August 2010 Notable Toys — Audio & CD

Jeff Jones and the Earthtones inspire kids to “Sing a Little Song, Do a Little Dance” on this 14 track CD. Latin, Caribbian and Asian musical styles influence many of the songs, including “La Bamba,” “Je Je Kule” and “Cumbia del Sol.”
— Gayle Geise of Parents’ Choice called the CD “an exciting, musical journey” that gets kids “twisting, dancing, singing, responding to calls, moving faster and slower as they ride their ponies-all while successfully introducing a number of general music lessons.”
— Daniel Freidman from Raising Arizona Kids referred to the songs as “sophisticated fare.” Daniel especially enjoyed "Night in Wulanbatuo," a “soothing, melancholy song that features Chinese lyrics and a Tibetan melody.”

Grammy Award winning children’s musicians Cathy and Marcy team up with human beatbox Christylez Bacon to combine folk and hip-hop styles. This eight track CD is filled with new songs and children’s classics like “Froggie Went A Courtin’” and “Syncopated Washboard Rhythm Song.”
— Mark S. Tucker of Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange described the CD as “very Sesame Street-ish.” Though the recording quality is “somewhat amateurish” and the CD is “only a half hour,” Mark recommended from “Banjo to Beatbox” as “a nice little addition to the catalogue of discs for kids.”
— Caroline Holt from Our Kids listened to the CD with her kids as well as four other adults. Caroline and her children preferred the beatbox songs on the CD, while the other adults greatly favored the folk songs. As a whole, they “found it annoying that it flip-flops between beatbox and folk songs,” though Caroline felt the low price tag made the album a worthy purchase even for only half the songs.

Parachute fitness routines set to diverse music and original songs address mobility, fitness, directionality, body identification, imaginative play and important concepts. Parachute play can be used for circle time, arrival and departure activities, recess and indoor/outdoor play.

This DVD is designed to get kids moving to fun routines set to music with beat and "pop" sounds. Flexibility, strength and aerobics, moving from warm up to cool down, with a lot of easy pre-aerobic routines, aim to help promote good health and healthy play. "Important activity benefits include self regulatory behavior, valuable educational concepts, nutrition, the environment, sensory integration, improved motor skills, movement and more," Kimbo Educational Director of Sales and Marketing Elaine Murphy told TDmonthly.

Power Tunes is an album from speech-language pathologist and multi-award winning songwriter Joe Rothstein, MS, CCC-SLP. Favorites like “School Song,” “Food Song” and “Opposite Song” aim to pick kids up and get their bodies and brainwaves moving together while empowering them with important language tools. "Power Tunes uses principles of speech-language pathology to to help toddlers and young children learn vocabulary, speech sounds, and early academic concepts," Turning Points Media President Joe Rothstein told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2009 iParenting Media Award; 2009 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
— “I have several students with speech issues in my room this year and was thrilled with the results of playing this CD for my class,” explained the reviewer from The Opinionated Parent. The critic added that “Whether your children have speech concerns or not, it’s a great CD … I give it a ten out of ten – even if I wouldn’t listen to it without my kids around.”
— Heather Sedlock, Special Needs Kids Examiner for Examiner.com, listened to the CD both on her own and with a group of children and toddlers with speech-language deficits. Heather and her co-reviewers enjoyed the “10 upbeat, get-you-out-of-your-seat songs,” which she found perfect for home, school, daycare and travel settings.

Monkey Monkey Music offers a deep commitment to putting the child back into children’s music with Meredith LeVande's second album, What Are the Odds? The album finds the middle road between baby songs and pop band songs where kids’ lyrics are simply added to music that would otherwise be played for adults. Meredith’s music is not only child-friendly, it’s truly child-appropriate, having been created with the healthy growth of the child in mind. "Her songs are joy-filled expressions of pure, childlike fun. One listen is all it takes to recognize that Meredith really loves being around children," Waldmania PR Publicist Elizabeth Waldman Frazier told TDmonthly.
— “As soon as I pushed play, my 19-month-old son started bopping to the music,” reported Shonda of The Knowlton Nest. Shonda was struck by Meredith’s “happy, upbeat and friendly child-like voice” throughout “music that was contemporary, yet simple” and “appealing to kids and adults.”
— Toni Morton of Toni’s Treehouse provides a track-by-track analysis of the CD, highlighting the knock-knock joke based song "Who's a Knockin'?" and “the surprising sounds of a banjo and dobro” in the food pyramid song "Frogs Eat Butterflies."

Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti brings together 22 family friendly artists to help with the Haiti relief effort. The CD includes previously unreleased and brand new songs from kid favorites including They Might Be Giants and Pete Seeger. Proceeds from the record will be donated to the Haitian People’s Support Project.
— Leigh Goldman Balber of Urban Baby calls the CD “A We are the World for the sandbox set.” The “who’s who … of the best in the world of kiddie music” combine to create a “spiritual, uplifting (but not too out there)” CD.

“Time Out To Rock," filled with up-tempo power-pop tunes, mixes songs that are “just for fun” with songs about such topics as welcoming the new kid at school or dealing with bullies. The first track, “Welcome to Our School,” sets the energy level on high with an irrepressible dance beat and clean playing that doesn’t clutter the lyrics. Rocking on from there, the pace slows at album’s end with the poetic, reflective “Hollow Tree.”

