My son Seamus loves watching the Adventures in France DVD, which delights me as a parent and teacher!
The use of puppet characters and friendly toddlers is perfect for young learners. Moreover, the pace of each French theme (fashion, pastries etc.) is perfect--not too fast and over-stimulating, but fully engaging nonetheless.
I originally showed this DVD in our local "French Play group," for cultural exposure reasons but thanks to the French and English option, Seamus also watches this DVD to learn basic words (in English) as well.
Kate, Mother of a 19 month old boy, Baltimore, MD
I would compare your Adventures in Mexico DVD to the Baby Einstein DVD's, but I honestly liked yours better. There was more "real world" content, and having the geography tie-ins was very cool because the kids got more out of it and asked questions. It got them thinking about people and places as opposed to just "things". They absolutely loved watching the kids dance in costume. And also no seemingly gratuitous shots of "kids of the owner" (which always bothered us about the Baby Einstein DVD's). After watching the DVD one weekend, we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch!
Scott, Father of three, Pennslyvania
My kids have been playing with Tot Talk's France and USA placemats all evening (drawing on them and looking at the map)... we LOVE them.
Susan, Mother of two French-American boys ages 4 and 3
I was delighted to see the delight of my children when they sat down to watch the video that is included in this set. They loved the characters, the actions, the songs, and became not only engrossed in the movie, but involved.
To read the full review by the Family Review Centerclick here
Introducing a young child to a second language can be difficult to do, as it is hard to find products which really cater to a very young audience. With Tot Talk's series you will not have any concerns about an early introduction again. Not only does this teach children the basics of the language, but also introduces them to the culture.
To read the full review by the Family Review Center click here
My cousin bought the Discover France DVD for my son and he absolutely loves it! Thank you for such a great product!
Julie T, California
Our family loves Tot Talk's Country Map Placemat. My children enjoy learning about our country and its place among the continents of the world. The brightly colored graphics of the United States map invite questions about animal life, plant life, and industry across the country. And, the erasable pen makes the placemat interactive and easy to clean! I'm happy that Tot Talk offers a product that makes learning fun for kids.
Dawn, Mother of a 5 year old girl and two boys ages three and one.
I've tried almost all of the videos out there - Baby Einstein, Baby Genius, and Brainy Baby.. While my son will occasionally watch one of their videos, he seems so much more interested in your Mexico & France DVDs. He will watch the entire video and what's funny is that as soon as I pop it in and he hears the music, he's walking over to me from the other room! I was looking for something different and I found it! Your DVDs have saved me! Thank you, thank you for creating educational videos about our countries - what a great idea! It's nice to learn about other cultures, as well as hear their music. We are anxiously awaiting your DVD about Italy!
Lisa, Mother of four, including happy 14 month old boy
This Mexico DVD is so well scripted, has a lot of variety, super-cute kids and outfits, great cultural references, interesting images, fun music... basically, it's great. Add to that the fantastic name and the great cover, and we think it is a winner.
Phil, Greek-American Dad of two children ages 4 and 1
My 19-month-old daughter loves the France DVD. She is mesmerized by it and literally asks for it every day, pointing at the TV saying "video video video". She giggles, laughs, points out and verbally identifies different things in the video (colors, animals, actions, etc.) I love watching her delight in the video and I enjoy watching with her while talking her through the different scenes. She likes watching it in either English or French. The music is terrific and we both enjoy listening to it. My favorite part is watching her jump off the couch to dance her version of the "can can" at the end of the video.
Heidi, American mom of a 19-month-old daughter, CA
We sell a high proportion of these DVDs to schools - for lessons aimed at 5 - 8 year olds. These are appropriate for older children, even if the intial target is ages 1-4. Well done!
Catherine Laslett, Director, Little Linguist Ltd.
The instant this Mexico CD is played, my two kids run, jump, sway and dance around the room, exhibiting dramatic facial expressions that parallel the mood of the song. My older son learned how to turn on the CD player and increase the volume thanks to this CD.
American Mom of two children ages 4 and 1.5
My 14-month old daughter never gets tired of watching the France DVD. She has watched it since she was six months old. She gets really excited watching the puppets and at the same time she also learns from watching the bigger kids on the show. She now likes to put on hats and be all pretty in front of the mirror. I think this DVD is better than all of the Baby Einstein DVDs. We have already ordered the new DVD, "Adventures in Mexico".
Yolanda, California
I gave my 5 year old niece the Tot Talk Mexico and France placemats and they were an instant hit! She is taking Spanish and loved the Mexico placemat. Later, we watched Ratatouille and then searched for Paris on the French placemat. Maybe even more popular was drawing all over the back of both with erasable markers. These have created some good hours of entertainment.
Melanie, Aunt of a five year old, CA
My 20 month old son begs to watch this DVD. We watch it together and he repeats words said. When the "cheese" scenes play, he makes me get him a cheese stick! It's the only DVD he watches from beginning to end, again and again. We would love a CD with the music, which is beautiful.
