About this product: Bump...and watch your opponent's driver fly through the air! Hit your opponent's car straight on or sideswipe it and watch his driver eject or "chuck" through the air activating cool sounds. Cars are designed with fans that really work giving the illusion of wind power and adding to the effect. Set includes two remotes, two cars and two drivers. Cars are full functional. Requires 10 "AAA" batteries, not included. Measures 8.25" x 6.25" x 14.5".
About this product: This saved us in our 6 hour summer vacation drive. It was perfect for my son to watch his kid DVDs. It was easy to install and work with. We installed it in our 2000 Pathfinder. The only challenge was that our son is tall (like us - so our front seats are far back) and his feet could touch the DVD player while he was sitting in the middle car seat. We just had to tell him "You touch the screen and it (Bob the Builder) goes away." He quickly learned to keep his feet off of it. Without the DVD player we would have stopped every 60 minutes - with this we were able to go solid for 2.5 hours each time.
About this product: Cars is a typical Disney-Pixar animated movie in that it deals with an anthropomorphic character (here, a car) and the heartwarming values of family and friendship. (Alas, we'll have to wait a little while longer for the company to take on greed and selfishness.) The accompanying soundtrack is equally typical in that it's split between catchy pop songs and a score by Randy Newman. The clear highlight of the pop tracks is Sheryl Crow's boisterous, huge-sounding "Real Gone" (her best song in ages). Rascal Flatts also cover Tom Cochrane's 1991 hit "Life Is a Highway," while John Mayer rocks out on "Route 66" (Chuck Berry's elegantly lean version is included as well). For his part, Newman continues his distinguished association with quality animation by supplying a nimble score. It's fun to hear him deploy riffs that wouldn't be out of place on a Quiet Riot album on the bombastic "Opening Race," while the bluesy "Bessie" does George Thorogood with a tuba. The CD's overall Southern flavor is emphasized by the frequent use of banjo and slide guitar, as well as by score tracks cantering about, like "McQueen and Sally." And, as usual, Newman delivers a nostalgic, misty-eyed song--in this case "Our Town," performed by that master of sensitive laid-back charm, James Taylor. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
About this product: 20 of their best tracks available on 1 CD, including 'Just What I Needed', 'You're All I've Got Tonight', Touch and Go', 'Magic', 'You Might Think' & more. Rhino Records. 2002.
About this product: Lucinda Williams makes this whole music thing seem so simple: Write in plain language about the people and places that crowd your memory; add subtle flavors of a mandolin here, a Dobro there, perhaps an accordion or slide guitar; above all, sing as honestly and naturally as you can. Of course, it took her six years to achieve this simplicity, an amazing achievement considering the number of knobs that were turned. Her exquisite voice moans and groans and slips and slides--she delivers a polished tone in a coarse manner. On the superb "Concrete and Barbed Wire," soft acoustic guitars are punctuated by electric slide, accordion, mandolin, and Steve Earle's harmony. Williams's deeply personal stories are matched with bluesy rumbles, raunchy grooves, and plaintive whispers. The entire Deep South is reduced to a sleepy small town filled with ex-lovers, dive bars, and endless gravel roads. --Marc Greilsamer
About this product: The kids give Barney a car as a gift, and they all go for a spin, running errands to the cleaners, the car wash, and a gas station. How to balance chores and fun is the theme here, and it's effectively done. --Tom Keogh
About this product: "Officer Dave" Hood, the cocreator and host of the energetic There Goes a... series of videos, partners up with "Officer Becky" to look inside and outside the workings of a contemporary police car. Playing a policeman for the day, Hood shows us the many crime-fighting and safety features in a peace officer's vehicle, and--typical of the series--that includes an amusing goof factor in which Hood invariably screws something up. The video's title doesn't really suggest the range of police vehicles Hood introduces to youngsters. The action also includes a quick look at police helicopters and police boats, and the exciting footage takes kids not only on the highway but on the sea and in the air. This production might be best suited for slightly older kids (post-toddler but pre-school or early school age), due to the greater-than-usual extent of Hood's detailed descriptiveness. --Tom Keogh
About this product: This amazing compact flashlight is like a spotlight you can carry in your pocket or purse! NINE light-emitting-diode (LED) bulbs produce a flood of pure, white brilliance but because LED bulbs produce very little heat, three inexpensive AAA batteries will last for over 20 hours continuous. Positive-action switch (click on/click off) won't go on accidently in car, toolbox or pocket. Heavy-weight anodized aluminum barrel is corrosion- and water-resistant, textured for sure grip even when wet.
TOY
