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Rating: 
Summary: Ick. If you love Sesame Street as is, don't look here!
Review: I rented this so my son could watch his favorite chef, Emeril Lagasse, in tandem with his favorite show, Sesame Street - and I will admit that we all liked the Emeril (and Telly) part.That being said, this is another of the variety of Sesame Street videos that uses contrived setups, bad puppetry, celebrity appearances, and educational drivel to spoon-feed information to toddlers like they were so many fois gras geese. Ugh! Yes, there's loads of Elmo for fans. There's also a blue-screened flying puppet to push the contrived plot forwards. The REAL Sesame clips are few and far between; most of the plot takes place in the kitchen set, and the songs are all "new." To top it off, they have Broadway star Heather Headly appearing to make Vietnamese Summer Rolls, and sing a heartrending song about trying new foods. What does Heather Headly have to do with food? Why aren't her considerable talents used in a video about music or singing or acting? So - don't buy this. Buy "Let's Eat" if you're looking for a fun Sesame Street video about food.
Rating: 
Summary: Cooking made fun
Review: I think one of the greatest joys in life is seeing things through children's minds. My older son loves watching Emeril cook and of course loves Elmo and my younger son loves Elmo as well. When this video came out, it was the perfect gift for both of them. This video has many songs that stick with the children because of it's catchy words and beats. Elmo and his Sesame Street friends really make cooking fun and enjoyable. They teach about ingredients, different cooking phrases, cooking utensils, how to follow directions, different foods and how to work together. The video is definitely beneficial and demonstrates positive attitudes in the kitchen and with friends. My son breaks out the pots and pans and makes believe he is cooking and he tells me what ingredients and how much he is going to put it. This proves to me that the video is educational, yet fun to look at because he really enjoys himself. Cooking doesn't have to be a chore. It can be a rewarding experience when your children actually understand what they are doing.
Rating:
Summary: A winner.
Review: My daughter absolutely ADORED this video at 18 months. And she still does a year later. Even though we no longer view it twice a day, it has leaked into our everyday life in several ways. For instance, she pretends to not want to try new foods so that I will sing the Pocket Queen song. It works-she'll try almost anything. Yes, I find Genie a little annoying. But, the little girl in this video is destined for a career in the entertainment field. She is really good. Of course, Heather Headly is enchanting. I think the only down side is that my daughter also tries to BAM her food sometimes at the dinner table!
Rating:
Summary: A winner.
Review: My daughter absolutely ADORED this video at 18 months. And she still does a year later. Even though we no longer view it twice a day, it has leaked into our everyday life in several ways. For instance, she pretends to not want to try new foods so that I will sing the Pocket Queen song. It works-she'll try almost anything. Yes, I find Genie a little annoying. But, the little girl in this video is destined for a career in the entertainment field. She is really good. Of course, Heather Headly is enchanting. I think the only down side is that my daughter also tries to BAM her food sometimes at the dinner table!
Rating:
Summary: Lots of cooking fun
Review: My daughter got this as a present, I'm not sure if I would have thought of buying it myself, and was greatly surprised! What a pleasant video, however, entirely different that the Sesame Street videos I was used to (short attention span sketches/songs). It gave me a load of ideas how to make snacktime more interesting, or activity options for rainy days (e.g. making your own pizza)! A great pick with few but catchy songs.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of cooking fun
Review: Our 18 month old daughter, who would happily watch Elmo talk for two hours about income tax returns, thinks this video is just great! It has music, kids, Elmo, food, Elmo . . . in short, she stares at the TV during the entire thing, with the awed silence of the true Elmophile. However, I find it a little tedious. This is definitely one of those "Okay, Mommy's going into the other room now . . ." tapes. So just for all you parents out there who care how YOU'LL like the video, here's my two cents. For one thing, cooking is a subject that not all kids are going to take to. I suppose the idea behind the tape is that kids should learn that they CAN cook (with help). The treats Elmo and his friends prepare include kid favorites like pizza and ice cream. But some kids probably just want to eat these things, and couldn't care less about how to make them. They might find the tape a little dull. Also, the kids on this tape are just adorable, but a little older than the usual Sesame Street crowd (I'm guessing they're about 7 or 8). Obviously, they needed kids who were capable of doing the cooking-related tasks on the video, which leads me to believe that three or four year olds might not be able to "cook" as well as Elmo and his friends do here. But slightly older kids who wish they were Emeril and haven't outgrown Sesame Street are a perfect audience! The musical numbers here are a bit grating, but not as bad as all that. If you can get over the annoying voice of the Genie character who helps our friends in the kitchen, and ignore the unfunny food puns, you'll get to see Emeril give a brief lesson in pizza-making. To me, it looks like he'd rather be somewhere else, but maybe this is his usual expression. The kids do get to "bam" toppings on the pizza, by the way. The highlight of the video comes toward the very end, when the "Pocket Queen" (who writes this stuff?) teaches Elmo about pocket-shaped food. Her song about taking a chance and giving new things a try is great! Very pretty duet with Elmo, and a nice message to boot. I can forgive this tape its flaws for this wonderful two minutes. Writing: B-, Music: B+, Elmo-Onscreen-Time: A+
Rating:
Summary: Cooking with Elmo
Review: Very fun video. It teaches kids the joy of cooking and trying new foods. The movie has some good ideas for making certain snacks. I would recommend this movie to kids of all ages.
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