This recording offers a vast array of original songs with catchy tunes for kids to rock out to. Berkner's songs tell creative and silly stories through rhyme, repetition, and multiple tempo changes. The cover booklet explains briefly what inspired each song. The title song, "Victor Vitro" is one of the silliest songs of all, with a call-and-response chorus that speeds up toward the end. The cheery songs, "I Feel Crazy So I Jump in the Soup" and "BOOTS" only change one word each verse, so they are very easy to learn and join in. The verses in "Sneaks" are whispered and are set against a simple two-note beat, but the song breaks into full sound for the chorus complete with violin, tambourine, and guitar. The volume and tempo changes are exciting for young listeners! The sounds in Berkner's songs are also creative, including snapping, throwing her voice, clapping, and a crazy cacophony of toy sounds in "The Toy Museum." "Oleanna" even has yodeling interspersed between familiar nursery rhymes.
Berkner's various musical presentation techniques introduce new ways to hear and interpret harmony, instruments, and vocals. For example, "White Coral Bells," is a capella and Berkner's voice is looped several times until she is singing rounds with herself. This teaches little ones how to pick out one element of a song and focus on it without getting distracted by the other noises or choruses. "I'm Not Perfect" has a great message about loving yourself and each other, while "The Story of My Feelings" is a great resource for your child to hear about feelings and how to deal with them. If your child just wants to cut a rug, "Boots" offering all kinds of active lyrics, like 'dancing boots' and 'stomping boots' that you child can act out while they sing the chorus with Berkner; or, they can following the suggestions in "The Crabs" and dance low to the ground, fly high, or just dance any old way! "Goodnight" has animal noises to join in with and "Tingolayo" sings about how to walk, talk, spin, grin, think, and drink like a donkey! Can your little one keep up?
I was giving my two-year-old friend, Kyle, a bath, and when I told him it was time to wash his hair. He shook his head and sank as low as he could into the mound of bubbles surrounding him. I put a dollop of shampoo in my hand and started toward his head when he suddenly jumped up, smiled, and quoted the "Goldfish" song, "What a minute, we're Fish! We don't do that!"
--Audra