My 2.5-year-old son, like so many toddlers before him, is enthralled by Sesame Street. In fact, I think he'd prefer we lived there. A few months ago, I received a copy of Putumayo's Sesame Street Playground CD/DVD. It's a fantastic collection of songs and videos from local versions of the show from around the world: South Africa, Indonesia, India, The Netherlands, China, Israel, Tanzania, and other places. Some of the tunes, themes, and muppets are happily familiar, but each country also brings their own characters, cultures, and themes to the shows. (For example, Kami, a muppet on Takalani Sesame in South Africa is HIV positive and helps with AIDS education.) My wife, son, and I listen to the Sesame Street Playground CD every day. (Sometimes several times a day.) It's one of a small number of children's albums that the whole family genuinely digs. Putamayo created a great press Web site that has the liner notes and videos from the DVD. Don't miss the "Gali Gali Sim Sim Theme" (Sesame Street Theme) sung in Hindi. Sesame Street Playground (Amazon)
Putamayo Kids presents Sesame Street Playground (Putamayo.com)