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. <I>--Tom Keogh

A delightful tool to help kids learn their letters, Richard Scarry's Best ABC Video Ever finds Busy Town pals Huckle and Lowly Worm discovering that it's Alphabet Day at school. Their teacher, Miss Honey, invites her students to join in a spirited rendition of "The Alphabet Song." Next comes a series of 26 vignettes developed around each letter and cleverly intertwined with Sergeant Murphy's investigation into the mystery of some stolen bananas. Simple, sweet, and as entertaining as it is instructive, this production exemplifies the great care put into the Richard Scarry video series. --Tom Keogh

Lily Bunny practices counting by starting with herself as one and working her way through her Busytown neighborhood until she counts 10 hatching chicks at Farmer Fox's farm. But the stakes rise when Lily's parents suggest she go for 11 through 20. This takes the help of Huckleberry Cat and Lowly Worm, and some adventures involving balloons, grocery store trips, and the like. The numerals appear on the screen each time Lily counts, and she recaps in song after counting to 10 and then to 20, making it easy for young counters to follow along. Richard Scarry's classic animated characters provide a fun and educational 24 minutes for kids ages 2 to 5. <I>--Kimberly Heinrichs

Huckle, Lowly Worm, and rest of the schoolchildren are inspired by their teacher's discussion about different kinds of occupations and what people in those fields do all day. The kids run to the schoolyard for some make-believe, playing at what they'd like to be when they grow up. Huckle becomes a grocer like his father, Freddie Fox a baker specializing in mud pies, and Rhonda Raccoon a truck driver delivering baked goods. Consistent with the usual excellence of the Richard Scarry video series, <I>Best Busy People introduces the concept of how a complicated society functions, with everyone's job having an impact on everyone else's. The jokes are funny, the songs are sweet, and Scarry's popular book What Do People Do All Day? makes great supplementary reading. --Tom Keogh

A big hit with kids as young as 2 years old (though preschoolers tend to find it absolutely hilarious), Best Silly Stories and Videos begins with Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm making their way to a library, where they check out a book about silly stories, three of which come to life. Forgetful Mr. Rabbit strolls into fresh tar, extracts himself, and vows never to ignore his surroundings again--all while heading toward the edge of a dock. The next tale is a series classic about the incompetent Mr. Fix-It and his confusion over sorting out the pieces of broken toys. (He manages to make a cuckoo clock ring like a bell, a fire truck cry "Mama," and a doll screech like a siren.) The last vignette concerns a father and his twin children, who get into numerous misadventures when Dad leaves his glasses behind somewhere. Kids love it when they see the hapless pop mistake a succession of vehicles--including a fire truck and a banana mobile--for his own car. The songs scattered throughout this video also have comic appeal. --Tom Keogh

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

Contains 6 episodes: -The Best Christmas Present Ever -Santa Needs Help -Abe and Babe's Christmas Lesson -Sally Cat's Christmas Dream -The Big Apple Christmas Caper -The First Skis Ever

Contains 6 Episodes: -Captain Willy and the Pirates -Young Vikings -Roughing It -Sniff Saves the Queen -Hilda the Director