arts and music

Old MacDonald has been one of my 3-year-old's favorite songs for as long as I can remember, and this waterproof book has turned into one of my best tricks for calming and entertaining her with a musical toy, while still preserving my sanity. The short book has one button in the front cover that, when pressed, will play Old McDonald through only one time, not a a five minute rendition that makes me want to stick cotton in my ears (unlike some of her other musical products...). I love the versatility of this book. More than a great tub toy, the lightweight book makes it one of my favorite toys to throw in my purse for trips to the bank or post office, when my daughter often gets itchy having to wait in line.

I was so excited to see that Amazon is carrying this line of tub books. Four years ago I bought one of these books for my nephew, just as an inexpensive gift that I bought on a whim on the way over to his house. I never expected that it would last him through so many years of bathtime (it's also gotten its fair share of abuse from his baby sister for the last two years!). Who would have thought that such a reasonably priced toy would last this long? Four years and going strong!

What a great idea, right? Learn about animals singing Old MacDonald while reading a nice, easily washable plastic book. It's a great idea for a kids' book. Sadly the finished product isn't good.

First, the book is very nice in small hands. The illustrations are very nice, simple animals. The assortment of animals: horse, pigs, duck, cat, turkey and goat, are unique enough that they won't likely duplicate other books.

However, like many of those trendy greeting cards of the 80's and 90's, the pitch of Old MacDonald is much too high to comfortably sing along. It doesn't even well suit children's high voices. The sound is predictably tweeky and cheap -- not that that bothers my two boys. Each press of the button plays Old MacDonald through one time only. To sing through the whole book, the button needs to be pressed six times.

Pressing the button to play the song was too hard for either of my boys until they were over two years old. This meant that any time they wanted to hear the song, they needed to find a willing adult to press it for them. If they wanted to sing through the whole book, the adult needed to stay there to press it all six times.

After only two to three cleanings, the book started to fall apart. The book never went into the bath. First the musical button imbedded in the front cover broke loose, making it frustrating for both adult and child to find. Next, the plastic pages started to separate; the foam inserts easily tore apart and littered the floor. All this took place in less than three years. None of our other plastic, bathtub books that were played with as frequently, show any signs of wear.

It's a cute idea, but it's not well done.