Baby Einstein Classics

With the Van Gogh, Dolittle, and other Baby programs under their belts, the tots who follow Julie Aigner-Clark's Baby Einstein series will sidle up to Baby Newton expecting a similar exploration of building blocks to brilliance, but this time there's a wrinkle or two. Animation makes its first appearance, and parents steeped in keep-it-simple culture may object to the springy "I Know My Shapes" song, a departure from classical-only video predecessors. Otherwise, the tried-and-true genius launchers of titles past pop up anew--Vivaldi floats through each of five shape segments, and clever puppet shows play quickly and infrequently enough to captivate the under-2 crowd. Plus, talk about well rounded: Clark covers the bases, showing off triangular sails drifting toward the sunset one second and geometric patterns the next. Play it for a departure from skill-building standbys like pop-up books and plastic sorters for ages 1 to 3.