By Mary C. Turck

Baby Einstein: Baby Neptune Discovering Water, Baby Einstein, 2003; $19.99 DVD, $14.99 VHS; 30 mins.; www.babyeinstein.com; ages 1 to 4. Charming duck, turtle and octopus puppets move the scene from ocean to beach to rivers and lakes, through rain drops and puddles and, finally, to water at home. Superb photography makes fish and animals look sharper and closer than they do in any aquarium. Dolphins leap, crabs sidle, otters glide and kids splash through this fun-filled film.

Baby Laureate: For the Love of Art, Baby Laureate, 2003; $18.95 DVD, $14.95 VHS; 30 mins.; www.babylaureate.com; ages 2 to 6. Are toddlers ready for van Gogh? Baby Laureate answers with a convincing "yes!" An animated star briefly introduces basic concepts such as shape and movement, but the real stars are the gorgeous paintings, accompanied by lush classical music. Modern artists, including Picasso, Klimt, Miró and Dali, dominate, accompanied by a few old masters and some Chinese, Japanese and African themes. Kids will love the big brushes, sponges and hands-on painting in a live-action sequence, and will recognize featured art from popular children's books. Parents, too, will enjoy watching shapes and lines emerging on the screen and gradually filling in to reveal the featured masterpieces.

To see winning videos and DVDs for other age groups, return to NAPPA 2003 Award Winners: Videos and DVDs.

See also: NAPPA 2002 Award Winners: Videos and DVDs

Mary C. Turck is the author of A Parent's Guide to the Best Children's Videos and Where to Find Them (Houghton Mifflin, 1994).