Music & Audio Picks

 

If you're like me and my son, we bop to music every day at home -- usually in the morning, while playing, dressing, eating breakfast and generally getting the day started before heading out. Depending on his mood after his nap, and whether we have to get somewhere right away, we might listen to more music in the afternoon. He soon started requesting music (simply pointing to the stereo was all it took for me to get the message!), and then requesting certain songs. Maybe because we don't have a TV, music and books are the big things in our house. Now my son is 2 years old and he requests songs all the time -- either on the stereo or for us to sing. He even asks for songs about things (like trains, bunnies, ducks, cows, mommies/daddies, even drawing), and often we have to search our brains for a song -- or make one up!

Good tunes can also make a long car trip easier on everyone. You can even ask for an extended loan for your vacation trip. The children's audio collection comprises not only music, but also radio programs (like RabbitEars Radio) and books and stories on tape. Books on tape are especially wonderful for children in the preschool-kindergarten and up range, who can stay focused on the storyline -- or if it's just a favorite story! Just as many adults love these while zipping down the fast lane, kids also find these helpful in forgetting how long the ride is taking.

 

Music on Tapes and CDs

First off, no child's music collection is complete without Raffi. Hands down, Raffi is the best! We started out with this when my son was just a wee tyke, probably about 6 months old or so -- Singable Songs for the Very Young and More Singable Songs. As he got a bit older, I started also playing Baby Beluga and Everything Grows. These albums have familar songs you'll know, as well as original songs Raffi wrote. Some of our favorites are "Bathtime," "Biscuits in the Oven," "Down by the Bay," "Bumping Up and Down [in my Little Red Wagon]," "Teddy Bear Hug," and "Shake My Sillies Out." Two really neat songs, more for the parent than the child (but great to sing to them!) are "The Sharing Song" (it's mine, but you can have some; with you I like to share it...) and "All I Really Need" (is a song in my heart, food in my belly and love in my family). The library also has some books to go with certain Raffi songs, like "Everything Grows," "Baby Beluga," and "Down By the Bay." The library has many other Raffi tapes and CDs, plus some videos of his live performances.

A very close second is Ralph's World, with Ralph Covert (formerly of the band The Bad Examples). He writes just about every song, with fun, silly lyrics and tunes that get you dancing all over the house. This first album is loaded with favorite songs for us: "Teddy Bear Named Freddy Bear," "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd," "Tickle a Tiger [at the Zoo]," "Take a Little Nap (the disco song)," and "Ragtime Cowboy Joe," plus his love song to his daughter, "Bedtime Girl." His second album is Peggy's Pie Parlor, featuring three of my favorite songs: "The Mighty Worm," "You Go Pogo," and "I Never See Maggie Alone". His third album is At the Bottom of the Sea, with "The Coffee Song" (wonderful for parents!), "Baseball Dreams," "Fly Me to the Moon," "Malcolm McGillikitty [the psychic cat]," and "What Can You Do With Your Baby Brother?" -- a hilarious song! And his fourth album is Happy Lemons (this just came out, so we haven't tried it yet).

A delightful find in a sales bin led us to Rosenshontz -- particularly Rosenshontz Tickles You! Your friendly local public library (both branches) has copies of this wonderful cassette, as well four other cassettes and two videos of live performances. Rosenshontz is Gary Rosen and Bill Shontz, and they've been together over 20 years, writing and recording great kids' music. Their full catalog is available on Lightyear Records. Just try NOT bopping to "Hippopotamus Rock"!  

Joanie Bartels has a lovely, clear voice that just invites you to sing along.  "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is the first cut on Sillytime Magic, followed by other classic novelty songs like "Animal Crackers in my Soup," "Mairzy Doats," and my personal favorites: "Silly Pie" and "I Like Bananas, Because They Have No Bones."  Bartels' other "Magic" tapes include Bathtime Magic, Christmas Magic, Dancin' Magic, Jump for Joy, Lullaby Magic (two volumes), Morning Magic, and Travelin' Magic.

Another delightful singer, who writes her own songs, is Laurie Berkner. Her albums include: Buzz, Buzz, Victor Vito, Whaddaya Think of That?, and Under a Shady Tree. We liked the first one a lot, with songs like "The Pretzel Store," "Cookie Bakers of the Night," "Little Red Caboose," "The Valley of Vegetables," and "The Erie Canal." On her second album, we liked "Victor Vito," "[Collecting] Bottle Caps," "Froggie Went a Courtin," and "Shakin Down the Sugar." The third and fourth albums weren't in when I've looked for CDs, so I'll have to put them on hold.

Broadway show tunes can be a good compromise for the car. Tuneful, with easily understood lyrics, show tunes let everyone sing along -- although our son usually requests that Daddy doesn't!  A Child's Celebration of Showtunes can work for everyone. The collection features original cast performances, such as Julie Andrews singing "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music, and Zero Mostel's classic version of "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof. Lots of fun!

The Music for Little People's Celebration series has many great collections (and actually much more than Lakewood Public Library carries) including: For the Kids (a fabulous collection from a wide-range of popular and contemporary artists); All You Need is Love: Beatles Songs for Kids; Blue Suede Shoes: Elvis Songs for Kids; Toddlers Sing Rock n' Roll / Storytime; and A Child's Celebration of Rock n' Roll / Country / Soul / Family / Silliest Songs / Dance Music.

A recent and wonderful find (from "For the Kids," above) is Dan Zanes, former lead singer/songwriter for the legendary rock band Del Fuegos -- and now a daddy. His songs will delight the daddy in your house -- if yours is like ours, and can only take so much Raffi! According to his website, Zanes realized that he liked making music that families could enjoy together, as opposed to music that is just for kids or just for adults. Our favorite album is Family Dance, with such fun songs as "Jump Up [day is breaking]," "Water for the Elephants," "Wonder Wheel," and "All Around the Kitchen [cockadoodle, doodle, do]." On Rocket Ship Beach and Night Time!, Dan Zanes has many guests, like Father Goose (actually he's on the first album, too), Suzanne Vega, and Sheryl Crow. We haven't yet tried his newest albums, Sea Music and House Party -- which was just nominated for a Grammy Award.

 

Stories on Tape

Stories on tape add fun, music and spark the imagination. Lakewood Public Library has many picture books with cassette tapes, in bags. These are great for little ones, as you and your child can follow along in the book while the tape plays -- and your child might really get a kick out of someone else reading the story! Some really good ones are:

And, to hit on some classics, try Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop, and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? Also, the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A.A. Milne are on tape cassettes (in separate books, as originally printed), as well as many of the Beatrix Potter stories, particularly The Tale of Peter Rabbit. In addition, Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown; The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams; Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak; and many short Sesame Street and Clifford and Curious George stories are on cassette.

Plus, there are many fairy tales and legends with absolutely beautiful illustrations -- and often narrated by well-known actors and actresses. The following are all from Rabbit Ears Productions, with accompanying music (often from well-known people/bands), and are simply wonderful:

Songs with simple books are also a delight. The library has several popular character ones, like Disney's Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Mickey Mouse, and other Disney favorites (with songs from the movies). Also popular are the Wee Sing series, with collections on baby songs, children's songs and fingerplays, dinosaur songs, silly songs, around the world songs, games, and many more.

As your child gets older, try longer books on tape. Some good learning-to-read books, or for car rides, are books from these series: Arthur, Amelia Bedelia, Frog and Toad (plus many others by author Arnold Lobel), and even Clifford.

 

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