Customer Reviews

Sesame Street: Learning About Letters

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are looking for an introduction to letters for your child, this is a wonderful video. Through entertaining skits and a variety of visuals, the Sesame Street Gang go through the alphabet while coming up with words that begin with each letter. The sequence of photos of street signs and billboards which zero in on each letter in order is a real favorite with our 28-month old and has led to his interest in street signs and letter recognition in our own neighborhood. The pace is leisurely enough for toddlers who are just learning sounds, yet contains enough music and animated sequences to capture the attention of squirmy kids--if you happen to have one of those. Please note: There is no Elmo in this video, which to my mind is a plus but may be a disappointment to rabid Elmo fans.

My 24-month-old son has a speech delay. He knows only about 15 words, even though he's been receiving speech therapy. Imagine my surprise, then, when he started holding up his alphabet blocks this week and saying the names of several letters out loud! I've been playing this video for him every morning while he eats his breakfast, and he's obviously been learning. He can say the names of about eight letters, and can identify most of the rest by pointing if I ask him to. He's now pointing at letters everywhere ... on the box of diaper wipes, in his books, everywhere ... and saying the names of the letters out loud. He loves this video, and so do I. It reminds me of the Sesame Street shows I used to watch when I was a child. (Put it this way ... I like this video so much, I'm buying a second one in case the first one wears out!)

This is the oldest, and probably the best, Sesame Street ABC video currently available on DVD. Big Bird and Telly Monster take us on a tour of the alphabet, illustrating each letter with a word. Intercut with this material are a variety of classic filmed and animated pieces. These include...

* Leana Horne sings the alphabet song
* Cookie Monster sings "C is for Cookie"
* An animation in which a fairy illustrated words beginning with F
* Kermit shows us how to draw the letter M.
* Cookie and Herry sing an M song about all the tasty food that begins with M.
* Ernie and Bert sing the L song.
* An animation in which a wizard transforms himself into things that begin with the letter R
* Letters Everywhere ( where the individual letters of the alphabet are identified in street signs -- a definite highlight for most toddlers )
* An animation illustrating the letter V in which a villian tries to steal a vase.
* A sweet, low key alphabet animation in which the letters are transformed from a variety of illustrations.

...plus some additional minor animations for letters such as G, H, K & O

The video ends with Luis reading a story about a king who banishes the letter P with predictible problematic results.

The fact that the entire alphabet is recited several times in different and entertaining ways makes this the most thorough, and likely most effective, Sesame Street ABC video. It's also notable that the video packs a great deal of quality material into a mere 30 minutes.

One final note, the video pre-dates Elmo which will be a plus or a minus depeding on your and your toddler's tastes.

My daughter got this as a gift when she was 1 and it was definitely too old for her. She loved SS, but the video was too slow for her. She's now 2, so I pulled it out and let her watch it the other day. She loves it! It's now her favorite video. She has a few other alphabet videos, but what's nice about this one is that it takes the next step and introduces words and a little phonics.

This is classic SS at its finest. They mangage to incorporate a lot of the classic letter cartoons and videos, while still showing the favorite characters thoughout the episode. A warning, though, this video does not have Elmo in it. I was worried that my daughter wouldn't watch it for that reason (she won't watch Follow that Bird or 1 2 3 Count With Me which stars Ernie), but she didn't seem to notice or mind. It stars Telly and Big Bird, but sill features Cookie Monster, Kermit, Snuffy and several others. After Big Bird and Telly run through the whole alphabet, it ends with a nice story being read, so kids can understand that the leters they just learned can form words and with words, you can create stories.

It's very clever and very well done. As a parent, I enjoy watching it since I remember watching a lot of the cartoons when I was little. If your child loves the alphabet and is eager for the next step but not ready for reading, then I'm sure they'll love this video.

My 21-month old has become a Sesame Street fanatic, with Cookie Monster being his favorite Muppet. He also has loved to recite the alphabet since he was around 16 months old. So I thought that this DVD would be a natural for him, and it was. Unlike the current Sesame Street show that airs on PBS or Noggin, this DVD has a few "retro" skits in it that I remember as a kid growing up in the 1970s (especially Cookie Monster's "C is for Cookie"), and unlike many other children's TV programs (Barney, Jay Jay the Jet, etc.), it doesn't dumb down learning for kids or broadcast midless pap that drives parents nuts. The plot of this DVD has Big Bird and Ernie hosting a celebrity roast honoring Cookie Monster. Some of the humor is right out of old "Muppet Show" episodes! I actually enjoy watching this with my son, and he has yet to grow tired of it.

I bought this video in 1989. My daughter loved this video and watched it over and over again. No kidding...by the age of 18months, she could not only sing the alphabet but could identify the letters!!! I totally attribute this to the Learning About Letters tape! It is great. I now have two more little ones and plan to purchase this tape for the second time!!!

I bought this tape for my little boy when he was 16 months old.
This is by far the best alphabet movie I have seen to date. It's not all annoying loud songs like so many of the movies are now. My son is allowed to watch one movie per day, and this is usually his first choice. Believe it or not, by 17/18 months he was saying the entire alphabet. His pediatrician was shocked at his 18 month visit! There are lots of neat songs and video clips from Sesame Street episodes from the early 70's I remember myself on this tape!

I'm an older mom of 4. I'd purchased this video for my first three older children and had since given it away. Who knew I'd have a fourth child so late in life? Knew this video was a must. Glad that I could find it again, every one of my older children learned their ABC's from this video. I remember the 'C' is for cookie sung by Cookie Monster, Bert singing La la la la lullaby and 'O' is for oatmeal, and the king that banished the letter 'P' from his kingdom. I remember this as if it were yesterday and it's been well over a decade! I could not recommend this more, every parent should own one, it really, really works!!!

Sesame Street has great content, but I am frustrated with the navigation issues (they are the same for many of the Sesame Street DVDs -- read reviews). You are forced to sit through commericals for Sesame Street, you can't fast forward or jump to the main menu. My toddler loses interest while I have to wait until the nav shows up to press the play button. Best to start the DVD and then wander back when you want to see it. A shame they messed it up -- the best kids DVDs go right to the menu.

Here is one of the first Sesame Street home videos, and also one of the best. Each letter is represented, and many are backed-up by classic skits from the early years. "C Is for Cookie" is here, as well as many other favorites! If you can only afford one Sesame Street video, this is one to think about! END