Babygarten

Babies love rhymes, rhythm, and motion, as Babygarten, which focuses on a group of parents and babies singing and swinging in class together, ably demonstrates. Songs/games include “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Diddle, Diddle Dumpling My Son John,” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” (shown with onscreen lyrics, while a perky class leader offers suggestions for accompanying moves). In an attempt to either pad out the program's length or copy Teletubbies, a child voiceover shouts “again!” after each jingle, which is then replayed. I showed Babygarten to my two sons, and--interestingly--the almost-four-year-old had a lot more fun with it than the baby. The second section of the program has “tips for parents” on sharing books with their children. While a good inexpensive addition for parenting collections, this isn't scintillating enough to merit purchasing at the higher price with public performance rights. Recommended. Aud: K, P. (R. Reagan)