Richard Scarry

I first introduced the Richard Scarry animation to Zerlynde when she was barely one year old. She has truly loved them since. It's such a funny sight looking at her while she watches especially the Mother Goose one. She's so familiar with some scenes that she practically acted them out at exactly the same time as the characters in the animation, saying "please", "hi", "bye", screaming out loud, weeping, waving her hands, nodding, shaking her head and doing all sorts all at the right time. She even kisses me everytime mother kisses Huckle goodnight. Now if this alone is not an incentive for me to accompany her each time she watches this animation, I don't know what is...


A great way to introduce or underscore the value of Mother Goose, this video uses a simple story about Huckle Cat's search for his missing friend Lowly Worm as a platform for enjoying the famous rhymes. While his mother sings lullabies, Huck wishes on a star that he could find Lowly soon, a wish that carries over into his subsequent dream of traveling through Mother Gooseland. There he meets familiar characters--Old King Cole, Little Miss Muffett, Little Bo Peep--who sing their own rhymes. It's Old King Cole who sends Huck directly to Mother Goose for help. This is a good video for assorted ages. Toddlers are easily enchanted by the cadence and rhymes of Mother Goose material, while the 2-to-5-year-old set can enjoy the story, too. The rest of us can appreciate the wonderfully busy animation and the touching tale of a boy's search for his friend. --Tom Keogh

Needless to say, Zerlynde learned about shapes and quite a few words from the Best Learning Songs ever and I am quite sure she learned the actions to the songs "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" from this video as well.


A painless way of learning a few things about shapes, numbers, letters, opposites, and good manners, Best Learning Songs Video Ever is an engaging treat for young kids who love music. The story finds Huckle Cat and his buddies putting on a backyard variety show that draws the entire town as an audience. With Huck as master of ceremonies and Lowly Worm as stage manager, the children of Busy Town entertain their families and friends with tunes about the fundamentals of an education. Besides Hilda Hippo's ABC song, there's Oly Owl's melody about shapes, and Alex and Anna's song about opposites. There's much more, including a couple of golden oldies such as "If You're Happy and You Know It." A real winner. --Tom Keogh