It’s tough to imagine that the average tot wouldn’t get adequate exposure to the objects presented in Bee Smart Baby: Vocabulary Builder, Vol. 1 to master their recognition and rough pronunciation by around 18 months, but parents in a hurry to hear their little ones jabber on about the things oft encountered in the first year or so of life will be grateful for this half-hour video. The concept is, as it should be, simple. First objects are shown in a variety of settings–a toy train going around a track, then a real one chugging along; a series of noses, some on grown-up faces and others belonging to kids; a large spoon stirring a bowl of pasta followed by a baby spoon against a blank background. Then a gentle-voiced narrator states the item’s name twice, once at its introduction and again when it’s time to move on. At first it seems we’re in for nothing more than a laundry list of animals, body parts, and utensils, but then a pattern emerges: a series of four already-shown objects skitter by again, and they’re repeated in order. This simple structure will appeal to caregivers who devour child-development studies–the benefits of repetition in early learning will be well known to them–and the makers of this video seem tuned in to the likelihood that it’s the well-educated who are most apt to be watching along. To sweeten the deal for such grown-ups, they’ve set this video to the music of Mozart, which has been shown to constructively stimulate young children. –Tammy La Gorce

Director:  CVP Communications
VHS Tape:  Color, NTSC
Company: Baby Bumblebee  (1999-07-07)
ISBN: 1929189001
List Price: $14.95
Amazon Price: $8.70
Used Price: $1.00

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