I bought the Mexico DVD and placemat for my daughter (almost four). My daughter is not a big TV watcher so I was gladly surprised when she asked to watch it again, and then again! She had an "ah-ha!" moment when she recognized that the placemat pictures were also in the DVD. She's been really excited for our upcoming trip to Mexico and when her Dad came home she pointed everything out to him on the placemat and said "when we go to Me-hi-ko Daddy, we're going to see a pinata because they have it right here on the map!" Given my daughter is not a big TV watcher and usually gets bored really fast with things on screen, this is really a testament.
Colleen, American Mom of a 3 year old
My daughter unfortunately has Hand-Foot-Mouth disease on top of a nasty cold and cough. Poor thing is miserable. The things that seem to keep her content are your videos! She keeps asking for them, alternating between "bok bok" (chicken), France DVD, and "donkey," the Mexico DVD. I think we've watched each one at least 2x/day if not more. Clearly, any video watching limits are out the window while she's sick. When we play the France video, I ask her if she wants English or French when we get to that screen and she always asks for "French". I love it. We do not speak French at home. She is learning many new words thanks to these videos. Thank you for your mini cure! This is my second testimonial because this is all she is asking for all day!
Heidi, Mom of a 20 month old
I have to tell you about my son's reaction to your placemats. He thoroughly enjoys them. The day after we purchased them, I was wearing my Eiffel Tower necklace which gave me a great opportunity to talk to him about France and our honeymoon we took there. We talked about the Eiffel Tower and what it was, we found it on the map which was so exiting to him. The word honeymoon was such a funny word to him. Each meal after that he only wanted the France placemat and pointed out the Eiffel Tower, giggling about the word "honeymoon". Our next conversation was about where Grandmaman and Grandpapa live in Switzerland and the train ride we took to Paris. So now he talks about both stories before, during and after our meals. I can't thank you enough for creating these placemats. They have enabled us to expand our 4 year old's mind into travel and geography with our own family stories. I can't wait for your next creation. I truly think your DVD and placemats are wonderful!!!
American mother and Suisse father of two boys ages 4 and 1.5
We just received the French placemats as gifts and my daughters love them! You have done it again Tot Talk! We are huge fans of the Discover France DVD and now the placemats too! The placemats are not only fun, but they are also educational. My daughters have so much fun looking at the pictures and learning the words in French. What a great addition to your product line. We look forward to seeing more to come!
French speaking mother of 2 and 3 year old daughters, CA
I strongly recommend these French placemats: they are "magnifiques!" 5 star rating! Tot Talk French placemats are accurate, colorful, fun, easy to understand and interpret, sturdy, easy to clean and carry! As cultural elements, not only are they a great introduction to French geography and culture, they also associate gastronomy to art and elegance to refinement, which are, by excellence, part of the authentic French way of life. Their quality and their price make them a true gem for parents and children alike as they are easy to clean and play with (using washable markers, children can draw in the back) and at the same time very affordable (they'll make original and fantastic presents). As a mother of 2 French-speaking children, a French language program owner and teacher, I immediately recognized the linguistic and cultural value of these exceptional placemats as well as their versatility: they can be used in the classroom and at home, they are both entertaining and educative, they are appealing to the eyes and engaging for toddlers, older children and even grown-ups. I have already bought many placemats and will continue to do so for my students, family and friends!
Dr. Diala Toure
French language program owner, teacher and mother of 2.
WOW!!! We just loved your DVD!!! (All four of us.) My 16 month old and I watched the English version. He is normally just not interested in TV. That all changed with your DVD. He stayed sitting watching it for a long time. He just loved it and got so excited many times. He was pointing to the TV and talking about what he saw (babbling to me). And he was dancing when he saw dancing. It was so fun to see him enjoying it! Then, my three year old watched the French version while I fixed dinner. He just loved it too! He started saying some of the French words and he danced to the music. I had looked for something like this long ago and didn't find anything. What a wonderful idea and what a wonderful job. It is so professional and entertaining.
Lori, Alain, Jonah (3) and Colby (16 months)
Our daughter Ainsley, who is one, just loves her Tot Talk France video. The little mouse is her favorite character, and we wanted to know if you sell any of the puppets. We also can't wait for the Mexico video. We've tried to acquaint Ainsley with Spanish at an early age.
Heather, Mike and Ainsley Madden
My daughter loves the Tot Talk Discover France DVD. It's amazing how she already relates to the characters (especially the cow). She recognizes the DVD box and usually chooses it out of the pile of DVDS (which include Baby Einstein, Clifford and other). She is now able to repeat some of the words either in English or French. I can't wait until we have our vacations with her French grandfather. He'll be so proud! We also can't wait for the Discover Mexico DVD.
