Though his work has appeared on everything from umbrellas to coasters, “Painter of Light” Thomas Kinkade’s art has just reached the small screen for the first time.

Released Nov. 11 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage (978-1-400-31424-9, $19.98) brings the artist’s signature style to life in a semi-autobiographical holiday drama that stars multi-Oscar nominee Peter O’Toole.

The veteran actor plays mentor to a young Kinkade (Jared Padalecki, Gilmore Girls), whose commission to paint a mural helps his hometown rediscover the true spirit of Christmas. The film, which runs 103 minutes and is rated PG, also stars Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River).

Grizzly Adams Family Entertainment has released its first feature in a decade after concentrating on family-friendly and faith-based documentaries.

Made with Michael Flynn Productions, wildlife drama Friends for Life (978-1-934-64601-4, $19.95) tells the story of a despondent widower who finds new meaning and hope on becoming the reluctant rescuer of four wolf pups left helpless after the death of their mother.

The story includes a dramatic encounter with a bear, appropriately enough for the makers who brought the successful “Grizzly Adams” stories to cinemas and television in the 1970s.

Shot on location in Utah last year, the new 90-minute film is the first of a planned new raft of family-friendly movies from the producers.

“There’s a yearning among the public for … feel-good movies that used to be produced by Frank Capra 50 years ago,” said Charles E. Sellier, president of Grizzly Adams Productions.

Horse-riding children’s presenter ‘has a special way of communicating’

Cowboy Dan hopes that his new children’s DVD series, fresh to Christian retail stores, captures the spirit of Mr. Rogers—though he swaps a hat for a cardigan and welcomes viewers to “Cowboy Dan’s Frontier” rather than the neighborhood.

The 30-minute episodes were shot at a friend’s farm and on location as host “Cowboy Dan” Harrell visits different people on his horse, Biscuit, offering educational tidbits, music and homespun wisdom for a kindergarten through 4th-grade audience.

Created as an outgrowth of Harrell’s popular school assembly presentations about health and character—to more than 450,000 kids in the last 12 years—his videos each take the title of one of the songs he has recorded on three albums. One of the recordings won a Best Children’s Album prize at the Nashville Music Awards.

Last month’s debut release, Under Construction (8-84501-06642-6, $10.99), explicitly features Harrell’s Christian faith. Three more episodes to follow soon offer more general lessons in positive family values, though Harrell intends all future productions to incorporate Christian concepts.

Dandi Daley Mackall and Crystal Bowman have applied their well-honed writing skills to eight new books in the "I Can Read!" line for children ages 4 to 7 from Zonderkidz. Four books in the "Ali Cat Series" and another four in the "Owl and Otter Series" debut this month from Zondervan’s children’s division.

Originally published by HarperCollins starting in 1957, the "I Can Read!" books ($3.99 each) have sold more than 60 million copies. When Zonderkidz took over the publication of the books in 2007, they hired writers who have been adding the faith element to each story, creating a dual-purpose book, one that fosters the skill of reading and also undergirds a child’s spiritual training.

‘Bibletime’ books telling ‘the same story as the Bible’ arrive in U.S. stores

Pastor and New York Times best-selling author Jentezen Franklin challenges believers to pursue their God-given dreams in Crea que usted puede: Muévase con tenacidad hacia el sueño que Dios le ha dado (Believe That You Can: Moving With Faith and Persistence to the Dream God Has Given You, 978-1-599-79430-3, $10.99), released by Casa Creación last month.

Crea que usted puede emphasizes the supernatural power of dreams. Franklin shows how biblical characters took hold of the dreams and visions God gave them and didn’t let go until they came to pass. He also reveals three hindrances that can stop a dream from being fulfilled.