My family & I are in love w/ all the Putamayo Playground CDs!! Not only are we being exposed to music from all over the world, we are listening to ENJOYABLE children's music. These CDs have really spoiled me, it is hard to go back to more "traditional" children's music after listening to these amazing CDs! I can't wait to see what they come out w/ next.

I bought this album when my son was only a few months old but then we moved and I didn't get around to unpacking all my CD's. I finally put this on for him (he is 18 months old now)and this is by far his favorite CD. I have a good collection of Raffi, classical, Sesame Street (35 yrs on the street), etc. but this is the only one that ENGROSSES him completely. The other CD's he listens to in the background, this one he stops whatever he's doing and stands and listens, dances, chants and it just absorbs him. I sometimes think that kids like what they hear the most because repetition is so important to how they learn at this age, but I don't play this anymore than the others, he just is really interested in it. I'm going to get world playground 2 today!

Before becoming a stay at home mom I worked in a Child Development Lab with infants and toddlers. Every child we had, from age 8 months to 3 years, absolutely LOVED this CD! It is great to dance to, to make art to, to have on while you eat, everything! Those little kids heads would just be-bop away, and mine would, too! It has great rhythms, fun words (even when you can't pronounce them!). The insert that tells the stories behind and the the English words to each song is very interesting! I could listen to this CD every day, more than once a day. I always said it would be a great CD to clean the house to! I am ordering it for my 2 year old and cannot wait for the shipment to arrive!

This CD is simply a great mixture of all sorts of cool stuff. It's multi-layered: kids can enjoy it on one level, adults can maybe get a little deeper in the meanings behind some of the songs.

Take "Bongo Bong," a recording by Manu Chao from France. It's an upbeat, boppy song, just asking the listener to get up and move. But the theme--listen to the words, and it's bittersweet, about a silly little monkey who comes to the big city to share his music only to find that no one appreciates it, and if he wants to continue--he has to do it for himself, for the simple love of performance. I don't know anything about Manu Chao, but WOW that song is ridiculously moving.

And also great to dance to.

With some world music productions, the music starts to sound the same to me, or starts to hit the same note--or there's something in it that makes me think that the producer is well-meaning, but doesn't really understand the artists or what they are trying to do.

This CD--it's the kind of thing you can listen to over and over again, because each time you catch a new song, or play with a new level of meaning.

A lot of fun, and I am enjoying very much sharing it with my family.

This is a great CD to foster an interest in world music for young people at home or in the classroom. It is also good to promote an appreciation for other cultures.

The collection of songs are very diverse and are sung in an array of languages. In addition to the four songs sung in English, you'll also hear songs sung in Spanish (two of them), Mandingo, Pitjantjatjara (an Aboriginal language), Greek, Portuguese and Hebrew.

The extensive liner notes take you through each song complete with lyrics and a story behind the song. If the song is not sung in English, the lyrics are provided both in English and the original language.

The liner notes are written in plain English, so that elementary school age children can understand them. For example, "Three Little Birds," performed by blues legend Taj Mahal and Cedella Marley Booker (Bob Marley's mother) is described as "a reggae song about three birds who sing a song of hope." [Of course the same song was made popular in the 1970's by Bob Marley & the Wailers.] Unusual words include pronounciation and many songs include a glossary as well. So not only can a child sing along, but her or she can learn what a "tuckerbag" (food sack) is or learn to pronounce Pitjantjatjara (piddin-JAH-ra).

Now what about the music you say? It's all first-rate. For little kids, the best tracks are probably, "Three Little Birds" and "Bongo Bong." The latter was recorded by Manu Chao from France (but recorded in English). Older kids might appreciate "Tik Tik Tik," sung in Greek by Glykeria. It describes the nervous feeling one has when he or she becomes infatuated with someone.

What's also nice about this CD is the diversity of themes. There are light and playful songs, but there are also ones with a more somber tone. For example, "Zichronot M'Africa" (Memories of Africa), sung by Shlomo Gronich and the Sheba Choir (in Hebrew), tells the story of Ethiopian Jews who were flown in huge airlifts to Israel during 1991's "Operation Solomon."

In short, "World Playground" will entertain and inform your child about the world. Adults will also get a lot out of the CD and may learn new things as well. I certainly did. What a joy to make a discovery with a child? Seriously consider taking this musical journey.