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Puppy Sitting

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This episode is one video with 2 short stories. Each story gets its own review and score.

Very good

Recommended age Unlock

Co-watching from age 2

Balanced

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Puppy Sitting

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Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2

Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2 - Slowscreen

Very good · Co-watching from age 2. Trini agrees to look after Tooey's puppy Key while Tooey's family travels to Japan for a wedding, working from a training ch...

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https://slowscreen.com/en/series/molly-of-denali/s3/e8a-puppy-sitting

https://slowscreen.com/en/series/molly-of-denali/s3/e8a-puppy-sitting

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Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2 - Slowscreen

Very good · Co-watching from age 2. Trini agrees to look after Tooey's puppy Key while Tooey's family travels to Japan for a wedding, working from a training ch...

Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2
Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2

slowscreen.com

Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2 - Slowscreen

Very good · Co-watching from age 2. Trini agrees to look after Tooey's puppy Key while Tooey's family travels to Japan for a wedding, working from a training ch...

Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2
slowscreen.com

Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2 - Slowscreen

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Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2 - Slowscreen

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Subject Molly of Denali: Puppy Sitting | Very good, co-watching from age 2

Very good · Co-watching from age 2. Trini agrees to look after Tooey's puppy Key while Tooey's family travels to Japan for a wedding, working from a training ch...

https://slowscreen.com/en/series/molly-of-denali/s3/e8a-puppy-sitting

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This program is well-balanced. It remains mostly easy to follow and process. It is a good fit for the recommended age. The pacing is fast. Images follow each other quickly, leaving little time to pause and take in what is happening. The sound is soft and supportive. The visuals are calm and well-organized.
One clear story carries the whole episode: Trini agrees to look after Tooey's puppy Key and learns how to care for him properly. Events follow in order, from the goodbye to the daily checklist to Tooey's return, so a child can always tell what is happening and why. New ideas like 'headings' and 'subheadings' on the checklist arrive one at a time, with just enough to take in. Actions lead to clear results, such as skipping practice making Key forget his commands.
The emotional climate is warm and supportive throughout. When Trini panics that she has 'ruined' Key, Molly steadies her at once with 'Maybe there's enough time to get back on track,' so worry never sits unresolved. Characters encourage one another and praise effort, as when Molly tells Trini 'I'm proud of you.' Feelings move gently from confidence to doubt to determination rather than swinging hard, which keeps the watch reassuring.
Trini volunteers for the job herself and works through a genuine problem: she has been spoiling Key with cheese and pizza crust instead of training him. She names the mistake, sticks with the checklist for several days, worries when Key hesitates, and keeps going until he responds. Molly often points her toward the answer rather than letting her puzzle it out alone, so part of the thinking is guided. Even so, the link between daily practice and a well-trained dog is shown plainly, and Trini ends up teaching her own puppy a new trick.
Language is clear and purposeful. Dialogue explains real ideas, like the difference between a house dog and a future lead sled dog, and the checklist lesson names 'headings' and 'subheadings' in a way a child can follow. The live-action ending introduces words from Inupiaq, such as the name for musk ox, and explains them in context. Sentences are complete and the talk stays tied to whatever is happening on screen.
This episode connects strongly to a child's own world. Caring for a pet, following a daily routine, sorting tasks under headings, and owning up to a mistake are all things a child can carry straight into daily life. Almost everything shown is realistic, and the closing live-action trip to the tundra shows real children finding real musk ox fur and watching a herd. Social moments of friendship, responsibility, and family travel mirror everyday relationships.

