Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Moulton, based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 2+
Sweet, gentle barnyard show teaches preschoolers empathy.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Get Rolling with Otis is a preschool series based on Loren Long's books about a kind tractor and his barnyard animal friends. Characters model positive social-emotional skills like empathy, resilience, naming emotions, and problem-solving skills. There's no iffy content, and adults can feel good about young children watching this sweet, gentle show.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
All of the characters act in kind, pro-social ways. They name their emotions and don't give up when they make mistakes. They model pausing to think, coming up with creative solutions to problems, and trying new solutions when the first ones don't work as planned.
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Educational Value
a lot
Strong social-emotional content around empathy, resilience, and problem-solving.
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Positive Messages
a lot
Repeated themes around helping others, persevering when faced with obstacles, naming emotions and being empathetic to other people.
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Diverse Representations
some
Great gender representations -- lead character Otis is a boy tractor who shows more stereotypically feminine traits like empathizing with his friends and caring for them. His animal friends are girls and boys who act in gender-neutral or non-stereotypical ways. There are two human farmer characters who are an interracial (Black/White) couple. They don't get a ton of screen time, so while there is positive representation there, viewers don't get to know much about them as people so it's somewhat limited.
Did we miss something on diversity? .
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Get Rolling with Otis
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents Say (5)
- Kids Say
age 3+
Based on 5 parent reviews
Katherine R. Parent of 8, 10, 14, 18+, 18+ and 5-year-old
April 20, 2024
age 3+
rsmithcomputertech Parent of 3-year-old
September 12, 2023
age 2+
Get Rolling with Otis
My daughter simply loves Rolling With Otis. We have all the books and stream the show on Apple TV+. Love the empathy and the helpfulness of Otis.
See all 5 parent reviews
What's the Story?
Get Rolling with Otis is a preschool series based on the picture book series by Loren Long. Lovable Otis, a little tractor with a big heart, lives at the Long Hill Dairy Farm with his barnyard friends. The gang includes spunky calf Daisy and her mama cow Rosalie, Polly the puppy, Celeste the pig, Sal the rooster, and Louie the sheep. In between their official farm duties, the animals play together all day long. The friends have some problems to solve, like when Polly pup gets sprayed by a skunk, or when Daisy almost misses the farm's high jump competition. Whenever his friends feel a strong emotion, Otis's tractor heart glows. He "hits the brakes," stopping to figure out how to help. Otis tries different creative solutions until he finds one that works, making everything right on the farm once again.
Is It Any Good?
This gentle, slow-paced show is perfect for very young kids, with storylines that are compelling to preschoolers but also very simple. This simplicity helps little kids understand the social-emotional curriculum of the show, which centers around empathy and resilience. The characters are very clear about the emotions they're feeling, and the super-empathetic Otis feels the emotions right along with his friends. This causes him to pause and try to figure out solutions to his friends' problems. The first solution Otis tries never works, and he has to persevere and try something else. Preschoolers will be attracted to the very adorable farm animals and the fun they have on the farm. While they watch, they'll see great examples of Otis's positive social-emotional skills along the way.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Otis's empathy. What does it mean when his heart starts to glow? Does his heart glow when his friends feel all kinds of different emotions? Do you think Otis feels the same way they do?
Does Otis solve the problem on his first try? Does he get frustrated, or does he show perseverance and keep trying until he finds something that works?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 11, 2021
- Cast : Leah Janvier, Griffin Robert Faulkner, Elliott Fullam, Josiah Gaffney, Katie Grober
- Network : Apple TV+
- Genre : Educational
- Topics : Cars and Trucks, Book Characters, Great Boy Role Models, Horses and Farm Animals
- Character Strengths : Empathy, Perseverance
- TV rating : TV-Y
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : February 18, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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