TDmonthly's ToyFair 2006 Preview--Audio & CD Product Category

Alphabet Songs Vol. I - Aaron and His Aeroplane by STEVE WEEKS MUSIC

This volume featuring artist Steve Weeks covers the letters A through H with fun songs, including “Billy Bob’s Breakfast” and “Fred the Fish.” “This is not just Children’s Music… it’s music for children and their families!” artist Steve Weeks told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 17, 2003. 5/24/2007 (Price: $13.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Music Time for Parents and Grandparents (Children's Classic Songs CD) by ROBYN DUPUIS ENTERPRISES LLC

This album is designed to help new parents and grandparents “brush up” on classic children’s songs so they can pass along these wonderful musical traditions to the children in their lives. It includes 55 classic songs, sung simply and clearly so listeners can easily follow, learn and sing along. “The ‘grandparent’ niche is a particularly important marketing strength of this product. This population values musical traditions, yet [they] are often ignored in the children’s product market. … People buy handfuls of these CDs,” artist Robyn Dupuis told TDmonthly. This CD received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Approved Award. Launch date: September 2006. 5/24/2007 (Price: $14.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Turn Around the Sun by OREN AND THE HICCUPS

This CD features a musical group of dads and includes songs “Lollipop Tree,” “Uh-Oh,” “Shine Down on Me” and more. “Grown-ups everywhere are saying this is a CD that not only captivates their young children, but grown-ups themselves enjoy the music, too!” Lead Singer Oren Pfeffermann told TDmonthly. The album received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Award. Launch date: November 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $15.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Bobs & Lolo - Musical Adventures by BOBOLO PRODUCTIONS

Using music, movement and make-believe, Bobs & Lolo celebrate the values of healthy living and aim to inspire an awareness and appreciation for the natural world with their young audiences. “Musical Adventures” includes songs about enjoying the outdoors (“My Bike,” “The Great Outdoors,” “Little Breeze”), conserving wildlife (“Wish for a Fish”) and going green (“Recycle With Me”). This product received a spring 2007 Parents' Choice Silver Honors Award. Launch date: December 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $14.99)

Bears, Bees & Butterflies by PAUL HELOU

With inventive, catchy arrangements and full, natural instrumentation — engaging to both children and adults — this album is songwriter/musical storyteller Paul Helou's tour through the forest. With a world music flavor, Paul introduces listeners to the wisdom and teachings of lively woodlands creatures. The intelligent, poetic and engaging lyrics, along with toe-tapping musical rhythms, teach children about their connection with the natural world — and to find joy in the music of their own heart. “The integrity, quality and substance of the music, lyrics and performance of ‘Bears, Bees & Butterflies’ make this product accessible to both entertainment and educational markets,” Helou told TDmonthly. This product received a spring 2007 Parents' Choice Award, a 2007 iParenting Media Award for Excellent Products and a 2006 Music Web Award (Best New Artist for Preschoolers). Launch date: January 2007. 5/23/2007 (Price: $15.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Beautiful Rainbow World by WORLD MUSIC WITH DARIA

By award-winning folksinger and children’s performer Daria, this CD presents songs from African, Caribbean, Australian, Latin American, Quechua, Native American, Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish and African-American tradition. “‘Beautiful Rainbow World’ is a multi-cultural ‘pop’ music CD with positive values that embrace the whole planet and the dignity of all children,” Daria told TDmonthly. This product received a spring 2007 Parents' Choice Award. Launch date: September 11, 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $14.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Alex Mahé: Wakin' Up the Sunshine by GOODTIME TRAIN ENTERPRISE

This sun-filled interactive 16-song CD emphasizes clever melodies and witty lyrics packed with rhyme, repetition and alliteration. The songs, though dipped in humor, teach, inspire and emit feelings of warmth and joy while simultaneously harnessing creativity and imagination. They are ready-made for clapping, dancing and singing along. Alex Mahé is a charming performer who transmits the joy he takes in his performance to his audience. “Some songs explore the world of make believe while others instill reflection and promote deeper regard, appreciation and wonder for the multi-cultural world in which we live,” Mahé told TDmonthly. This product received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Approved Award. Launch date: October 8, 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $14.98) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

I Can Do It By Myself! by AUDRAROX INC.

