Baby Van Gogh

The company suggests the program is for toddlers between the ages of 1 and 4. Harsh sounds between segments--such as balloons popping and tires screeching--will draw the attention of youngsters but will probably render the video inappropriate for babes in arms. The video can be purchased by itself or with a beautifully produced 28-page book featuring Van Gogh's paintings, screen shots from the video, and Clark's poems. The combination set may be the best way to engage 3- and 4-year-olds' interest; they can follow along in the text while watching the video. Music includes "The William Tell Overture," "The Blue Danube," "Bolero," and Brahms's "Lullaby." The video also provides information on the cool toys seen in the ending "Toy Chest" segment. --Doug Thomas

Description
Color is an essential characteristic of the amazing world that surrounds children. BABY VAN GOGH(TM) is an enriching new approach to learning colors through the context of paintings by Van Gogh. This video follows the antics of Vincent Van Goat, the art-loving puppet, as he creates six masterpieces, each dedicated to a particular color. During Vincent's creative process you and your child can explore the way colors make us feel, see the presence of colors in familiar objects, and discover that paintings are combinations of many colors. This child-friendly excursion into the world of color is accented in classical music of the period by Bizet, Mussorgsky, Offenbach, Rossini, Satie, Strauss and Tchaikovsky.

If you are new to the Baby Einstein Company's products, I highly recommend them over the products of the competing companies (we have a VERY extensive childern's video library). The live-action visuals are far more engaging to infants and toddlers than the computer graphics and animation of other videos. In this respect (visually), Baby Van Gogh is even more dynamic than some of the earlier Baby Einstein productions - and certainly has a bit higher production quality. For babies under 6 months, however, I would recommend Baby Mozart as the best 'starter' in the series.

As with Baby Mozart, Baby Bach and Baby Einstein, my daughter (now almost nine months) cannot get enough of this video.


Best in Baby Einstein line so far!   August 22, 2002
Nikol Le Vine (San Diego, CA United States)
100 out of 101 found this review helpful

We have a number of the Baby Einstein videos in our home, but Baby Van Gogh is our hands-down favorite. There are a number of segments on each of the basic colors, showing toys and nature photography that feature those colors. There are children also illustrating the colors (a little girl holding a lemon, boys holding a blue umbrella, etc.). Some of the other Baby Einstein videos feature only girls in live-action shots, but Baby Van Gogh has an even mix of boys and girls. I doubt my son really cares one way or the other, but I liked that aspect. The music featured in this video/DVD is also impressive. There are selections from some classical favorites like the William Tell Overture or Bolero. It's nice to have some variety, as opposed to an entire video of Bach or Mozart. Another thing that impressed me about this video is the artwork they use to further illustrate certain colors. For each color, they have a different painting by Van Gogh (Starry Night for blue, Sunflowers for Orange, and so on). This video brings together so many different aspects and blends them together seamlessly: art, nature, music. At the end of the video, there is also a segment that details the toys shown throughout the program and their manufacturer. So in case you're impressed with any of the items featured, you can buy them for yourself. Truly, this video more than any other provides a complete "Baby Einstein" experience. It's sure to be a favorite in any home.


Great for infants!   July 30, 2002
History_of_Art_Geek (Phoenix, AZ)
37 out of 38 found this review helpful

As one who strongly supports reading to children, I was a "little" anti-TV for my youngster, until watching THIS video. Julie Aigner-Clark is a genius! Her innovative products, exceptionally creative, are designed to entertain children while they learn. "Baby Van Gogh," is no exception. With an imaginative approach, this instantly engaging video teaches colors through cleverly written text, and real world objects, while stimulating auditory senses with classically arranged musical pieces. My son was immediately mesmerized from the first viewing, two-months old, and remains fascinated to this day, now fourteen months old.

I heard about Baby Einstein products from friends, but did not become interested until I learned of the company's dedication to providing financial support to MANY children's charities such as the Autism Society of America, Ronald McDonald House, The Eden Institute, a leading school for educating autistic children, and a host of other organizations committed to children with special needs. I now own several Baby Einstein videos and most of the companion books - they are excellent educational tools.

Additional recommendations - "Baby Shakespeare," "Baby Mozart," "Baby Dolittle Neighborhood Animals," also, Richard Scarry's "BEST" videos are excellent for children 1 year and up.


Another toddler magnet !   December 19, 2000
Stefanie N (Schuyler, VA)
24 out of 25 found this review helpful

The videos of the Baby Einstein company have an effect on our 20-month old like no other (and this has been the case since he was 10-months old). He greets the puppets like old friends and is enraptured by the sights and sounds. I sense that part of the series' attraction is the simplicity of the visuals: bare backgrounds and one or two toys and puppets. These "toy tableaus" are interspersed with some lush nature photography in this video, but these segments are only at the beginning and the end. The music's instrumentation is pared down as well. For the very young it seems that a lot of videos ostensibly produced for them are too busy and too noisy.

As far as Baby Van Gogh in particular, it really has a lot of wonderful qualities. The idea of dividing it into "chapters" based on individual colors is great. Our child gets a whole color "experience", seeing it in toys,puppets, live action photos and of course the Van Gogh paintings (several of which were unfamiliar to me). The music is mostly rousing and danceable. The only annoying part (at least to this parent) are the space-agy music breaks between chapters. At least these are short.

Each color features a poem written and read by the filmaker Julie Clark. These emphasize the emotions of each color and are enjoyable--although "when I am blue I put some happy in my stew" irks me every time I hear it. This video is closest in spirit to Baby Shakespeare and would be an excellent follow-up to it. If I were intending to produce a toddler's video I would spend hours and hours studying the products of this company. They really have the touch.


Attraction of this one a mystery...   February 8, 2001
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

My 19 month old daughter was completely mesmerized by Baby Van Gogh when we first got it, although the attraction was a bit of a mystery for us parents. The content seems way too simple and there is no dialogue at all -- only single words "red", "yellow", "blue", etc. However, it seems to be just the right thing for very young children and my daughter has watched it over and over. I like that it is not connected to some syndicated character like Barney, and introduces famous artwork with a soundtrack of pleasant classical music. I feel the Baby Einstein series is a nice healthy thing to introduce to your babies and can see where it would be especially great for infants (I wish I would have bought it earlier!), but now that my daughter is old enough to follow a story line, I feel she will lose interest in the Baby Einstein format. I have purchased Baby Mozart but she doesn't seem as interested in it. I would highly recommend Baby Van Gogh and Baby Mozart for babies 0 to 18 months, whereas toddlers, (mine, at least) will be looking for more stimulation.