Lovely, Love My Family by the Roots is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head in a good way. My girls discovered it after watching it on Yo, Gabba Gabba! oh, maybe 6,000 times and it's been a favorite around here ever since. So …
Enjoy these, our editors' favorite books, music, and DVDs of the year to help keep our kids entertained and educated . And frankly, us too. Books for little kids Even after reading it oh, every night for a month, my youngest daughter sti…
While I'm finishing up my wrapping/baking/eggnogging extravaganza I'm going to enjoy some great new holiday tunes. If you're tired of the same old same old, you can too. As a little holiday gift to you, two downloadable EP's have been re…
I was fretting to my sister that I didn't know what to get her kids, my sweet little niece and nephew, who seemingly have everything. Her response: Don't you review kids' music for Cool Mom Picks? Just get them some cool new tunes! Funny…
Although everyone from Rod Stewart to The Black Eyed Peas seems to put out Christmas albums, it's pretty rare for anyone besides Adam Sandler to do something new and interesting with Hanukkah music. New and interesting is something Dan Z…
What's your beat? asked someone recently when I told them I write for Cool Mom Picks. Confused momentarily by the lingo, I recovered and replied, kids music . And, what a great beat it is, especially in 2010, when the music put out by ki…
In my last review of a Caspar Babypants CD, I mentioned that Weird Al Yankovic had called him "one of the few children's recording artists I can listen to without wanting to stab myself in the eyes, " which is my single favorite endorsem…
I've never doubted the power of music to unite people--though it does bring to mind those big events like Woodstock or Live Aid. But it's the effort of one dad and some very cool bands with loads of heart that now deserve to get people b…
This is the time of the year when the anticipation of holiday craziness, my kids' frenetic schedule, and the darker, drearier day conspire to really bum us all out. On these days we really need a big dose of lovely to touch us and make u…
After watching a few seasons of Top Chef , I now know what an amuse bouche is: a bite-size appetizer that is supposed to give you an idea of the chef's approach--and hopefully make you hungry for more. And though Lucky Diaz's 15 minute d…
Here at CMP, we love the thrill of bringing you something new and exciting-- from gummi bear chandeliers to faux fur blackboards and the practical, super-cool stuff in between. And we really, really love it when one of our picks starts o…
Calling all Yo Gabba Gabba fans! I know from the gazillion times my son has been entranced by the show that it's always full of surprises (ie Erykah Badu appearing out of nowhere). Well the live show that's launched yesterday promises to…
Going back a few years, I held fast to the belief that if I was going to be stuck out of my bed in the middle of the night rocking an infant , I deserved to play a little night music that would be awesome and make us both (oh please, oh …
I admit, I feel just a little bit cool when my little girls walk into a store or a friend's house, hear the radio, and immediately say, Hey! It's Bob Dylan ! So when I learned that one of his old tunes had been made into a brand new chil…
I was a teen when Live Aid rocked the world, and saw how powerful musicians can be when they come together for a cause. Now, many years later, another group of musicians has come together, this time on a fabulous children's CD to benefit…
The next person who simpers that kids' music is just too watered down to really rock is getting locked inside my minivan with the Candy Band's new CD -- cranked up to 11 until they cry uncle. Because there is nothing wishy washy about th…
Family-friendly Grammy-nominated musician extraordinaire Dan Zanes apparently had a secret desire to be a disc jockey. Which is a coincidence, because I had a secret desire to hear awesome radio music that wasn't pure dreck (mainstream k…
Why did the handkerchief dance? Because you put a little boogie in it. (Heh). And why does my kid dance? Because she's a ballerina/ninja/cheerleader/doctor/dinosaur-tamer. And that is why Baby Loves Disco keeps on rockin' with some super…
Super storyteller/singer Randy Kaplan is no ordinary kids' music performer. Oh, sure, he may sing about monkeys, bears and queen bees, but on his latest CD he also has my kids asking me to explain Freud, the definition of Hebrew terms, a…
When Seattle's The Not-Its! blasted onto the kids music scene last year with their debut We Are The Not-Its! , I took a lot of notice. It wasn't just that the songs were great indie rock tunes. It was that their sound was so tight and au…
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of super-fun kids' musicians The Okee Dokee Brothers: I gave their debut CD Kids with Beards a gushing review, and it's still one of my kids' most-played CDs two years later. And now they have a brand n…
It has been a long time since I've willingly rocked around the clock, but I still love me some good ol' rock-n-roll during the daylight hours. Thanks to Putumayo Kids, I now have some of our favorite kiddie rockers assembled in one place…
I will always have a soft spot for Laurie Berkner, the first children's singer to transfix my oldest daughter on Nick Jr., and then, years later, charm my youngest son with Rocketship Run . For those of us with older kids, I'm sure we ca…
My kids have a dad who rocks, but not a dad who "rocks." ( Guitar Hero doesn't count.) But a lot of kids do, considering there are some very cool dads who have put out fantastic CD's in the recent past. We thought that Father's Day would…