Lots to do and a good message!

The setup for this playset is pretty easy to do, it's a simple matter to remove it from the box, though if you are short you might want two people as the box is quite bulky. Basically everything comes pre-assembled, stickered and ready to go, you just need to remove the plastic, take it out of the box (ten mins max) and add the 2 chairs, figures and dog and dog feeding area wherever you want.

Like the other Little People's set this comes with two attachable 'tabs' that can be hooked into the other playsets to make a 'town'. It can also be closed into a square 'house shape' when playtime is over, to keep everything neat. It's a pretty awesome little set that has a lot going for it and the age range of 1-5 is spot on. It was a big hit with our little testers.

One thing that's a little strange and could be seen as a benefit (or not) is that instead of having a switch for French or English, it's English AND French. Basically, it's bilingual and the lines will play in English followed by the same line in French. If you don't mind your kid picking up an extra language, that's a pretty cute feature. However, if you're in an anglo only house and don't like French, this might bother you. Another occasion it might be less than welcome is if your child is on the older end of the scale and already fluently bilingual. Then hearing the same thing repeated over, might be annoying to them.

As for the audio, there's a lot of it. Each button must have around 6 phrases (if not more) and I didn't find the audio to be so loud it would be annoying, but there is a blue switch (on the ceiling in the kitchen) to turn it off if you want it to be silent. Each area has different themes, mostly about getting along, taking care of yourself and generally being a good little dude, or dudette. I also really appreciate that it comes with a battery already.

Speaking and singing isn't the only thing this playset does, it also has a couple of cute little physical features. The light in the kitchen turns on and the means can be slid to change from breakfast to lunch. The fridge and front door opens. The bed has a blanket that can be lifted up and there's mess on the bed underneath! The playroom has a 'swing around' panel that can hide blocks and toys away or put them on display. There's really quite a lot to keep kids entertained.

Ours also liked that the house was not too cluttered as they immediately filled it with toys and dolls from other playsets, including a dinosaur, which sadly did not fit (like that would stop them). So basically it's a cheerful happy learning toy that will teach your child about cleaning up and being nice in French and English, that folds away at the end of the day. Very happy with this!