Take a tablespoon of Recess Monkey, add a heaping cup of The Hipwaders, and stir in a bit of power pop to even out the heavy rock flavor, and you’ll have the recipe for Minnesota’s new kids’ band, The Bazillions. Yum!

The Bazillions is the family-friendly iteration of the grown-up band The Humbugs, but their kids’ fare sounds much happier (though their grown-up songs are actually very good, too).

As the Bazillions they sing about Mac -n- Cheese and a Super Sonic Rocket Bike, perfect for the younger generation. Their lyrics are witty and silly and, above all else, they rock!

Their new album, Rock-n-Roll Recess, features the requisite Hello and goodbye songs, but done in a decidedly rock fashion (vey cool) and the last two tracks are lyric-free recordings of previous songs so you can sing along at home karaoke style. Kids love that.

Keep an eye on these guys—I have a feeling they may be putting out some really neat videos soon.

Have you ever heard of a bandicoot? I hadn’t, at least not until I was introduced to Anne Lawson’s lovely Australian nursery rhyme book, Mr. Bandicoot & Other Tales.

Mr. Bandicoot is a group of rhymes thought up by Anne when her children were little. They’re all decidedly Australian with stories about kangaroos, gum trees, and, of course, Mr. Bandicoot himself.

Anne says:

The songs and rhymes are filled with fantasy, imagination, and above all else, a mother’s love. The illustrations are whimsical, and as an added treat, Kate Rowe (of Space Rabbits fame) lent her talents to the accompanying CD, so you can listen to each of the songs while you read along with your kids. It’s really an amazing collection.

Anne also shared with me the way this book came about:

And the rest, as they say, is history.

I love the idea that these songs had been sitting in a box in an attic somewhere, collecting dust, worried about being forgotten, when they really lived on in the hearts of each of Anne’s children. Suddenly it became clear to the entire family that they should be shared with everyone.

Visit Mr. Bandicoot online to learn more about his story and listen to some of the songs.

As we drive around town I usually pick two or three CDs to play in the car. The three we’ve got on rotation right now seem to compliment each other so well that I thought it might be nice to do a giveaway for all three!

Bari Koral’s Rock & Roll Garden came out earlier this year and was an instant hit with everyone in our family. Bari strikes that perfect balance between rock (strong tunes with electric guitar) and sweet (songs about duckies and dancing). Her lyrics tend to be simple, which make the songs easy to sing along to even the first time you hear them. But she also throws in a couple of songs with some really deep messages, like Uh Oh (my favorite song on the album), about all the possibilities that lay ahead for any kid (or grown up for that matter). Where will we end up? Will we remain friends through it all?

Bari’s voice is light and fun and we just love listening to this CD over and over. We’re also very excited to announce that Bari is planning a Massachusetts tour in August and will be playing four shows in our area! On August 5th she’ll be playing at the Lowell Summer Music Series, on August 7th she’ll be at the Hingham Launch Shipyard, and on August 10th she’ll be playing at the Watertown Library! You’ll want to get your hands on this CD so you can prepare for these three upcoming shows!

We’ve also been listening to Lisa Monet’s newest album, My Best Friend. This CD came out last year and is a nice combination of traditional and original songs. Songs like Buffalo Gals and Candy Man are always fun, but I love the new silly songs like Goin’ to a Restaurant (where mom and dad learn that it’s actually easier to just stay in and make dinner at home) and the dancing tune Shake it Up! (Ivan’s favorite on the CD).

Throughout the CD Lisa keeps returning to the themes of friendship and play, both great messages for kids. If you think about it, that’s what childhood is all about! This album is definitely worth checking out.

The last album in our rotation is the newest kids’ CD from Meredith LeVande, What are the Odds. This is the first time I’ve heard Meredith’s music and I’ve become an instant fan. Her vocals are so playful and endearing and you can really tell that she loves singing songs for kids. Meredith says that she thinks “every song should originate from a wonderful connection with a child” and that really shines through in her work.

Plus her songs are just so much fun to sing! The title song, What are the Odds, is a silly tune about odd numbers and it ends in this fast repeating verse that goes through the odd numbers one through nine over and over. It’s so much fun I dare you not to sing along!