This jolly band of bugs jumps and jives to a creepy crawly calypso beat. From spiders to fireflies, butterflies to centipedes, Debbie Harter’s humorous illustrations match the Caribbean spirit of this jaunty rhyming text that introduces children to cardinal and ordinal numbers, and takes them straight into the marvelous world of bugs. "The bright and quirky illustrations, coupled with the sing-along CD, are sure to help youngsters get over their fear of creepy crawlies," Barefoot Books Group Communications Director Leah Lesser told TDmonthly.

All of the songs on "Be Nice" were inspired by Leeny's persuasive, misbehaving, penguin-loving nephew Zak, and the result is an album of irresistible, hilarious, and educational tunes for children and their parents.
Awards: 2008 Parents' Choice Approved Award; 2008 Children's Music Web Award: Best Recording for Preschoolers; 2008 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award; 2008 Best Music Recommended List for Your Family by Common Sense Media; 2009 Song of the Year nominee by Just Plain Folks Music for "What Have You Done With All the Penguins?!"; 2008 International Songwriting Competition Finalist for "Mammals"

"Sharing the Same Stars" by Leeny and Tamara features 14 original songs about topics including ladybugs, seat belt safety, the epidermis, shyness and kindness.
Awards: 2010 Parents' Choice Recommended Award; 2010 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Rising Star honoree; 2010 Independent Music Awards (IMA) Song of the Year nominee for "Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybu-u-ug"; 2009 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award.

"A Sunny Day" captures all the fun and wonder of a child's day from sun up to lights out. With an eclectic mix of melodies, playful lyrics and inviting vocals, Julie K takes children on an exciting train ride, a trip to the zoo, flying high jumping like a jumping bean and more.
Awards: 2010 Parents' Choice Award; 2010 Dr. Toys Best Vacation Product Award; 2010 Dove Family Approved seal from the Dove Foundation

A Mighty Good Day is the eighth album from the award-winning kid's music duo, Hullabaloo.

This karaoke/sing-along CD of songs from "The Wizard of Oz" includes all the hits from the beloved family movie and school musical. Guide vocals and a lyric booklet are provided. "Kids can practice with the guide vocal version of each track, then sing with the accompaniment version. This album is a great rehearsal tool for kids practicing for their school musical," Stage Stars Marketing Director Malinda Boothe told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Parents' Choice Approved

The lively songs on Sarah Pirtle's new CD, Pocketful of Wonder, encourage outdoor play and a childhood nourished by imagination, curiosity and nature. With humor and warmth, Sarah beckons children to experience the exploration and enchantment of the seasons, farm life, city neighborhoods and family time.
Awards: 2010 Parents' Choice Gold Award; 2010 Tillywig Toy Award; Magic Penny Award for Lifetime Achievement in Children's Music
— Veronica Schwartz of the School Library Journal called the album “A very strong addition to most collections” perfect for “evening story times, in preparation for nap time, or during those quieter times at home.”
— Tillywig Toy Awards gave the CD its Sterling Fun award, explaining that “Sarah Pirtle's expressive voice and lyrics evoke a sense of wonder, hers and ours, at the beauty and mysteries of the world in which we live,” from “the first snowfall of the season” to “the gorgeous stirrings and awakenings of spring.”

"Lullabies to Celebrate Mother and Child" is a collection of 10 original lullabies written and performed by Paige Stroman. The album is recommended by a psychologist for its beautiful lyrics and soothing sounds. The music also has nature sounds woven throughout the CD to enhance a baby's state of relaxation. "This CD was produced by a world-renowned rock producer, Jack Richardson, who produced Bob Seger's 'Night Moves,' Alice Cooper's 'School's Out' and The Guess Who's 'American Woman," Lullabyland Singer/Songwriter Paige Stroman told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2001 Silver NAPPA

This fun and educational 14-track album includes songs "Inside My Cranium," "It's a No-Brainer" and "Monkey Brains."

This 12-track CD is the fifth album from award-winning, kid-folk duo Hullabaloo. Songs include "Princess Bluejeans," "400 Cupcakes" and "Dinosaur in My Backyard." Launch date: 2009.

Ben Rudnick & Friends' seventh CD, "A Frog Named Sam," is filled with energy, fun and musicianship. The title track tells the story of Sam, a country frog who heads off to the big city to fuflfill his dream of singing for big audiences. With success, he misses his friends and returns to sing for them back at the pond.

This recording is suitable for children who are ready to move beyond listening to music to spoken word. Features delightful tellings of Aesop's Fables, plus lively tales from Grimm, Chaucer and others. Stories include The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Lion and the Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, and more.

Jim Weiss integrates his own storytelling art with the profound story of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, bringing both young and old listeners the emotions of the timeless love story.

Adventurer, conquerer, political genius, classic author - Julius Caesar lived one of history’s most amazing lives. Yet it was the story of his death that William Shakespeare turned into a dramatic masterpiece. This spirited retelling brings us Shakespeare’s cast of immortal characters with excerpts from the original dialogue told in a way that young listeners can grasp.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch tells the inspiring, true adventures of Nat Bosditch, a boy during the American Revolution, whose passion for learning and unstoppable spirit lead him from poverty and servitude to triumph and adventure at sea. Ultimately, Nat achieves everlasting fame for revolutionizing navigation and saving countless lives. This is a moving personal story about the value of knowledge and the exultant human spirit.

Based on resilience theory research, the songs from this album are specifically designed to help children build creativity, independence, planning, people skills, optimism, confidence and problem-solving skills. "Our music is research-based. We take the latest findings on child development and translate this research into practical and entertaining products for teachers and parents," Growing Sound Sales and Marketing Director Emily Sandul told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Product Award