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In the Dark of Day

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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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In the Dark of Day

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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.

The episode follows one clear thread: Oscar is scared of a monster he thinks lurks in the dark, and the friends work together to face it. Events build in a recognizable order, from discovering Oscar's fear, to researching when the sun sets, to a series of plans, to the final confrontation, with smooth transitions between each step. Cause and effect stay easy to follow, for example the idea that the monster appears because the sun goes down so early. The one busier moment is the weather-website scene, where several facts about sunset times and the winter solstice arrive close together, though the children pause to talk each one through.

Warmth runs through the whole episode: the friends never mock Oscar for being scared, they choose to walk him home so he is not alone, and Auntie Midge answers his fear with a gentle story instead of dismissing it. Characters behave kindly and consistently, and every frightening moment is followed by reassurance and, finally, the calming reveal that the monster is only a pile of snow. The caveat is that Oscar's fear and the repeated scare-and-flee moments carry real tension and a few sudden frights, which sit at the upper edge of comfortable for the most sensitive children at this age. Recovery always arrives, with friends regrouping and an explicit message that there is strength in having a pack.

The children drive the problem-solving themselves from start to finish. They name the problem, look up sunset data to understand when the dark will lift, and try one plan after another, asking to skip school, lighting up with glow sticks and a headlamp to scare the monster, then howling like wolves for courage. Plans fail and the group adjusts, which keeps the thinking visible rather than handed to them by an adult. Reasoning is spoken aloud throughout, such as working out that the monster lingers because the sun sets early, so the children see how one idea leads to the next.

The language fits this age well, with clear dialogue and new ideas introduced through context, such as the 'winter solstice' described as 'the shortest day of the year' and a 'pack' as a group that makes you feel brave. Words are used correctly and the speech is clean and easy to follow, carrying real information about sunsets, daylight and facing fear rather than empty filler. Sentences are mostly complete and conversational, with only the occasional exclamation like 'Run!' or 'Whoa!'. The talk leans toward explaining and describing, so children hear language doing useful work.

The episode connects strongly to everyday life. Reading a weather website to find when the sun rises and sets is a genuine, repeatable skill, and the story models facing a fear with the support of friends and family rather than avoiding it. Almost everything is grounded in the real world, a real Alaska winter, real data tables, and a fear that turns out to have an ordinary explanation, with only a told story about a wolf pup standing apart as clearly imagined. Recognizable social patterns anchor it further, from walking home from school to sharing fry bread at home and leaning on an aunt's wisdom.

More information

This episode centres on an Alaska Native girl and her friends in a snowy northern village, where different backgrounds, including a Black friend who recently moved from Texas, sit side by side as a matter of course. Indigenous culture is part of the everyday world rather than an add-on, from fry bread and beaded parkas to an elder's wolf-pack story. Tasks and feelings are shared evenly across the children: a boy is allowed to be scared and then brave, the friends work as equals, and an aunt guides without taking over. The result gives children a broad, grounded picture of people and how they live and support one another.

This episode stays close to a child's real world. Molly and her friends walk home from school in the winter dark, worry about a 'monster', and learn about sunset times and the winter solstice using a real weather website, only to discover the monster is a big pile of snow. There is no villain anywhere; the worry comes from the situation and from Oscar's fear of the dark, which is resolved warmly through a story about a wolf pup finding its pack. The only imaginative touch is that told-aloud folk story, so the realism and gentle reassurance fit a five-year-old well.

This episode rewards a watching adult more than most early-childhood fare. The mystery of Oscar's monster has a real shape, with setup, a few genuine laughs, and a payoff that lands when the 'monster' turns out to be a heap of snow. Voices stay calm and the deep-blue winter palette is easy on the eyes, so there is little to grate on a co-viewer. Clean animation and a story that holds up make this comfortable company from the couch, with only the repeated chase-and-run beats wearing slightly thin.

Themes

Fear of the dark

Oscar admits 'I'm scared of the dark' and dreads walking home as the winter sun sets in early afternoon.

