Rating: 
Summary: Blends imagination and education while teaching children.
Review: All-Star endorsement from the Coalition for Quality Children's Media in the Fairy Tales, Literature and Myth Category. KIDS FIRST! Adults: Beautiful, informative, inspiring. Superb mixture of animation, photographs and live action. One of the best we've seen. Wonderful story. KIDS FIRST! Kids: Most kids loved it. It held their interest, they were glued to the screen. "I loved this video, I want to be Linnea." "I'm an artist like Monet." Find out more about KIDS FIRST! and the Coalition for Quality Children's Media...
Rating:
Summary: A Meditation
Review: April 28, 2004I first came upon this charming short in the Children's Room of the Donnell Library, part of the NYPL. I was intrigued by a film for children explaining Monet, one of the harder artists to explain in art appreciation terms for young people. I was not disappointed. This short from Sweden with English-language dubbing has a number of subtle qualities: a mediation on a well-known but elusive artist and his life; the relationship between Linnea, a curious and sometimes feisty child of about 9 or 10, and her upstairs neighbor, the kindly Mr. Bloom (Blomquist in Swedish), just the right friend and mentor a young person should have to introduce them to art, and on the French countryside they encounter at Giverny, a character in itself. Unusual and charming, Linnea could be introduced to other artists in future films but then the style and content might become formulaic. Better to leave them both in Monet's Garden. The animation is quiet and unobstrusive and would be good to introduce American children to, accustomed to more fast-moving and louder styles.
Rating:
Summary: A Meditation
Review: April 28, 2004 I first came upon this charming short in the Children's Room of the Donnell Library, part of the NYPL. I was intrigued by a film for children explaining Monet, one of the harder artists to explain in art appreciation terms for young people. I was not disappointed. This short from Sweden with English-language dubbing has a number of subtle qualities: a mediation on a well-known but elusive artist and his life; the relationship between Linnea, a curious and sometimes feisty child of about 9 or 10, and her upstairs neighbor, the kindly Mr. Bloom (Blomquist in Swedish), just the right friend and mentor a young person should have to introduce them to art, and on the French countryside they encounter at Giverny, a character in itself. Unusual and charming, Linnea could be introduced to other artists in future films but then the style and content might become formulaic. Better to leave them both in Monet's Garden. The animation is quiet and unobstrusive and would be good to introduce American children to, accustomed to more fast-moving and louder styles.
Rating:
Summary: My 2.5-year-old LOVES this!
Review: As a fan of Impressionist art, I eyed the Linnea books and video before I had kids. Found it on sale and gave it to my 2.5-year-old for Christmas last year. Thought it would be a long time before he'd be interested. Wrong! He asks for this video EVERY day. Apparently it reaches him on some level, and it's a video I think he'll get more from as the years go by. I love the way they blend real photos of Monet, Giverny, and the art with the cartoon. Its low-key production is very refreshing in an age where children are bombarded with special effects from the earliest ages.
Rating: 
Summary: Lovely Video!
Review: Beautiful video. No violence, no kiddy life lessons, no exaggeration or ultra fast paced frames and noise. A lovely video about a young girl and her friend, Mr. Bloom who take a trip to Monet's garden in Paris, France. Alternates between shots of Monet's paintings and gardens and animation. Interesting, informative and gentle. The pace is moderately slow - yet refreshingly calm and....real (a 'real life' exchange/dialogue between two friends on a trip). No flashes or crashes - just a lovely little gem of a video.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely Video!
Review: Beautiful video. No violence, no kiddy life lessons, no exaggeration or ultra fast paced frames and noise. A lovely video about a young girl and her friend, Mr. Bloom who take a trip to Monet's garden in Paris, France. Alternates between shots of Monet's paintings and gardens and animation. Interesting, informative and gentle. The pace is moderately slow - yet refreshingly calm and....real (a 'real life' exchange/dialogue between two friends on a trip). No flashes or crashes - just a lovely little gem of a video.
Rating:
Summary: My all time favorite video!!!!
Review: I am an elementary art teacher & use this video while teaching Claude Monet. I never tire of watching it, & neither do the kids. I use it in my third grade curriculum, but kids in grades 4-6 request to see it again & again! I also use the book of the same name which is nearly identical to the video. It is 30 minutes long, just right for young attention spans, and allows time at the end of class to make lily pads & flowers "from Monet's Garden"! My favorite lesson. :o)
Rating: 
Summary: dull
Review: I bought this video after reading all of the reviews. My daughter grew up with Barney and other TV shows, loves Disney animated films and is generally an aficionado of the visual television/movie medium! I was worried that the pace of this might be too slow and that the criticism mentioned by one reviewer would apply in my daughter's situation. I wanted her to "learn" about Monet, however, so decided to try it out. She's not an artist and loves action-packed videos, but still loved this video. She immediately identified with Linnea (but laughingly said Linnea is more polite than she!) and loved the interaction with the old man, Mr. Bloom. She was entranced with the glimpses of Monet from photographs and paintings intertwined with the video. Linnea helped her see how the paintings looked "splotchy" up close but were beautiful impressions when viewed from further back. The only criticism I have is that the mouths don't quite move appropriately with the words being said! This is distracting (and is no doubt why some reviewers thought the video was poor quality). It didn't bother my six year old, however, and after a while, I didn't notice it either. The video brings Monet to life by the appreciation of his work that it engenders. Its peaceful feeling and pace mesh with the subject and enhance understanding.
Rating:
Summary: A StoryBook Video
Review: I bought this video after reading all of the reviews. My daughter grew up with Barney and other TV shows, loves Disney animated films and is generally an aficionado of the visual television/movie medium! I was worried that the pace of this might be too slow and that the criticism mentioned by one reviewer would apply in my daughter's situation. I wanted her to "learn" about Monet, however, so decided to try it out. She's not an artist and loves action-packed videos, but still loved this video. She immediately identified with Linnea (but laughingly said Linnea is more polite than she!) and loved the interaction with the old man, Mr. Bloom. She was entranced with the glimpses of Monet from photographs and paintings intertwined with the video. Linnea helped her see how the paintings looked "splotchy" up close but were beautiful impressions when viewed from further back. The only criticism I have is that the mouths don't quite move appropriately with the words being said! This is distracting (and is no doubt why some reviewers thought the video was poor quality). It didn't bother my six year old, however, and after a while, I didn't notice it either. The video brings Monet to life by the appreciation of his work that it engenders. Its peaceful feeling and pace mesh with the subject and enhance understanding.
Rating: 
Summary: You'll have to be an artist to appreciate this.
Review: I purchased this video for my two young daughters (1-1/2, and 4) based on all the positive 5 star reviews I read, but unfortunately, I don't share the same enthusiasm for this video. If your kids grew up with Barney, Elmo, and Sesame Street, and Disney videos, this video is probably not for them. The animation is low budget, and there is nothing captivating about the video. No songs, no dance, no action...just dialog between the girl and the older man. Unless you appreciate art or know who Monet is, this is not the kind of video that you or your child would appreciate. This video is more educational than entertaining. Compared to all the other children's videos that my kids have seen, this one is downright boring.
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