Meredith’s new CD won’t be released until August 31st, but if you enter this contest you can get your hands on an early copy!

Now here’s your chance to win one copy of each of these CDs! Just comment on the post below or send me an email. It’s that easy!

One entry per person. CDs will be mailed to the winner. We can only ship in the US at this time.

Would you like to earn an extra entry? You can…

• Subscribe to my email or RSS updates;
• Let your friends know about the contest on Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace;
• Post about this contest on your own Blog or website;
• Add Boston Children’s Music to your Blog Roll;
• or email five of your friends and tell them about this contest.

Be sure to send me an email or comment on this post to let me know what you did for your extra entry.

This contest will end Sunday, July 31st at midnight!

Good Luck!

Ellis Paul’s kids’ album, The Dragonfly Races, is a sweet and bright folksy collection of songs with lots of acoustic guitar and mellow melodies.

His songs are full of imagination and curiosities. From traveling to the bottom of the ocean to attending the dragonfly races, Ellis takes the listener on an adventure through music. The CD almost sounds like the soundtrack to a fanciful cartoon!

Ellis says in an interview with Sienna Wildfield at Hilltown Families that he wants to get kids thinking about life as a journey:

And Ellis’ explorations are bringing him to Club Passim in Cambridge for a set of shows celebrating his 20 years in music—looks like he’s going to sing every song he’s ever recorded in order over the course of five shows on Friday and Saturday! To learn more about his daring plan, watch this video on WGBH.

On Saturday at 3:30pm he’ll be performing songs from The Dragonfly Races. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for kids.

I’m a huge advocate of using music as a way to signal everyday events. This works especially well for special needs kids who may need a little extra help moving through transitions.

We have certain songs that we listen to when it’s time to eat or time to go to school, special Wake Up Songs, and, of course, special going-to-sleep songs.

We have so many sleep songs that we’ve actually separated them into three categories: relaxing songs when it’s time to just wind down a bit; nap songs; and bed time songs. I’m starting to feel like a lullaby expert!

So I wanted to share some of our favorite lullaby songs with you. Some are full albums and others are just one song off an otherwise excitable CD (and these days it’s so easy to just download one song), but all are magnificent.

Charlie Hope’s World of Dreams is a beautiful CD. She really thought through the entire concept from beginning to end and recorded an album fully with the intent of lulling your child to sleep.

I know it sounds obvious, but many lullaby CDs will include spoken words or jarring sounds that can wake you up! On World of Dreams, however, you’ll find that each song runs smoothly to the next, that the imagery is peaceful, the songs are ethereal, and the last song, If I Lie Here, sort of drifts off and fades away at the end, perfect for falling asleep to.

The beats on Under the Stars may move a bit faster than World of Dreams, but works beautifully for an afternoon nap time. What I love most about this album is that singers Nancy Falkow & Fran King take turns as lead vocalist, so get this very nice back and forth between a male voice and female.

Both singers are now based in Ireland (though Nancy is originally from the US), and you’ll hear lots of nature references in the songs that make me think of the Irish countryside. Very soothing and very sweet, my favorite song has to be I Wish You Love. It’s such a tender song about a parent’s love for their child.

This CD by Renee & Jeremy is a must-have in our car. It’s a Big World is the CD we pop in when Ivan is fussy and tired while we’re driving around town and just needs to settle down. It always works!

Renee & Jeremy are probably one of the best duo bands ever, their voices just blend perfectly, and this CD is home to my absolute favorite lullaby ever: Powder Blue. This is the song I hum to Ivan when it’s just me and him and he needs a little extra love. So simple yet so effective!

And can we talk for a minute about artwork? I’m just mesmerized by this CD cover. Brilliant and beautiful, but also soothing at the same time. Very nice.

A lot of artists will also record one lullaby song with the rest of the upbeat songs on their album. Here are some of our favorites:

• Alastair Moock’s Yllabul
• The Flannery Brothers’ Tuck Me In
• Hot Peas ‘n Butter’s Nabiya (Butterfly)
• Justin Roberts’ Song for You
• Laurie Berkner’s Winter Lullaby
• Maria Sangiolo’s Baby’s Lullabye
• Mariana Iranzi’s Buenas Noches (Good Night)
• Recess Monkey’s Firefly Lullaby
• Vanessa Trien’s Bedtime Waltz
• Ben Rudnick & Friends’ Sons & Daughters

Kids love playing outside, getting dirty, visiting the farm, and wrestling with their pets. I would think it would follow that they’d like songs about these things, too!