AudraRox, a Brooklyn-based band fronted by musician and teacher Audra Tsanos, is trying to broaden the spectrum of kids' music with its debut album. It’s not just music for kids; it's music for the whole family. This product received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Award. Launch date: October 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $15.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

I Wanna Play by ROUND RIVER RECORDS

Children must get ready to shake, rattle, roll, strum, howl and sway with Bill Harley as he serenades kids and families with his characteristic silliness, hilarity and poignancy. The 12 new songs on "I Wanna Play," including the long-awaited and much-loved “Barbie’s Head is Missing,” are hilarious, sweet, silly and touching, and have a world music feel. “Singer/storyteller/author Bill Harley creates a world parents and kids can share through songs and stories that honor the emotional lives of children,” Office Manager Michele G. Eaton of Round River Records told TDmonthly. This product received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award. Launch date: February 2007. 5/23/2007 (Price: $15.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Yoga Child – A Peaceful Place Inside by BINGO RECORDS

A mixture of voice and music will calm and center children while teaching them gentle exercise, breathing techniques and beginner yoga stretches. The CD includes 19 interludes expertly designed by renowned children’s yoga instructor and founder of Yoga Child Studios, Gail Silver. The product received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Award. Launch date: May 2007. 5/23/2007 (Price: $11.99)

Dream by LYRIC PARTNERS

“Dream” is the fourth recording by Mae Robertson in her award-winning Lullaby & Lovesong Collection. Robertson’s interpretation gives new life to several pop masterpieces including Paul Simon’s “St. Judy’s Comet,” Tom Waits’ “Midnight Lullaby” and Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” The more traditional lullabies simply glow with the warmth and beauty of Robertson's voice. “'Dream' is filled with music that will please both parent and child — and that both will enjoy listening to together,” Mae Robertson, president of Lyric Partners, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2007. 5/23/2007 (Price: $15.00)

Dreaming Tall: Stories for Growing Girls by DRAGON TALES REG'D

This rich multi-cultural soundscape of stories from around the world features strong heroines and original music and sound effects. The stories teach, in a subtle and non-preachy style, human qualities such as courage, honesty, compassion, resourcefulness and truthfulness, and are entertaining, funny, touching and exciting. Parents who have bought the CD report that their children ask to listen to it again and again. “This CD is unique in its mix of music and sound effects to accompany the stories, and its focus on stories about girls and women as positive role models,” Stéphanie Bénéteau of Dragon Tales Reg’d told TDmonthly. This product received a spring 2007 Parents' Choice Gold Award. Launch date: January 2007. 5/23/2007 (Price: $16.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Let's Go! Travel, Camp and Car Songs by ROCK ME BABY RECORDS

“Let’s Go!” takes listeners on a musical adventure: to explore the woods, star gaze on a cowboy’s range, dig for clams in San Francisco Bay, yodel with an ostrich on a mountain and visit 22 other traditional-now-hip places. It compiles 26 travel, camp and car songs, providing more than an hour of entertainment (perfect for road trips, campfires and family sing-alongs).  “This CD offers upbeat styles, real instruments and interesting takes on old favorites — adding cool rhythms that entire families can love,” Amy Steadman of Rock Me Baby Records told TDmonthly. This product received a 2007 Parents’ Choice Approved Award and an iParenting Media Award for Excellence. Launch date: February 2007. 5/23/2007 (Price: $13.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Gimme Gimme by REBEL TOY MUSIC

“Gimme Gimme” features original songs, traditional tunes and a handful of cover tracks with notable renditions of the Sister Rosetta Sharpe spiritual “Up Above My Head” and the old Delaney and Bonnie tune “Never Ending Song of Love,” a rocking, slide-guitar-driven interpretation of the traditional “This Train,” and a ukulele reggae version of “I Gave My Love a Cherry.” Among Richard Younger's original tunes is the lovely “Secret Day.” A South American-influenced rendition of M.E. McGee's classic “My Paddle,” coupled with “Row Your Boat,” also demonstrates his fine ear for arrangements. The album received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Award and was “designed with love for kids,” Younger told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $10.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Alphabet Songs Vol. III (Rabbit Run) by STEVE WEEKS MUSIC

“Alphabet Songs Vol. III” is the third and final CD in the Alphabet Songs series. It dedicates a song to each letter of the alphabet, covering the letters R through Z. The acoustic-based music is upbeat and catchy. From the bluegrass title track, “Rabbit Run,” to the African rhythms of “Zed and Zoey,” the songs cover a broad range of musical styles. They offer a positive message, a challenging tongue-twister or just a plain old good story. “This is not your typical children's music. Parents and kids alike love the tunes!” Steve Weeks told TDmonthly. This product received a 2007 Parents' Choice Recommended Award. Launch date: November 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $13.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

The Big Rock Candy Mountain by A GENTLE WIND

 Imagine the sweet sound of music shared ‘round a flickering campfire on a warm summer night. Old favorites and original good time songs are performed with a toe-tapping country flavor, wonderful musicianship, entertaining lyrics and a heap of fun. Songs include “State Laughs,” “Robin Hood,” “Freight Train” and more. It received a 2006 Parents’ Choice Approved Award, a Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award and a 2005 Children's Music Web Award. “[The] CD includes computer bonus features with a video, photos and an activity guide,” President Jill Person of A Gentle Wind told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $14.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

