The more abstract playtime shown in the first few entries for the series has now given way to a musical tour through several distinct cultures. Strings, percussion instruments, and simple instruments are featured, and kids can pretend to play while watching the show. Dancing and live performance brings the music to the front of the stage, where the toys were much more the focus in the past. So-called Discovery Cards and Puppet shows are included as special features, allowing you to page through objects seen in Baby Einstein: World Music as a way to reinforce language or even reading. The reading piece can be run separately, with the idea being that you will want to show this to your Kindergartener without making him feel like he's watching a baby show, and to help drill on reading.
The puppet segments are hilarious, really good stuff that will even make the adults in the room chuckle. Each puppet sequence ties into the music and the flow of the video, much as puppets were used in the past between toy segments, or to introduce a new topic. Other than World Music, there's no theme presented here that kids will readily latch onto. Cultural appreciation and diversity are some obvious take-aways, but no great lessons will be learned in 37 minutes. What parents understand is that 37 times 100 is a big number, and that the typical weekend includes at least 100 trips back and forth from home to various kiddie hangouts like the library, the pool, birthday parties, or the zoo. Even at home, favorite DVDs can linger in the player for months before being swapped out. Parents will appreciate having a collection that is wonderful to listen to, and fun to watch. Kids will love it for all the same reasons.
