We are on our second Little Smart Storytime Rhymes toy. I bought the first one for my 2 1/2 year old when she was about 6 months old. She really liked it so I attached it to her stroller. While I was shopping one day, another child came up and played with the toy for quite a while. Not knowing where the other child's hands had been or whether she was sick, I immediately washed the toy when we got home. I did not immerse the toy in water. I simply used a soapy washcloth to wipe it off. I then pushed the buttons and it would not work. I let it dry out. It still did not work. I replaced the batteries. No luck. Fortunately, my in-laws bought my youngest daughter (now 14 months) one for Christmas. Now, I use a baby wipe to wipe it off and I am very careful not to wipe near the electronic components.

What is Storytime Rhymes?

Storytime Rhymes by VTech looks like a book, but the pages are made of hard plastic instead of paper. It is green, red, blue, and yellow. There is a nursery rhyme on each page and each nursery rhyme has a picture to go with it. The "binding" of the book has two arrows - one pointing to the left and one pointing to the right. When you open the book, you push the arrow pointing left to play the music for the nursery rhyme on the left hand side. You push the arrow on the right to play the music for the nursery rhyme on the right hand side.

Then following are the nursery rhymes included in Storytime Rhymes:

Page 1 -- "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Plays the music for "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Press the arrow again and it says, "Lambs go Baa, Baa."

Page 2 -- "Pat-a-Cake"
Plays the music. Press the arrow again and it say, "Clap your hands," which is followed by the sound of clapping hands.

Page 3 -- "This Little Pig Went to Market"
Plays the music. Press the arrow again and it says, "Pigs go Oink, Oink."

Page 4 -- "Hickory Dickory Dock"
Plays the music. Press the arrow again and it says, "Clocks go Tick Tock, Tick Tock."

Page 5 -- "Hey Diddle Diddle"
Plays the music. Press the arrow again and it says, "Hey Diddle Diddle," followed by giggles.

Page 6 -- "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
Plays the music. Press the arrow again and it says, "Make a wish."

When you first open the book, it says, "Storytime" and when you close the book, it says, "The End."

There is a tab on each of the two middle pages. I guess they might be there to help children turn the pages, but my girls don't really use them. There is also a strap attached to the toy so that it can be attached to a stroller or other baby equipment.

This is a fairly durable toy that can take years of play, as long as it doesn't come close to water!

Do we like Storytime Rhymes?

I was thrilled when my baby opened Storytime Rhymes on Christmas Day. She really enjoys it. She loves looking at books, and this is one of her favorites because it makes noise when she pushes the buttons. My 2 1/2 year old still likes it, and she chooses this book from the bookshelf quite often. I like it because it encourages children to read and it shows them that reading is fun. I also love the nursery rhymes and Storytime Rhymes gives us a fun and unique way to share them.

This toy requires 2 AAA batteries.

Recommended: Yes