My kids have always been crazy about the Leap Frog DVD’s. We’ve spent many an afternoon together watching and learning about letters and their sounds over the years from cute characters Leap, Lily and Tad. Just before school began for the new year I ran out to our local store and snagged a copy of the brand new “Lets Go to School” movie for them to enjoy.

Initially I thought that Noah might be the only one interested in watching about starting school, however as the jazzy music and cute voices kicked in I found all three of my young boys (ages 8, 7 and 4.5) watching it together and giggling. Leap Frog marks it as appropriate for ages 3-6.

Here’s the premise of this video:
School starts tomorrow, and Tad and Lily are nervous! Join Tad, Lily and their magical firefly Edison as he shows them that the classroom is more nervous than they are! As the twins calm the blocks, globe, clock and more first-class characters, they build skills that help them get ready for school.

Preschool Skills: – Phonics skills – Counting – Animals

Special Features: – 5 sing-along songs – Interactive alphabet book – A sneak peek at Math Adventure to the Moon™

**If you purchase your copy online you can get FREE SHIPPING! Use promo code FSNDVD at checkout to receive free shipping on this item. *

Help your little learners get a hop ahead for the new school year with Leap Frog! – Daria

if you’ve read my past LeapFrog reviews then you know I’m a big fan of the Tag reader. My three-year-old loves using the Tag reader to hear the dinosaurs in T. Rex’s Might Roar really roar and the critters in Ozzie and Mack chatter away. The only problem is, he’s still a bit young to truly get the idea behind using the Tag for more than play, and perhaps that’s my fault for not spending more time with him. Then again, I’m all about learning through play so it’s been a great experience so far!

Even so, in the back of my mind I thought it would be nice if there were a similar product for the slightly younger set, of which I have two in our family. Not surprisingly LeapFrog had the same idea and now you can find the Tag Junior on store shelves. This cute, chunky, perfect-for-little-hands reader uses the same technology as the original Tag but its library is made up of board books (yay for board books!) and is designed for children ages two to four. Little ones can hear stories, sound effects and music every time they place, or “stamp,” the Tag Junior on the pages of a Tag Junior book. And the library includes everything from ABC’s to Dr. Suess to Winnie the Pooh.

We received the new Tag Junior for George to review, but alas, we had issues…and not with the reader itself. First we didn’t have any AAA batteries, and then I bout AAA rechargeable batteries but the charger wasn’t working. We finally got the charger working and then couldn’t find the Tag Junior. Found the Tag Junior and then couldn’t find the accompanying book, If I Were…—and we still can’t find the book. But I will say the Tag Junior is still a hit without the book. My almost-two-year-old loves the sounds it makes and its perfect even for her little hands. I so totally love our original Tag I am desperately looking for If I Were…. My little ones (and my older ones) are just as anxious as I am to see this little guy in action!

Like the Tag, the Tag Junior also lets you track your child’s progress with LeapFrog’s Learning Path. Learning Path lets you see what skills your child is learning and find related articles and activities to help them refine those skills. It is truly an awesome product and awesome program. And with weeks still left in summer, the Tag Junior is a great way to mix things up when it’s 100+ degrees outside and Blue’s Clues is no longer cutting it. The Tag Junior starter set is only about $35 for the reader and the book; additional books are only about $10. (Note: As of right now you can not use the original Tag on Tag Junior books.)—Emily

A while back I wrote a review about Little First Act Discovery’s Xander Xylophone and in the process discovered another of First Act’s product lines, First Act Discovery. First Act Discovery basically offers scaled-down versions of the company’s musical instruments so little hands can have an easier time strumming their strings.

The line includes guitars, from acoustic to electric, drums, tambourines, a grand piano and even an accordion! George received First Act Discovery’s 30” Mini Acoustic with a natural finish (pictured above on the right). This particular guitar is especially sized for younger musicians: “The classic dreadnought-shaped hardwood body is thin and comfortable with great sound and projection, while the hardwood neck features a zero fret to ensure low string height and excellent playability.” It also has steel strings, string post covers with handy little stickers and these little Learn-a-Chord cards, which you can slip under the strings as a sort of cheat sheet for learning chords.

