Search - Various Artists :: 101 Toddler Favorites

Great buy! Great choice!

Pizor | London, England | 08/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I searched and searched for some fun kids music that my 6 month old would enjoy, but wouldn't drive me up a wall. I found the individual CDs that make up this set (try searching for Music for Little People), which I was all set to buy, but then I found this boxset for half the price.



It's too bad Amazon doesn't let you listen to any of the songs because they're really quite good. There are several different singers, so you don't get sick of the same voice for 4 discs. It's mainly adults singing, but there are some children, too. Don't be scared off, however, the kids really add to the richness of the CD. It's nothing like the obnoxious CDs with a bunch of out of tune kids screaming along. Instead, they use the kids almost as separate instruments. For instance, the very first song on the first CD has the cutest little girl (I'm guessing about 3 yrs old), singing the first line of The Wheels On The Bus, then she stops and says, 'oops, I think I better wait for the music.' Then the song starts up with an adult singing. In another song, the singer asks if you can think of a rhyme, then you hear a kid chime in. Otherwise, you really don't notice the children.



As for the lyrics, they pretty much stick to the originals. There are some variations, but you often get that with folk songs. The only song I noticed that was drastically altered was Rock-A-Bye Baby. It's pretty awful, but one song out of 101 isn't bad.



I'll warn you, though, the songs very quickly work their way into your head. My husband and I were singing Monkeys on the Bed all weekend. But the important thing is that my daughter loves the CDs. She's obviously too young to really get into them or sing along, but when we were in the car and she was getting fussy, we started playing the CDs and she quickly calmed down. I think the boxset is definitely one she'll grow to appreciate as she gets older."

I Can't Take It!

Sofiasmum | Germantown, TN | 09/26/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I got these CDs based on some reviews, but I can not take the singing. There are far too many little kids singing, and the adults are no better. It is WAY too gimmicky. If you want just traditional songs sung nicely, this is not the set for you! I am going to copy the songs I like and make my own CD - I think there are maybe 2 songs per CD I'll use! BAD!"

Diverse selection of songs, but not crazy about the toddler

JeFaMe | Georgia | 01/18/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This collection offers a huge selection of just about any children's tune you grew up with. Some songs I'd even forgotten about. The collection offers songs that represent the various regions and ethnicities that make up American culture--African-American folksongs, traditional English songs, and bluegrass-inspired songs of the South, for example. And, many of the adult performers do great silly versions of songs which children no doubt enjoy.



However, I give it 3 out of 5 stars because some of the children recorded in this collection are simply too young to articulate words and carry a tune. Throughout the cds, you hear "toddler speak" (or yelling) rather than actual singing. I have other cds of children singing and singing well, where the lyrics are easily understandable. I play music for my 13-month-old daughter to entertain her--to make her smile, clap, and dance--but I also want to enhance her musical and language development. I would prefer that she learn and be influenced by children singing intelligible songs on key. With that said, there are some songs in this collection that feature children from ages 5-10 that sing perfectly fine. I just find myself hitting the forward button (especially while driving), skipping the probably 15-20 songs with toddler vocalists."