Songs And Fingerplays For Little Ones: A Teaching Aide

This well-meaning but technically flawed production features family day care owner Mary Clever offering a brief introduction about the beneficial aspects of using songs and fingerplays with children, followed by over a dozen examples by Clever and her young charges. Popular songs such as "Incey Wincey Spider" (more commonly known as "Eensy Weensy Spider"), "Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?," and "Where's My Thumbkin?," are included along with a handful of original compositions by Clever. The camerawork is fairly basic, and the audio is substandard in the final segment of the show (in which the kids sing in a park--parts of which appear to be dubbed). But the biggest problem is intended audience: there's precious little instruction here--other than simply watching the performance--for day care instructors, and the production values are too poor to hold the attention of children who have seen similar fare on tapes by Shari Lewis and others. Not recommended. (Available from: Clever Productions, 13 Suffield Circle, Salinas, CA 93906; (408) 449-9141.)