Sesame English--ESL for Children: Family & Home 1

This title contains two 13-minute Sesame Street segments for English as a Second Language students (or English Language Learners, as some educators prefer). The first, “All in the Family,” introduces the closest relationships: “mother/mom,” “father/dad,” “brother/sister,” etc., while the second, “Yes, Baby,” focuses on common expressions such as “ please,” “no,” “wake up,” and “go to sleep.” Regular Sesame Street viewers will be familiar with the short sequences format that features Muppets and humans, animated letters and numbers, and “real people” outside the studio. Tingo, a newly created Muppet, guides viewers through the two programs, repeating and summarizing what the other characters have said in the English immersion segment, while presenting his summaries in the native languages of Spanish, Hmong, Korean, Mandarin, and Vietnamese on the bilingual DVD version. Featuring topnotch production values and a widely recognized kid-friendly format, my only criticism of the program is that the English immersion might be a bit too fast-paced (maybe my Southern ears are just slow, but I could picture someone new to English struggling with the joke-and-punchline based humor). Highly recommended. Also available in the series: Family & Home 2, Animals & Pets (2 vols.), Friends (3 vols.), Toys, Games & Sports (2 vols.) and Weather, Seasons & Time (2 vols.). Aud: K, E, P. (R. Reagan)