The guitar was a big hit the minute it arrived. When George wasn’t walking all over the house with the guitar and practically sleeping with it I would catch my husband strumming away (see photo as evidence) and my 11-year-old daughter even taught herself a song. It held up fairly well to the abuse my three-year-old put it through, which included carrying it horizontally while walking down our narrow hallway no matter how many times I showed him a better way to do so. The guitar’s pick guard did start to peel away from the body and we did have to restring a couple strings, but considering what this baby went through, that’s not half bad.

I really love the idea behind the First Act Discovery line since I’m a big fan of music at an early age, but usually that means piano or violin or some other string instrument. It’s not often you find things like a “real” drum set, electric guitar or a super cool accordion sized for mini musicians! A 30” Mini Acoustic Guitar from First Act Discovery? $30. Watching George rock out to the Imagination Movers? Priceless!—Emily

Last September I reviewed LeapFrog’s uber popular (and for good reason) Tag reader. This little handheld reading wonder is still a big hit with all our kids, whether 18 months or 11 years, and we are continually adding books to the collection. Hint: it’s the gift that keeps on giving—and gives Grandma and Grandpa a great idea for birthdays!

Did you know March is National Reading Month? To be honest, I had no clue until I received an email from LeapFrog telling me about its latest effort “to bring attention to literacy and encourage families to make time to read together.” As if introducing the Tag reader to the world wasn’t enough, LeapFrog has launched its 1 Million Reading Hours campaign in conjunction with the NEA’s National Reading Month.

What is the idea behind the 1 Million Reading Hours campaign? By pledging to set aside at least 10 minutes a day, parents can contribute to the national goal of 1 million reading hours. But it’s not just about achieving a goal. When parents pledge to spend more time reading together with their children they reinforce the importance of shared reading time in their own family. So how does the program—and the giveaway—work? Here are the details:

Visit the 1 Million Reading Pledge page on LeapFrog’s site and enter the number of minutes you pledge to read per day. That’s pretty much it! All participants will receive special rewards and offers from LeapFrog—if they give you one on the Tag reader, use it! Now for the giveaway…and this is the super fabulous part. (Okay, spending quality time reading with your child is the “real” benefit, but let’s be honest…a giveaway doesn’t hurt!)

LeapFrog is giving one lucky Daily Dish reader:

• One Tag reader plus 5 books for personal use AND


• One expanded-memory LeapFrog School Tag reader plus 10 books to donate to their local library

To enter the giveaway you will need to visit the 1 Million Reading Pledge page and enter your pledge. (Yes, I mentioned this before but as we all know, some people don’t catch it the first time.) Then return to this post and leave a comment telling us how much time you pledged in LeapFrog’s 1 Million Reading Hours. On April 1st we will draw the winner from the comments posted below. (Please include a valid email address for our drawing.)

P.S. We’re not going to check LeapFrog’s records to see who really visited the site and made a pledge; we’re all about the honor system here at Boutique Cafe. Just know you’ll feel really guilty if you didn’t pledge and end up winning…

• Congratulations to Johannah B., the winner of the Tag Reader giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

When a package arrives at my home my three-year-old always asks, “Is it something for me?” You should see the downcast face when I answer, “No, this one’s for Mommy.” But when Little First Act Discovery’s Xander Xylophone arrived I could finally answer yes. Even though Xander was sent for “review” by my 18-month-old I had a feeling both would get a kick out of it.

