Description:
Yes, it's possible your baby may try to teethe on the mouse at first. And you can pretty much count on your child occasionally bringing her or his fists down on the keyboard with a smashing degree of force. Yet once your kid begins participating in the muppet-happy fun and learning opportunities packaged into Sesame Street Baby & Me, you'll surely risk a little wear and tear on your hardware. A joint project between the tech and design wizards at the Learning Company and the wise educators and artists at the Children's Television Network, this CD is an impressive example of what an adaptive medium the interactive CD can be. Graciously hosted by popular Henson muppets such as Elmo, Zoe, and Big Bird, this parent-child program bubbles along gently and merrily from games of "Peek-a-Boo" to "Do What I Do" to "Silly Songs." Transitions from screen to screen and activity to activity are handled slowly and calmly, just as a baby needs. ("Are you saying bye bye?" Big Bird asks. "Okay, bye bye.") While the parent navigates, the child discovers the power of the mouse (to "rake up" screens full of autumn leaves, or "unwrap" presents) as well as the effects of the keyboard buttons (to make Elmo pop up in "Peek-a-Boo" or advance to new letter pictures in an alphabet game). The only disappointment in this CD is the absence of any nod to urban culture or childhood emotional education that the Sesame Street television show handles so beautifully. Indoors and out, all the scenes have a rather bland and homogenized look. As well, there are only one or two moments that display CTW-style wit (Elmo's relationship to the doe-eyed Baby Natasha is the best). Here's hoping they crank up the playfulness, emotional sensitivity, and world culture references in version 2. (Ages 1 to 3). --Jean Lenihan
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