"Escape of the Slinkys" by Nancy Tucker by A GENTLE WIND

Clever lyrics abound with goofy puns, zany word plays and tongue twisters sure to delight the upper elementary ages. The inventive tunes and hilariously upside-down perspective complements a sensitivity to values such as personal integrity and ecological awareness. As an alternative to popular culture so often peddled to this age group, “Escape of the Slinkys” can’t be beat. As a bonus, the CD includes three computer videos. It is the winner of a Parents’ Choice Gold Award, a Creative Child Magazine 2006 Seal of Excellence Award, a NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Association) Award, and a Children’s Music Web Award. Launch date: January 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $14.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Charlotte Diamond: Todo el Mundo Come Banana! by HUG BUG MUSIC INC. — CHARLOTTE DIAMOND

This Spanish CD features 20 songs, including “Soy una Burbuja,” “Patito Perdido Mío,” “Mi Osito Gruff” and more. Lyrics are included. "The clarity of voice, pronunciation and excellent musical production make Charlotte Diamond's recordings for children exceptional. They are excellent language learning tools as well as being fun and entertaining for both children and adults,” a representative of Hug Bug Music told TDmonthly. This product received a spring 2007 Parents’ Choice Approved Award. Launch date: October 30, 2006. 5/23/2007 (Price: $14.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Buon Natale - Learning Songs & Traditions in Italian by TEACH ME TAPES INC.

Bring Christmas traditions from Italy to life with this book. Listen, learn and sing along in Italian as one follows family celebrations of customs passed down from generation to generation. The 32-page hardcover book is narrated in Italian and written in a dual language format so everyone can learn and enjoy. The book includes a 60-minute companion audio CD. Launch date: October 2007. 5/22/2007 (Price: $19.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Frohliche Weihnachten - Learning Songs & Traditions in German by TEACH ME TAPES INC.

Bring Christmas traditions from Germany to life with this book. Listen, learn and sing along in German as one follows family celebrations of customs passed down from generation to generation. The 32-page hardcover book is narrated in German and written in a dual language format so everyone can learn and enjoy. The book includes a 60-minute companion audio CD. Launch date: October 2007. 5/22/2007 (Price: $19.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Joyeux Noel - Learning Songs & Traditions in French by TEACH ME TAPES INC.

Bring Christmas traditions from France to life with the newest series from the award-winning publisher, Teach Me Tapes, Inc.  Listen, learn and sing along in French as you follow family celebrations of customs passed down from generation to generation.  These 32-page hardcover books are narrated in French and written in a dual language format so everyone can learn and enjoy.  These books include the 70 minute companion audio CD. 5/22/2007 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Feliz Navidad - Learning Songs & Traditions in Spanish by TEACH ME TAPES INC.

Bring Christmas traditions from Mexico to life with the newest series from the award-winning publisher, Teach Me Tapes, Inc.  Listen, learn and sing along in Spanish as you follow family celebrations of customs passed down from generation to generation.  These 32-page hardcover books are narrated in Spanish and written in dual language format so everyone can learn and enjoy.  These books include the 70 minute companion audio CD. 5/22/2007 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Lovely Baby Music Presents...The Famous Composers Series by LOVELY BABY MUSIC

For the first time ever, babies can enjoy the world's best-loved classics in the most important and delightful way imaginable. Thanks to international baby music expert Raimond Lap, babies can now interact and respond with joy to the music of the great masters, while benefiting from arrangements that will help maximize their development. This is a specially priced three-CD set. “Lovely Baby is the first and only original music series in the world specifically created for babies. Created for, not adapted for,” President Gary Brody of Lovely Baby Music told TDmonthly. The product received a spring 2007 Parents' Choice Award. 5/21/2007 (Price: $31.98)

Shake and Bake, Music of Fitness and Food by K.C's PRODUCTION GROUP

Shake and Bake serves up a buffet of fun, energetic music that gets kids active, eating right and staying healthy. Writers Caroline Figiel and Danny Jones mix just the right amount of entertainment with education so that children and adults will be shaking and baking together as they enjoy songs such as "Heartbeat," "Let's Go Shopping" and "Picky Eater." Launch date: May 2007. 5/21/2007 (Price: $15.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Nicky's Jazz for Kids by DOMINICK MEDIA

This first-of-its-kind Jazz for Kids CD introduces children to the magic of jazz. These rhyming, swinging, sing-a-long songs were chosen especially for kids by their very own jazz ambassador, Nicky the Jazz Cat. All digitally remastered from their original recordings, these classic, timeless vocal selections by Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller, Count Basie, Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee speak to children through rhyme, humor, charming lyrics and swinging dance rhythms. This product received a 2004 iParenting Media Award and a 2005 Parents’ Choice Silver Award, and was named an American Library Association Notable Children's Recording. 5/21/2007 (Price: $16.95)