Xander Xylophone is one of four musically inclined plush animals from Little First Act Discovery’s Music Learning Pals collection that helps baby learn music through songs and interactive play. It has a music learning mode with activities and messages, and then a song mode with eight sing-along songs and even a little clap-along fun. The songs are your well-known favorites like the alphabet song, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Xander has lots of fun ways you can listen and interact, like pressing his tummy to hear real xylophone sounds or pressing his hands and feet for ABCs, 123s and those fun sing-along songs. As cute as Xander Xylophone is he also serves a purpose: teaching children about music and fostering a lifelong love of music. He even introduces concepts like pitch, harmony and rhythm!

My little ones had no idea what they were getting into when they grabbed hold of Xander. They simply saw him as a fun, new stuffed animal. Of course my toddler, being the genius that he is, knew immediately there was more to Xander than lime green fabric and brightly colored pictures on his extremities. He got Xander going right away and we all had fun listening to the different songs. Even my older girls thought he was pretty cool. My 18-month-old’s favorite part was Xander’s tummy—she loved hearing actual xylophone sounds. (It was also the easiest part of Xander to press!) I was glad to finally have one stuffed animal that served some sort of purpose other than taking up precious toy room space.

Little First Act Discovery’s Music Learning Pals also includes Penny Piano, Parker Piano and Gilberto Guitar. You could have your own plush animal garage band! I’m all for introducing music to children as early as possible and Little First Act Discovery has found a great way to do so with their Music Learning Pals. Plus they have a wonderful lineup of other musical toys. (LOVE the Drop N’ Play Piano!) Now we’re just trying to figure out how get Xander to do a duet with my daughter, who plays the cello!—Emily

** Giveaway! Little First Act Discovery is giving away one of their fabulous musical toys to one lucky Daily Dish reader! Please visit their website and leave a comment telling us your favorite toy; include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: February 19, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Sky S., the winner of the Little First Act Discovery giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

I’ve reviewed a handful of DVDs from Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures collection and apparently they liked the reviews enough to keep sending us more. Mind you, I’m not complaining and neither are my kids, but who knew there were so many treasures in their collection! Today I’m giving you the lowdown on four titles, all of which the family has thoroughly reviewed (at least two or three times).

Where the Wild Things Are…and 5 More Stories by Maurice Sendak: This is one of my favorite children’s books, and it was a favorite long before Jeremiah at Z Recommends pointed out the deeper level at which you could enjoy it (scroll down to the fifth paragraph). This DVD features the title story plus five other Sendak treasures, including Into the Night Kitchen, which fascinated me the first time I read it. (See Jeremiah’s review of that story as well…wish I had read between the lines!). My kids loved this DVD, especially George who has yet to read Where the Wild Things Are. Guess I better add that to the library list! The disc also features a getting-to-know Maurice Sendak blurb and Spanish and French versions of Where the Wild Things Are.

Make Way for Ducklings…and More Delightful Duck Stories: I have to admit, I didn’t get a chance to watch this DVD in its entirety though I did catch the first story and loved it! Make Way for Ducklings is a best-selling children’s book and it was the first time I had seen it. How did I miss this classic?

Harry the Dirty Dog…and More Playful Puppy Stories: This was one of my kids’ favorite DVDs out of the group. It was slipped into the DVD player quite a few times, especially by my son. Perhaps it’s because Harry loves to be muddy and Dot the fire dog is such a hero, whatever the reason, he loved it!

Night Before Christmas…and More Classic Holiday Tales: I don’t generally do anything Christmas (besides a little shopping) before the day after Thanksgiving, but when this DVD arrived, my kids couldn’t wait to watch it, so I gave in (pretty easily). And I’m so glad I did, because not only did it feature the original holiday classic but also taught my children a little bit about Hanukkah (In the Month of Kisley), Kwanzaa (Seven Candles for Kwanzaa) and a Hispanic Christmas dinner (Too Many Tamales). A little culture at Christmas time is a really good thing!

