, a stop-motion chalk lesson on the letter R, a trip with Grover through how coffee is made.

The compilation format works in its favor, pulling memorable episodes together for a young audience meeting them for the first time. It engages viewers of all ages and fosters learning at every turn. For its intended audience — young children — it's about as good as the genre gets.

These episodes carry a plainly moral and biblical spirit. The lessons at their heart — friends working together, encouraging one another, and learning from their mistakes — are the everyday shape of loving your neighbor.

The clearest example is "The Good Sport." Elmo brags about winning, and when Abby returns to play, he goes further and calls her a "loser." But a friend gently explains how his bragging has hurt others. Elmo recognizes his fault, apologizes with a song of regret, and Abby forgives him. It is a small, true picture of something Scripture takes very seriously: confession, repentance, and reconciliation between friends.

That is the whole engine of these stories — mistakes named honestly and made right. Children learn early that kindness matters, that pride wounds, and that saying "I'm sorry" mends what pride breaks. Scripture puts it simply: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

Sometimes the best answer is the simplest one. This is bright, kind, expertly made television that teaches your children to work together, tell the truth about their mistakes, and make peace with their friends. There's nothing to guard against and plenty to enjoy. So settle in with the little ones — it's worth watching.