Livia, Brazilian Mother of a 16 month old daughter
My 3.5 year old loves the DVD. I observe him watching it and am amazed at how transfixed he is throughout the entire video.
American father of a 3.5 year old boy. Oakland, CA
I don't know what my daughter ever did before the Tot Talk France DVD! She asks for it daily. She says "No Sesame Street. want to watch Tot Talk". This DVD is really well thought out and perfect for exposing my young daughter to the French culture. She really enjoys the humor and the music. She loves it and I feel good that she is learning about France.
Jeanne, American-Vietnamese descent, French speaking mother of 2 year old daugther, CA
Our 2 1/2 and 3 year old grandchildren are absolutely transfixed by the video, and like to watch it in either English or French. For some reason, they think parts of it are extremely funny, and ask to watch the video again and again.
Francie, Grandmother of two toddlers, Portland, Oregon
This DVD should be in all preschools\libraries! It is a fantastic educational material whose cultural, linguistic and pedagogic relevance are striking. As a French mother, a scholar and the co-founder of French Fast, a French language center for children in San Mateo, I have observed my kids being totally mesmerized by Tot Talk. According to me, this DVD is the first of its kind to unravel French culture and language to children in such a fun and interactive way. Tot Talk enables parents and teachers to help children easily develop awareness and appreciation for a foreign culture and language through nursery rhymes, puppetry, real-life settings, and much more. Bravo! I strongly recommend this DVD and I sincerely hope that it will be soon available to many families and schools.
Diala, Co-founder of French Fast, a French language center for children, scholar, and French mother of two boys ages 3 and 1. San Mateo, California. www.playgroupsunlimited.com
As a retailer, I was so impressed when a mother who purchased the DVD from my boutique took the time to call me to tell me how much her six-month old loved the DVD.
Mary Ann, Incidental Boutique, Pendleton, Oregon
As a French pre-school teacher, I was naturally interested in what this video had to offer. I purchased it to compliment the curriculum and expose the children to even more French culture. Overall, the reviews are postive on the educational DVD. Congratulations! The children laughed quite a bit throughout the DVD, which proves they were engaged and entertained. They loved the balking sounds of the chicken. They repeated the dispalyed words being taught. All the children sang along with the childrens's songs since they have learned them here at preschool. One two-year-old who never sits through any children's programs, watched the whole video. In general, there was a very positive feeling after the viewing. I personally found the concept of the three cheeses matching the animal sounds very innovative and effective. I explained the concept so the children would understand why that was done. The next day we changed our menu and made goat cheese paninis (and copied the goat sounds) as a practical application of what we learned!
Rossanna, French pre-school Teacher/Owner, A La Vanille Pre-School, South San Francisco, California www.geocities.com/alavanilledaycare
I was in awe to watch Tot Talk France DVD. It is beautiful, educational, entertaining and a treasure for both children and adults. I just loved it!! I watched it three times and in both languages, English and French. I was very impressed by the whole program and the professionalism in which it was presented. I can not imagine the many challenges you had to include in the "cultural themes" the variety of the interesting things from which France is well known. What a wonderful way to introduce that country to the kids with puppets, cultural themes, children's songs, French composers and the toys. C'est magnifique! We are looking forward to placing orders for the Christmas season. They will make excellent gifts.
Montse (Mexican-American of Chinese-Spanish descent) from Tallahassee, Florida
Tot Talk makes international culture accessible to our babies and toddlers. These DVDs offer much more than some well-known DVDs you can find in the stores in terms of creativity, interest and entertainment. Try it, your little ones will love it!.
Barbara, French Mother of two boys age 3 and 1, living in France
Tot Talk France is a lot of fun. It contains a series of scenes and ideas that are fascinating to kids. It also contains so many lovely images and demonstrates the artistic talent of the creators! All three of my children (ages 6, 4, and 15 months) really enjoy the video and watch it attentively. The selection of the songs throughout the video was simply excellent, and each one of them matched with the corresponding scene very well. The songs were all fantastically arranged and played with kids-friendly sounds/instruments. Great job!!
Mariko, Japanese mother of three, currently living in the United States
My son, Miko, who will be 3 in late August, loves the DVD. He wants to watch it again and again. We also liked it as parents. We felt that it had more of a storyline than Baby Einstein. The puppets brimmed with personality! We hope Tot Talk launches a Poland version soon since my husband comes from Poland.
Karen, Mother of a 2.5 year old, living in the United States
I was very surprised to see how interested my daughter was and how attentively she watched the DVD.
Vernonique, French Mother of 10-Month old girl, living in the U.S.
I confirm, in France, we are able to watch your DVD (on a PAL DVD player). I have three daughters, and they enjoy it. Even if they are French, they admit to learning a lot of things about France, including the number of types of cheese produced and the number of different cow breeds.
Nicolas, French Children™s Store Owner, Jouets Taiga, and Father of three daughters, FRANCE
