I'm starting a new category in this blog: stuff to get. The products I talk about in this section are things that have worked well for my family and that I don't hesitate recommending to others. I'm not getting any kickbacks from these products (although I wish I could...) so my advice is pure!

Here is my criteria for music for kids: they have to NOT be sung by a purple dinosaur, they cannot be sung by children, and they cannot be bad music...which happily, leaves many choices.

For the Kids and For the Kids, too! are two great CDs that meet my rigorous criteria. Basically, they're a mixture of classic kids songs (think Ma-na-ma-nah, formerly sung by Animal, from the Muppets) and songs I'd never heard before, all sung by contemporary artists like Barenaked Ladies, Sixpence None the Richer, Sarah McLachlan, and Matthew Sweet, to name some of the people I've heard of (Remember, I'm rather ancient. no doubt younger parents than me have heard of many of the other groups/singers).

The songs are all really singable, and are a mixture of ballads and upbeat numbers. My kids' favorite on For the Kids is "The Hoppity Song", which, if they were not strapped into their car seats, would make them hop all over the place. My favorite is Sarah McLachlan's version of "Rainbow Connection," but I am also a huge Sarah MacLachlan fan and I happen to think that "Rainbow Connection" is one of the best songs ever written.

On the second CD, my youngest son really likes "I'm Different," sung by Butterfly Boucher, which I think he likes because it's so upbeat and fun, and my older son likes "John Lee SuperTaster" by They Might Be Giants because it's "rock and roll!" We all sing along to "Meow Meow Lullaby" (the words are basically "meow meow meow meow...").

So - if you're working on a music library for your kids I say thumbs up to both these titles. The second one is a bit more indy than the first, but both are wonderful. I should know. I've listened to each of them about 68 times.