More information

This score shows how inclusively the series portrays diverse people, families and cultures. Scale: Limited → Varied → Rich → Inclusive.
This episode centers a small Alaskan village where an Alaska Native girl, a boy of Japanese heritage, and a friend with darker skin and curly hair share the story as equals. Indigenous language, foods and traditions appear as a normal part of daily life, and a closing live-action segment hands the screen to real Inupiaq children exploring the tundra and explaining things in their own words. Initiative, knowledge and care move freely between the children, with both girls and a boy taking the lead at different moments and learning from their mistakes. The result is a broad, natural picture of different backgrounds living and learning together.
This score shows whether the series stays close to everyday reality or leans into fantasy. Scale: Fantasy → Mixed reality → Realistic.
This episode stays close to a child's real world. Trini looks after a sled dog puppy named Key while her friend Tooie's family travels to a family wedding in Japan, and the whole story turns on everyday responsibility: feeding, training, grooming, and following a checklist. There is no villain and no magic; the only trouble comes from Trini accidentally spoiling the puppy with cheese and skipped outdoor runs, which she then puts right. A real documentary segment about musk ox in the Alaskan tundra grounds it even further, making this a strongly realistic fit for an early school-age child.
This score shows how enjoyable the series is for parents watching along. Scale: Tedious → Tolerable → Pleasant → Enjoyable.
There is enough here to keep a watching adult mildly engaged, mostly through the cultural detail and a short real-world segment about musk ox that teaches alongside the children. The story carries a clear arc, as Trini takes on puppy care, slips into spoiling Key, then works to set things right before Tooie returns. The voices stay calm and the warm earthy palette never grates, so it sits easily in the background. The humor stays gentle and aimed at children, with little pitched squarely at grown-ups.

Themes

Pets

Central

The whole story is about caring for Tooey's puppy Key and Trini's puppy Four Spots.

Responsibility

Central

Trini takes on daily puppy care and learns to follow Key's training routine every single day.

Behaviour

Trini agrees to look after Tooey's puppy Key while Tooey's family travels to Japan for a wedding, working from a training checklist Tooey made. At first she spoils Key with cheese and pizza crust and skips his runs, then realises her mistake and trains him hard for several days to get back on track. When Tooey returns, Key responds to his commands and Trini has even taught her own puppy Four Spots a new trick. The episode ends with a live-action visit to the tundra near Nome, where Molly and local children learn about musk ox and their qiviut fur.

Molly of Denali
S01 E03

Molly of Denali

Grandpa's Drum

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly finds an old photograph of her grandfather Nat as a boy, singing and drumming with a young girl, and learns that he no longer sings because he gave his drum away long ago. With her friend Tooey, she uses clues in the photo (mountains, a water tower, train tracks, and partial letters on a sign) to locate the town of Tiritchik and find the now-grown woman who still has the drum. The elder Shyahtsoo explains that at boarding school Native children were forbidden from singing their own songs, which is why Grandpa stopped. Molly returns the drum, and during the community show Grandpa rediscovers his songs and drums alongside her, followed by a live-action segment of Alaska Native children sharing their own traditions.

Molly of Denali
S03 E06 Story A

Molly of Denali

The Qyah Ice Classic

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

In a small Alaskan village, Molly and her friends start their own Ice Classic, setting up a tripod on the frozen river and guessing when the spring ice will break and topple it. Each child uses a different method, looking up past dates, measuring the ice, watching for signs of spring, and building a model, while their friend Oscar helps everyone without entering himself. In the end Oscar wins by combining all the information his friends gathered, and they share the ice cream prize together. A closing live-action segment shows real children in Nenana explaining the real Ice Classic tradition.

Molly of Denali
S03 E06 Story B

Molly of Denali

The Great Qyah Cleanup

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

In the Alaska Native village of Qyah, Molly helps with the spring cleanup after winter. When Mr. Rowley's grill turns up broken and missing a part, Molly uses the instruction manual to reassemble it, then goes looking for litter with a friend and finds a mystery piece. After asking several neighbors what it is, she realizes it is the grill's missing regulator dial, which had fallen from her bag and been used as a scarecrow's face out at the dump. She retrieves it, the grill works, and the community cookout goes ahead.

Molly of Denali
S03 E08 Story A

Molly of Denali

Puppy Sitting

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Trini agrees to look after Tooey's puppy Key while Tooey's family travels to Japan for a wedding, working from a training checklist Tooey made. At first she spoils Key with cheese and pizza crust and skips his runs, then realises her mistake and trains him hard for several days to get back on track. When Tooey returns, Key responds to his commands and Trini has even taught her own puppy Four Spots a new trick. The episode ends with a live-action visit to the tundra near Nome, where Molly and local children learn about musk ox and their qiviut fur.

