All Aboard: A Collection Of Music Videos For Children

This collection of 8 music videos, performed by the singing trio "The Learning Station," is neither the best nor the worst in its genre. Both the lyrics and the music are fairly unimaginative in tunes such as "Now We're Dancing," a short paean to the dances of the 60s (The Swim, Twist, Monkey, Mash Potato, etc.) that is liable to carry little meaning for modern youngsters; "Bean Bag Exercising," a mini-exercise routine built around, strangely enough, a hand-held bean bag; and "Say No," a standard cautionary piece about child abuse prevention. The inclusion of "Say No" into a repertoire of basic ditties is, in my opinion, a mistake--the second song after "Say No" is called "Special Friends," which exhorts children to go out and explore the world and its people, after its just told them in "Say No" to be very cautious. The end result is that the preschooler whom the program is aimed at receives a mixed and confusing message about the world: it's a scary, fun-loving place. My favorite piece is the final song, a spontaneous bit of creative silliness called "The Wiggles" which sets the viewer's limbs moving far more effectively than does the earlier "exercising" song. With the exception of "Say No," there is little to criticize here, but also little to really praise. An optional purchase. (Available from: CRM Group, 270 East Drive, Suite A, Melbourne, FL 32904.)