Baby Einstein celebrates things that go--from trains and planes to boats and bikes--in this 40-minute foray into the world of transportation for the toddler set. Called a "digital board book," the film is divided into segments of land, air, and sea. The deliberately paced scenes feature classical music by great composers (such as Haydn and Mozart) integrated with puppets, live action, and computer animation. Early learning words scroll across the screen with voice-overs available in three language tracks. In one scene, a pastel-colored animated rowboat morphs into an open sea adventure of speedboats, cruise ships, and sailboards. In another, three kids sing the familiar "Wheels on the Bus" as puppets step onboard a brightly colored coach. The train sequence starts with a child pushing a toy choo-choo before expanding into footage of steamers, locomotives, and high-speed trains. Such a visual feast not only entertains young ones but also helps them make critical brain connections, say experts. The Baby Einstein Company has grown up from its 1997 beginnings, having been acquired in 2001 by Disney and its behemoth marketing savvy. While the film is as high quality and interactive as ever, the content gives greater emphasis to computer graphics (with spin-off merchandising opportunities) and lesser attention to its original cornerstones of stylish imagery, art, poetry, and singularly classical compositions. "The Wheels on the Bus" is hardly Beethoven, though youngsters certainly won't complain. (Ages 2 to 4) --Lynn GibsonPrice: $19.99
Baby Galileo, a young kangaroo puppet, looks toward the sky in an exploration of the awesome wonders above to discover the sun, moon, clouds, stars, and galaxies, and each of the nine planets,. This 30-minute presentation features rapidly shifting images that include real-life photography of the celestial wonders and children playing with space-themed toys, animated segments, and puppetry. A variety of excerpts from classical masterpieces like Mozart's "A Little Night Music" and Debussy's "Clair de Lune," specially arranged in primarily synthesized "music box" arrangements, as well as several popular nursery songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," accompany the imagery and ensure a stimulating, multi-sensory experience. DVD extras include a repeat-play function, discovery cards with 14 real-life photographs of celestial wonders with spoken and written titles, puppetry excerpts from the presentation, toy chest with details about pictured toys, and a DVD-ROM coloring book. (Ages 9 months to 4 years) --Tami Horiuchi
The Baby Einstein Company's "video board books" were designed as music-focused developmental tools to stimulate babies' brains (prompted by research proving that exposure to classical melodies can improve verbal ability, spatial intelligence, creativity, and memory in youngsters). Now the company is expanding into other art forms, including color and art. The idea remains the same--taking bold, beautiful objects (toys, puppets, nature scenes) and setting them to fun renditions of classical music (their recordings are easily the best in the crowded field of child development). A new puppet--Vincent Van Goat--introduces the six primary colors and associates them with Van Gogh's paintings--"The Starry Night" for blue, "Wheat Fields with Reaper" for yellow. The only misstep is the poetry written and read by creator Julie Aigner-Clark, which is strongly reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's My Many Colored Days. 
