Here Come the ABCs [CD/DVD Combo] :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

fantastic learning tool

2008-07-23
My 3 1/2 year old loves this CD. I didn't realize when I bought it that it also came w/ a DVD. It was a pleasant surprise. The content is engaging for young and old alike, which is nice since my son likes to watch it over and over again.

I always ome back to the Giants

2008-07-21
My first introduction to They Might BE Giants was when their videos for Istanbul and Particle Man first aired on Tiny Toon Adventures. I've been listening to their music since. I studied music for a long time and studied many different kinds of music and taken an interest in many artists, but for some reason They Might Be Giants winds up being at the top of my listening list again, over and over. I recently purchased both the ABC's and 123's and watch the cintained dvd with my 1-year-old daughter. These two dvds are the only content we really ever let her watch, and they are the only videos that have ever kept her attention long enough - she listens and watches avidly, dances, claps. I love and sing along to all the songs and sit with her through each viewing of the videos; it's an activity that we both enjoy very much, and she seems genuinely interested in the content of the songs.
So a big thanks to John and John for these 2 cd/dvd combos, and thanks to Amazon for selling them, and a big recommendation for any fellow Giants fans with little Giants fans on board.

Definitely for Children, though not so much for Adults

2008-07-15
TMBG's excellent first kids album "No!" was practically the return of the days of "Flood" and "Lincoln". But on this album, too many songs seem to only appeal to kids. The songs have the variety that TMBG fans have grown to love. Many songs have the great TMBG lyrics. What could go wrong?

Many songs get so elementary that they tend to lose adults. "Letter/Not a Letter" and "The Vowel Family" are good examples. When I thought I would write off the album, I got something like "Can You Find It" or "Alphabet Lost and Found", which have all the heart a TMBG song could have.

There is a problem with TMBG that many fans don't admit. They write and create 100 songs a year, but some of them are just thrown together to make a quota. Thus, you get songs like "Q U", "LMNO" and especially "Goodnight My Friends", which have a quality much less than their fans are used to.

At one point Robin Goldwasser gets thrown in, which is usually a mixed bag. "Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order" has her sounding like an opera hack; on key but just trying too hard. Talk about the waste of a great song title.

One last thing: Why two versions of "Fake-Believe"? Strange.

Again, there are little bits of good TMBG here and there, and kids can learn and have fun. But if I want to listen to something at work, I'll grab "The Else". So this is a 4 star kids album and a 2 star adult album, so it averages to 3 stars, but that's probably covered on "Here come the 123's".

We love this!

2008-07-03
This is a wonderful CD/DVD! A must for a family with small children. It is so neat to hear our toddler singing about "go, go , go for G" and other silly ABC tunes. Worth every penny.

A must for any toddler's music collection

2008-07-03
As many people have mentioned, TMBG do a fantastic job with a great variety of songs on this album. What is an even bigger treat is the DVD that comes along with it. My son is 20 months old and this is the first, and for the most part only, DVD he will watch. The videos for each song are great as are the interludes between songs. My son loves when the robot says his ABC's "really fast!" and he dances around during the song "Clap Your Hands" every time he hears it.

If you enjoy TMBG you will enjoy this CD and DVD even after hearing it and/or watching it every day for a few weeks... The lyrics are kid friendly and educational in that Schoolhouse rock sort of way while the music is everything you would expect from TMBG. Be sure to add this to your chid's music collection (or even your own!)

It's like the 80's for kids

2008-06-25
No stranger to the realm of children's records, They Might Be Giants have seen success with their CD No! and the book-and-CD combo Bed, Bed, Bed. Their latest CD, Here Come the ABCs, offers up 25 alphabetically themed songs. However, as is their charming way, the two Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell), use the letters as merely the connective tissue, allowing them to pursuit intriguing flights of fancy that consider everything from the relative power of letters and sounds to animal hijinks. Just as they've always done, there are wistful ballads and high octane rockers. TMBG have always been a family-friendly band, and this disc works just fine for adult fans, who can rightfully consider this simply their newest release. --David Greenberger

A CD you can listen to every day without going crazy

2008-06-22
After purchasing and loving TMBG's 123, I decided to pick up the ABC for my 2 1/2 yr old son. Overall I think the 123 CD is better, but this one is also full of catchy tunes that teach the basics (vowels are important letters, there's a vowel in every word) without hitting you over the head. The variety of musical styles also keeps it from becoming boring when your child demands it every day in the car. My son's favorite song is "QU" while I'm partial to the conifer song. The DVD is well done as well.

Great CD, lots of fun, adult friendly kids music.

2008-06-19
It goes without saying that a little Barney can become nails across a chaulk board. I gave this CD 5 stars because our 20 month old son loves it and my spouse and I can listen to it with him and have fun with it. The tunes are catchy. Something you can goof around with and sing along with. The alphabet is a big deal right now with our son (he loves ABC books too) and this makes learning lots of fun. We loved this one so much we eventually bought Here Come the 123s.

The DVD that comes with it is interesting to say the least. A couple of the songs on the CD were obivously made for the video portion as the song makes sense once you see the video. Good use of puppets and animation.

Great songs and great videos

2008-06-17
I purchased this DVD and the "123s" DVD for my 2-year-old who is obsessed with letters and numbers. He, of course, flipped over them and requests them almost every day. But, my six-month-old is the one that can't take her eyes off the TV whenever either of the two DVDs is playing. TMBG are definitely a hit in my house with both videos.

good thing the cd doesn't wear out

2008-06-16
We have this cd and the 123 cd. My three and a half year old LOVES them both. The songs are funny enough to keep our attention and educational enough that it is helping her with spelling. TMBG are great with this stuff. Who knew years ago when I was listening to Flood all the time that one day my kids would love TMBG, too. It's great for car trips.