I've never thought of the Blues as particularly cheerful until I heard Brooklyn's Randy Kaplan sing Good Morning Blues , the first song on Loquat Rooftop . Amidst the amazingly nimble-fingered guitar work, I heard him ask, Good morning b…
My son has a crush on an older woman, and her name is Laurie Berkner. Judging by the number of times he's listened to her new kids CD, Rocketship Run , he has fallen hard. Fortunately for the rest of us, we can understand his adoration: …
I'm all for exposing my kids to world music, but have to take into account that they do enjoy some of the regular old kids music (pain me though it does). Thanks to Baby Loves Salsa , the new release from our friends at Baby Loves Music,…
I have allowed my children to invade nearly all areas of my life. There are chicken nuggets in my freezer, tricycles in my driveway, and hordes of toys in every room of the house. But I admit I've drawn the line at listening to children'…
Thaddeus Rex's latest CD, Shakin' in Chicago , is for parents and kids who have moved beyond sugar-sweet versions of You Are My Sunshine. (Read: all of us). T. Rex has a unique voice and rocks the acoustic guitar in a way that reminded m…
You aren't likely to find me at a folk music festival or a bluegrass jamboree, but I'm totally taken by The Okee Dokee Brothers' new release, Kids with Beards. This two-member band from Minneapolis make twangy, toe-tapping folk music wit…
The only one more excited than my daughter for the new season of Yo Gabba Gabba! that begins today on Nick Jr., is me. I'm definitely ready to have some new lyrics stuck in my head besides It's time to wash your hair, it's time to wash y…
If ever a CD was made to be played in a W Hotel guest room that requests a crib, Chill Baby, by Californian musician and producer Cordovan, is it. It's cool as the name suggests, mixing mellow electronica with both original and familiar …
Kai-lan just told my daughter to stand up and do the dragon dance and she happily obeys, particularly since the cute tiger ("My favorite one!") is doing it too. Oh to be three again. If your own preschooler hasn't discovered the happy, a…
Now that I've got three children, I've given up trying to protect the youngest from his older sisters' tastes in TV shows. Is it cliché to mention that I saw Road Runner get clobbered at least a thousand times as a kid, and I'm still an …
It's not that there aren't great television and music options for the kids that are new, it's that the resurgence of our old favorites brings a nostalgic tear to our eyes. I can clearly remember dancing around to the groovy tunes of The …
I'll admit it: I was prejudiced. Before I heard the newly released Soulville and All Together Now from Little Monster Records , I was prejudiced against CDs whose singers included a "children's chorus," codeword for "cheese." Thankfully,…
In my 20's, I'd go to a small dark club in Rhode Island to watch obscure indie rock bands play loud, jangly music. We were a fairly homogeneous group, save for one earplugged little girl of about 3 who would sit on her dad's shoulders an…
A certain purple dinosaur has given this dude a bad name. But I'm thinking Barney Saltzberg is taking the name Barney back (yeah!) with 30 incredible children's books and four really swell CDs in his arsenal, including his latest musical…
When I heard that Music Together was creating a CD for everyone, and not just the lucky families who get it free along with their children's music classes, I jumped at the opportunity to check it out. Granted I'm a registered Music Toget…
I do like a lot of the educational cartoons on TV today , but c'mon! Where's the Schoolhouse Rock of the 21st century? Where are the shows that try to break down the electoral process, explain the constitution or tackle global warming? A…
"HEY! Don't turn that down!", I snap at my husband who has interrupted my backup singing so he can figure out some complicated directions on our way to Boston. He looks at me, warily, from the corner of his eye. Shoot. I have been caught…
If you heeded our advice and snatched up much lauded performer Frances England's debut album, Fascinating Creatures , then you and your kiddos will be glad to know she's got another great one to add to your collection. On Family Tree, Fr…
I'm all for handing my girls a box of crayons and a ream of paper and letting them while away an afternoon creating works of art . The only problem? Their cumulative efforts result in a fire hazard worthy of condemnation. The ART:Archive…
Hope you're free from 9:00 to 9:45 EST tonight because that's when Cool Mom Picks co-founders Kristen and Liz will be dishing about summer gear live on Kristen's weekly parenting podcast . Get the kids to bed , grab a glass of wine (or c…
Who says great preschool entertainment has to be heteronormative? (There's a new word for Scrabble for ya.) Not Dottie's Magic Pockets , the self-proclaimed "greatest kid's show not yet on TV" for alternative families. And lest you think…
While we Gen-X parents may have outgrown our Lollapalooza days (Primus so rocked it in '93) it doesn't mean we're ready to hang up the proverbial Docs just yet. Which is why the Kidzapalooza summer concert has become such a rollicking an…
The thing about computer games for early-elementary kids is that there is a precarious balance to be struck between learning and fun. You want it to be educational (justification, justification) but if it's too difficult or dry it won't …
Do you ever listen to music and think, "Seriously, how do people make these kinds of wonderful sounds?" Me too. And I just did when I checked out Funky Kidz : Kinda lame name, but pretty great album. Funky Kidz features a collection of n…