With animals like tropical birds, tigers, and dolphins as this video's focus, it's a sure-fire winner with the toddler crowd. This latest from the Baby Einstein video series features gorgeous live-action sequences, funny puppet skits, and interesting toys that move across the screen—all in concert with mostly classical music (like Smetana, Dvorak, and Beethoven) played on toys.
Jane, the monkey puppet, is your child's host for this fabulous early-learning production. She helps introduce each featured animal—divided into those from the jungle, ocean, and savannah—and her antics provide some comic relief as well.
The pace of this production is just right for the target audience, and the subject matter is a natural fit, as well. There are an excellent variety of scenes, including footage of real children playing, mechanical animal toys, drawings of animals that fill with color, and beautiful scenes of animals from around the globe. Though the mood remains playful throughout, the producers added a relaxing vignette that features some slow-motion sequences of giraffes in motion to the sounds of Dvorak's New World Symphony #9. Following this gentle sequence, a short skit is featured where a toddler dressed up in a giraffe costume watches a mechanical giraffe toy, which ends up toppling over to the audience's delight.
The scenes in Baby Dolittle World Animals are joined together creatively, and the choreography is really well done. After viewing a tiger's footprints, for example, the puppet-host pulls down a tiger-striped background before the live-action scenes of the tiger begin. Each vignette is accompanied by very appropriate and pleasing music, most of which is performed by the Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra. The inclusion of a more modern song, Deep Blue Sea, was fully appreciated by our kid testers.
The live-action scenes capture beautiful, compelling, and sometimes humorous moments in the world of animals—arranged always with the target audience in mind. These clips are short and striking enough to maintain toddlers' interest, with an occasional scene thoughtfully sped up.
The video/DVD series is supported by flashcards, books, and toys, which help extend learning. In addition, printable coloring templates designed to accompany Baby Dolittle World Animals are available at the company's web site.