Molly of Denali
S03 E08 Story B

Molly of Denali

Big Dreams And Blue Skies

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly, an Alaska Native girl, hears how a pilot named Ellen Peniak inspired her mother to fly. When the library's books leave women pilots out, Molly digs deeper online and through Auntie Midge's stories, then flies along on a mail run where her mom lands safely by reading the wind off a lake. Together they write a booklet about Ellen and two other women pilots and leave it at the library so others can learn about them.

Molly of Denali
S03 E09 Story A

Molly of Denali

Sticker Shock

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

In the Alaskan village, Tui borrows his older brother's label maker and starts naming all his belongings, then labels seats at the shared picnic table so friends know where to sit. When Molly is left with nowhere to sit, the labelling causes a falling out, and the device jams and breaks. The children fix it by following the troubleshooting steps in the instruction manual, and Jay explains that shared spaces belong to everyone. The episode closes with Molly answering a viewer's question and a live-action trip where children go dog sledding.

Molly of Denali
S03 E09 Story B

Molly of Denali

A Song for Lola

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly helps her friend create a special song to honor her grandmother, Lola Miranda, who is returning to their Alaskan village from the Philippines. Following an Alaska Native tradition explained by Grandpa Nat, the children secretly gather family stories, then worry the funny ones are not serious enough for a gifted song. They learn that a song should match the person it honors, so a cheerful Lola deserves a cheerful song. At the welcome-back dinner they perform it, and Lola calls it the best gift she has ever received.

Molly of Denali
S04 E02 Story A

Molly of Denali

Steam Bath Ch'oondaii

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly, an Alaska Native girl, wants to help her mother recover from a cold so she can pass the annual medical exam she needs to keep flying. With advice from Auntie Midge and her mom, Molly and her friend set out to build a traditional steam bath, first trying shop-style instructions, then realising those don't fit their village or their age and returning to Auntie Midge for the traditional willow-frame method. They gather volcanic rocks with Grandpa Nat's help, build the bath in clear steps, and the warm steam helps mom breathe and feel close to her own mother. The episode closes with a short 'Ask Molly' segment exploring real Alaska Native houses at a heritage center.

Molly of Denali
S04 E02 Story B

Molly of Denali

In the Dark of Day

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly, Trini and Oscar walk home from school in an Alaska village where the winter sun sets in the early afternoon, and Oscar is sure a monster is waiting in the dark. The friends look up sunset times on a weather website, learn about the winter solstice, and try several plans to face the creature. Auntie Midge tells a story about a wolf pup who overcomes its fear of the dark by finding a pack. Emboldened by his friends, Oscar finally confronts the monster and finds it is just a large pile of snow.

Molly of Denali
S04 E07 Story A

Molly of Denali

Tusk, Tusk, and More Tusk

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly and her friends Tooey and Trini discover a large tusk buried in the mud near the river in their Alaska village. Grandpa Nat and an archaeologist named Olin Benedict identify it as a woolly mammoth tusk and explain the Ice Age, permafrost, and how the warming climate erodes the riverbank. The children help free the tusk through trial and error, measure it, photograph it, and give it the Gwich'in name 'Trilzok', meaning gentle. The episode ends with a separate live-action segment where children visit a museum to learn whether dinosaurs once lived in Alaska.

Molly of Denali
S04 E07 Story B

Molly of Denali

The Jökulhlaup Is on Us

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly, an Alaska Native girl, learns that a glacial flood called a jokulhlaup could wash away Auntie Cecilia's old fishing cabin by Lake Kaya. Using Nina's 3D topographical map, Molly and her friends find higher ground out of the flood zone, then work out how to slide the cabin there on a bed of logs. The cabin is moved safely and Molly discovers the family doll she lost as a baby. The episode ends with the family settling the cabin into its new home.

Molly of Denali
S04 E20

Molly of Denali

Happy Birthday, Qyah!

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Molly and her best friend Tui set out to answer one question: how old is their Alaska Native village of Qyah, really? After Molly's dad finds a cave revealed by an earthquake, the two join archaeologists Nina and Olin to investigate signs that ancestors once sheltered there. They uncover a painted pictograph that matches an oral origin story, get briefly trapped by an aftershock before climbing out, and help carbon-date the find. The episode ends with a new museum exhibit, a corrected town website, and the news that people have lived in the area for at least 13,000 years.

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