Your Baby Can Read: Early Language Development System
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Robert TitzerAudio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown)
Format: NTSC
Studio: Smart Kids Pubs
Movie Reviews of Your Baby Can Read: Early Language Development System
Movie Review: Sensible idea, shoddy execution
Summary: 3 Stars
I've now been using the starter DVD for a month with my daughter and my overall impression is that while this is a fine idea with a sound foundation (learning to read ultimately begins with memorization), the production quality does not jive with the cost-- $200 new.
I have experience with video and audio production, and these are unquestionably the two greatest weaknesses in an otherwise decent product. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say that the author tried to produce the work himself, or found a friend or relative who fancied themselves a "video professional", as I can't imagine a bona fide video production company still being in business if this is the level of work they produce.
I write this not because I'm a video purist or style nazi but because the production quality, in my view, has a noticeable and measurable negative impact on the intended purpose of the product--ie: To train the eyes to see actions and recognize words, to train the ear to listen to the sounds of words and to hear them spoken, and to combine these in a way that creates understanding in the child's mind.
Consider:
1. The video itself looks like it was shot by an amateur; the subjects themselves are lackluster (A partly cloudy day at the zoo? With the neighbors' kids at the park? This is the best they can do?), the lighting often makes the subject difficult to discern, the camera work is shaky and inconsistent, many scenes are far too rushed, and often the action being described is only secondary or incidental. It's much as if the video was shot first and that the addition of words was an afterthought.
2. It's commendable that the director chose to use children's voices in both the spoken and sung portions of the DVD, but didn't it occur to them that having young children speaking words is probably not the clearest way to have them understood? I would have preferred a soft, intelligible, well-enunciated woman's voice--or variety of more mature voices--forming the bulk of the spoken portions. As it stands, many syllables are slurred, rushed, or misspoken ("Hippopotamuses"?? Hippopotami! Good grief.).
3. While I applaud the editor for using the breadth and depth of every video transition available to them in the "amateur video effects bin", these are way too overused and also distract from the action being described--to the point of being downright confounding to the little one trying to decipher all these whizzing shots. On top of this, the production quality is flat, boring, and doesn't feel professional or even very well conceptualized (yes, I absolutely think I could have done it better myself).
4. The children's songs are a nice touch, but suffer from such poor visual execution that I'm led to wonder why they included them at all. And if you want the child to be able to read along, then the lyrics have to be displayed accordingly; as it stands this poor imitation of karaoke is utterly insufficient (no bouncing ball, and the timing is apparently a crap shoot).
Like I said, a fine idea, particularly the sliding card idea, but the DVDs make this not at all worth $200. Not even close. I haven't used any of the competing products out there but I'd guess they're of superior quality.
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