To wrap up this review, we also had a chance to watch a new DVD from Shout! Factory, Jane and the Dragon: A Dragon’s Tale. The DVD is a compilation of the first five episodes from the TV show, and if you haven’t seen Jane and the Dragon, then you’re missing out, especially if you have little girls. In this kingdom, girls are raised to be ladies-in-waiting, but not Jane. This 12-year-old rescues the prince from a ferocious dragon (he’s really not that ferocious) and is granted permission by the king to train as a knight’s apprentice. Her new friend, Dragon, is the perfect sidekick. I love his humor! The series showcases some pretty awesome 3D animation and every story so far has had a nice moral to it. It’s one of the few Saturday cartoons worth watching.

Quality children’s programming is hard to find on TV; the same goes for movies. Consider gifting your children one or two Scholastic Storybook Treasures or a Shout! Factory DVD this holiday season. Remember Where the Wild Things Are—classic stories stand the test of time. —Emily

Playing tag was never my thing. I was too slow to tag anyone and therefore too slow to avoid being tagged. I was “it” for an unusually long time and never found the game fun. I’m also not a fan of those tags in shirts that just won’t stay tucked down no matter how hard you try. On the other hand, a price tag with a huge markdown is one of my favorite things. Right up there with a great sale is LeapFrog’s new Tag Reading System. Heck, it might even be better than that red-lined price tag!

We love LeapFrog’s line of educational toys. Our fridge is adorned with the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics set and my girls have thoroughly enjoyed SpongeBob SquarePants on their pink and purple Leapster. We had one of those LeapPad’s when they first came out and it was a big hit as well. When LeapFrog’s new Tag Reading System came out I knew we had to test it out and see if it were worth all the hype—yes, it definitely is! Actually, I think it could use even more hype so I’m happy to hype away!

The star of the Tag Reading System is the Tag reader, an easy-to-use handheld “pen” that helps bring books to life. With just a touch the words and pictures in the Tag books (over 20 in the collection) talk and sing, instantly engaging your child in the story. How does it work? A small, sophisticated infrared camera at the tip of the reader “reads” letters, words and symbols printed on the special dot-patterned pages of books. Designed for children ages 4 to 8 your little reader can choose to listen to an entire story, hear it read line-by-line or hear individual words. The Tag library is just as diverse, entertaining and educational as the Leapster games and includes some of our favorites like Olivia, The Little Engine That Could, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and even our ol’ pal SpongeBob.

But the Tag system is more than just a talking pen. Using your PC or Mac you can download each book’s audio, then drag and drop content onto the reader. You can also track your child’s progress with LeapFrog’s Learning Path. Okay, so maybe this Tag is even better than a great markdown.

The minute, and I mean the minute, we received our Tag Reading System my toddler was begging me to open it up so he could play with it—and that’s what I love about LeapFrog: learning becomes play. Though he isn’t quite three and still a little young to fully understand the ins and outs of system he thoroughly enjoyed using the Tag reader on the characters in the accompanying Ozzie and Mack book, listening to their exclamations and expressions and the wonderful sound effects hidden in the background. With Mom’s help G had fun with the extra educational activities in the book. G was anxious to “read” the other two books LeapFrog sent but my computer’s older system wasn’t compatible with the software. (Honey, if you’re reading this that’s your cue to upgrade my computer…)

With all the features and capabilities of the reader I cand tell this is a system that will grow with my child. For now he’s enjoying the voices and listening to the story in full. Before I know it he’ll be reading along with the words. I can’t wait! Even my older girls couldn’t wait for G to fall asleep so they could check the system out for themselves. (Mom had a turn too!)

If you’re taking a road trip be sure and pack your Tag Reading System. It’s even headphone compatible, and with 16 MB of on-board flash memory and a built-in USB port, you can upload up to five books at a time! I am so impressed with LeapFrog’s new Tag Reading System we’ve purchased three more books for G’s birthday in October bringing our Tag library count up to six. And with the holidays less than four months away I have a feeling our library will continue to grow.—Emily