Monsters

Oscar insists he saw a monster that 'made monstery noises,' and the group's quest to face it shapes the whole episode.

Overcoming fear

Oscar finally decides to 'walk right up' to the monster and look it in the eye, discovering it is only snow.

Friendship

Molly and Trini offer to walk Oscar home so he is not alone in the dark.

Winter

Recurring

The village is deep in an Alaska winter where the sun goes down around 2:45 in the afternoon.

Weather

Recurring

The children use a weather website table to learn when the sun will set and rise each day.

Problem solving

The group tries several plans, from glow sticks to howling, to deal with the monster.

Helping others

Auntie Midge helps Oscar with a story about a wolf pup who overcomes fear of the dark.

Activities

Problem solving

The friends work through plan after plan to handle the monster.

Investigating

They study a weather table to find when daylight returns.

Storytelling

Auntie Midge tells the wolf-pup story to help Oscar.

Walking

Much of the episode follows the children walking home from school in the dark.

Family meal

The group gathers at home over fry bread when Auntie Midge asks why Oscar is jumpy.

Pretend play

Molly acts out being a monster, growling 'I'm a monster!'

Emotions

Fear

Oscar is jumpy all week and the children repeatedly flee from the 'monster.'

Determination

Oscar resolves 'No more running' and faces the monster head on.

Anxiety

Oscar dreads walking home and says 'I can't do a month of monster.'

Joy

Molly jokes about eating fry bread and pretends to be a monster going 'Rawr!'

Pride

After confronting the snow pile Oscar beams as friends tell him 'You were so brave.'

Empathy

The friends cheer Oscar on with 'Give it all you've got!'

Surprise

The children gasp 'That's not a monster, it's just a great big pile of snow.'

Behaviour

Problem solving

The children reason out when the dark will lift and how to confront the monster.

Bravery

Oscar walks straight up to the monster saying 'you don't scare me.'

Trial and error

The friends try skipping school, glow sticks and howling before anything works.

Helping

Molly and Trini volunteer to walk Oscar home through the dark.

Investigating

The kids open a weather website to look up sunset and sunrise times.

Comforting

Auntie Midge tells Oscar 'You don't have to be scared of the dark, not when you have your wolf pack.'

Storytelling

Auntie Midge narrates the tale of the little wolf pup who feared the dark.

Expressing feelings

Oscar openly admits 'I'm scared of the dark' at the family table.

Social lessons

Friendship

The three children stick together through every attempt to face the monster.

Emotional support

The friends and Auntie Midge support Oscar instead of laughing at his fear.

Courage

Oscar finds the courage to confront the monster with his 'wolf pack' beside him.

Togetherness

The wolf-pup story teaches that 'there's strength in having a pack.'

Helping others

Molly offers to walk Oscar home because he 'shouldn't be by yourself.'

Scary scenes

Oscar believes a monster making 'monstery noises' is stalking them, and a dark spider-like shape looms in the snowy dark before the children flee.

Loud sounds

Sudden monster noises and the children's panicked shouting punctuate several scenes as they run away.

Flashing lights

Glow sticks during the night scenes and the bright closing animation produce a few sharp flashes, though flagged as low photosensitive risk.

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

Molly of Denali

Grandpa's Drum

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

The Qyah Ice Classic

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

The Great Qyah Cleanup

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

Puppy Sitting

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

Big Dreams And Blue Skies

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

Sticker Shock

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

A Song for Lola

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

Steam Bath Ch'oondaii

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

In the Dark of Day

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

Tusk, Tusk, and More Tusk

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

The Jökulhlaup Is on Us

recommended age 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

Molly of Denali

Happy Birthday, Qyah!

recommended age 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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From this series Molly of Denali

By age 5 years

By platform Prime Video PBS Kids

By theme Animals Curiosity Different cultures Family Friendship Helping others How things work Learning to work together Nature Perseverance Pride Problem solving Responsibility Trying new things

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