 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Wonder Pets!
- By Wonder Pets
- Genre: Children's Music
Common Sense Media says
Three animals sing their way as they save the day.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that these 16 "mini-operetta" songs from the adorable Nick Jr. show are aimed at the preschool set. Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck, and Ming-Ming Duckling visit Switzerland, Mexico, England, the South Pole, and Ancient Egypt, encouraging teamwork as they rescue other animals. There are plenty of positive messages throughout the CD (doing things on your own, change can be good, putting garbage in a trash can, taking care of a tree by watering it and keeping it company by planting other things around it), and kids will love the happy tone of the songs. Parents should also know that the actress who plays Ming-Ming affects a slight speech impediment (substituting "w" for "r") that's a little grating and might be bothersome if their kid is dealing with speech issues.
What's the story?
WONDER PETS! encourages an exploration of many musical styles, builds vocabulary, and speaks to the imagination of preschoolers. Through their globe-trotting adventures saving the day, Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck, and Ming-Ming Duckling also stress mutual cooperation: "What's gonna work? Teamwork!" is their rallying cry. The sophisticated music on the show's soundtrack not only offers an operatic style, but also brings us a catchy calypso song ("To Be Free"), a Gilbert and Sullivan like offering ("Hug a Hedgy"), a Gershwin-style romp (the engaging title of "Wee Wee, Pee Pee, Tinkle"), and even a rap song ("City Garden Rap").
Is it any good?
Penned by some impressive talent -- Larry Hochman (Spamalot), Bobby Lopez (Avenue Q), and Robert Brown (Parade) -- each song on Wonder Pets! is a "mini-operetta" complete with a live orchestra playing an original score. Each sweet mini-story is just the right length to keep a preschooler's attention -- and kids will have a blast dancing and singing along.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the countries mentioned in the CD to learn more about them. What does the Sphinx look like? How cold does it get in the South Pole? What language do people speak in Mexico? Parents can also try singing to kids: "Go to bed!" or "Take a bath!" sound silly and funny when sung -- and kids might actually listen! This CD can be a starting point for introducing classical music to kids. They can listen to other music aimed at kids: Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, for example.
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AGE
Great lessons in geography, culture, music/opera, and TEAMWORK!
An OUTSTANDING children's show, with really cute animated, photo-realistic type animals, appealing to my youngest (age 3) to my oldest (age 9). The show primarily teaches the value of working together to solve problems and save "the animal in trouble", but also provides insight into specific geographic locations and their cultures, different locations featured on each show--from Greece to Venice, NYC to Hawaii. Your kids will also learn a bit about musical operettas as the characters sing through much of the show. All ends up with a celebratory munch on a piece of celery -- wholesome, joyous, insightful, an A+ to the creators of this fantastic show!! You will not be disappointed!
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AGE
its amazzzzzing
dude. im 13. and i LOVE the wonder pets. so do all my friends. its cool to act little. and the wonderpets are the coolest. i have apicture of lenny tuck and ming ming on my myspace too!
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AGE
A+ on music
I love the music! I find myself singing the theme song for the rest of the day after the kids have watched it. Teaching 2 boys to like opera is no easy task.
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AGE
Great for my 16 month old
At first I didn't want my daughter watching TV, but reality checked in, and I found myself searching for age appropiate shows (I always watch it with her). Wonder Pets, I wasn't really too much into it, but because of the repetition in the songs (both lyrics and music)... she actually "sings along" and does all the cheers at the right time. Not to mention, she loves to chew on celery (which is a big plus for me because she is a very picky eater). Amazing and almost scary on early their minds are influenced. Highly recommended to sit down and watch and sing with your toddler.
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| Artist: | Wonder Pets |
| Release date: | April 10, 2007 |
| Label: | Nick Records |
| Genre: | Children's Music |
| Parental advisory: | No |
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