Baby Superstar: Farmer

Geared for babies aged 3-24 months, this program features clips of moving toys intertwined with live-action video of farm animals, tractors, and bees. Like most of its competitors, the classical music cues do not have much in common with the theme of farm life, and there are, of course, no voiceovers to explain what the various tractor implements are or what work they're doing (much to the disappointment of my toddler who sat listening attentively with his miniature John Deere tractor). While colorful, the parents' guide has little useful information and is full of unsubstantiated self-promotion such as “we believe that BabySuperstar ™ videos may help promote sensory, language, cognitive and emotional development by providing infants with both dynamic visual and auditory stimulation.” As another entry in the crowded home-video-for-babies field, librarians should consider whether their collections really need another Baby Einstein-clone. Optional. [Note: also available in the series at the same prices are Explorer and Forest Ranger.] Aud: P. (R. Reagan)