We have so much fun learning the songs and then doing the activities to go along with the songs. All of the songs are very singable and engaging. This book is extreemly useful with substitute teachers in the music classroom. There are also additional actitivities in the back of the book.

This is the story of Rachael, a little girl entering playschool for the first time. It focus' on how to handle missing her family. The characters include Rachael's mom and dad, her big brother and her dog. Best of all, there is a song called "My Mommy comes back" which the refrain being My mommy comes back, she always comes back,she always comes back to get me, my mommy comes back she always comes back she never will forget me." My 3 year old son, Sam, and I sing this everyday when I leave him at school and it really helps!

My son loved this tape when he was one and he still enjoys it. Dad likes it for the humor. Much better than any of the dozen or so other tapes we have

This video is a series of original songs with (primarily) live-action videos. The music is fairly attractive for children from the age of toddler to about 5 years (maybe). The visuals are very warm and homey showing toddlers and pre-schoolers in their world laughing, playing and doing other things that toddlers / pre-schoolers usually do. Its 'feel' reminds me of the rosiness that Sesame Street exudes in its live-action clips. The video has a home-made quality which I think adds a nice touch, but is quite noticeable to those who prefer higher production quality.

My four-year-old daughter immediately picked-up on the lyrics and can sing them to herself. I wish I had 'discovered' this video for her when she was still a toddler, because the messages of many of the songs could have been useful for potty-training and separation anxiety, among other things. But, she never chooses this video to watch, because I think she has outgrown the message and appeal.

On the other hand, the video is still beyond my nine-month old daughter. She much prefers the videos of Baby Einstein & Teletubbies. I bought this video in hopes of adding diversity to what we allow her to watch, but she is just not interested in this video. We have over 100 videos (no, I do not use the VCR as a babysitter, but my kids watch no broadcast TV; and living abroad, videos provide the opportunity for English language practice and American cultural exposure). I cannot honestly say that this is a favorite of either of my children. I anticipate revisiting this video with my younger daughter with greater success when she is 15-18 months.

My cousin gave this to us as a gift. It sat on a shelf until I finally gave in on videos when my son was 19 months. He absolutely loves it and will watch no other video. The video is engaging for a toddler--very low budget but of real kids running around doing stuff--and the songs range from entertaining to instructive. I only have one criticism. There is a song on the video about needing a blanket as a security object. If the blanket is taken away for washing, the child might be "lonely", "scared", "get angry" or "cry". The song does nothing but model insecurity for children who don't presently feel it and reinforce it for those who do. I was horrified when my son ran to get a blanket from his room while watching this song. He hasn't done that since but I could see this being a big influence on kids. The song should go. Otherwise it keeps my son out of my hair for a half an hour.

When all else fails, we return to Hap Palmer's original Baby Songs. My granddaughter, adopted from China in 2001, took to it first and, 18 months later, still favors it. The downside? I find myself singing under my breath at odd times of the day, and sometimes in foreign cities, "Piggy Toes," "My Mommy Comes Back," and "Please Don't Wash My Blanket Today." I worry that the high price now listed for the video means that it is no longer "in print."