In the spirit of Rat Boy Jr’s Worms or dirt from their new album Smorgasbord, the following albums get kids thinking about how much fun it is to play and just be a kid. I like that.

Dennis Caraher’s I Miss the Mud is a classic kid’s CD filled with songs about bugs, dinosaurs, and, of course, mud. His music is fun and lively and often very evocative. Chasin’ After Chickens, a song about chickens released in the house, has such fun imagery you can’t help but imagine what it would be like if you had a flock of chickens in your own house!

Dennis is a Massachusetts artist, which means he performs around here so you can catch one of his live shows. Visit his website, www.dogbonetown.com, for more info.

Richard Popovic is another New England artist (from New Hampshire). His vocals are rich and lyrics light, which makes for a nice combo. If you only listen to one song from his CD, check out 6’s and 7’s (and other troublemakers). Along with number riddles (Why was six afraid of seven?), I love songs that anthropomorphize numbers (FYI, because 7-8-9).

But if you’re looking for a good and dirty song, try Stinky and Squeaky. How can you not love a song with a name like that? Want to learn more about Richard (including how he recorded this album)? Visit huckleberryparty.com.

The Okee Dokee Brothers are a new favorite of mine. They have a sort of bluegrass sound with lots of acoustic guitar and banjo, but I say “sort of” because they also have a very modern sound, particularly with their witty lyrics.

Of course a big theme for them is to get outside and get active, but they also encourage you to Wash Your Face, especially after learning the The Naked Truth (though you may need to wash more than your face after walking about nude). I love their opposites-attract song about Lefty Lucy and Righty Tighty (Lucy and Tighty) for it’s perfect wordplay. We haven’t had the chance to see them live yet, but their videos of live performances are hilarious. Hopefully they’ll come to Boston soon!

Take It Outside will be released on August 3rd.

Who doesn’t love the Laurie Berkner Band? Who hasn’t spent an entire afternoon happily humming Victor Vito to themselves?

Hey Victor! Hey Freddie! Let’s eat some spaghetti!

Laurie Berkner has been releasing perfectly danceable family fun albums for over ten years now (wow!) and felt it was high time for a best of compilation. I must agree!

If you’re not familiar with Laurie’s music, this album is a great introduction. You’ll get to listen to all of the best songs from over the years, from the silly (like Victor Vito and Pig on Her Head) to the sweet (like Five Days Old and Under a Shady Tree).

If you’re already a huge Laurie Berkner fan, you’ll be happy to see what a great job they did choosing the songs for this album (yes, Buzz Buzz made the cut), and you’ll probably have a couple you’d want to add (I’m kind of missing One More Stop on the Train). For us fans, this album would make a great gift for our friends who haven’t yet become super Laurie fans.

Another thing I love about this album: Since these are all hits, it’s a nice pick for the car. You’ve got almost an hour of “Oh, I love this song!” to drive along to with your kids… or on your own! Honestly, I don’t mind listening to a good Laurie Berkner song even when Ivan’s not around.

The Best of The Laurie Berkner Band comes out today. And the band will be in Massachusetts for the Life is Good Festival in September. Exciting!

Father’s day is right around the corner and what better gift for dad than music he can enjoy with his kids? And if your kids’ dad is a rocker, then we have some funky cool suggestions for you.

StarFish may be the ultimate children’s rock band. They even say that their shows “teach kids how to go to a rock concert…. The first thing the audience learns is to cheer when they hear their hometown mentioned. Then, we invite them down to the mosh pit and everyone gets to play air guitar.”

This band of five dads just released a new album, Enter Sandbox, this month and it’s a rockin’ good time. Our favorite song is My Name is No, which you can download for free here. You’ll also want to listen to Learning To Rock to get an idea of just how guitar-driven StarFish’s music really is.

If Calvin & Hobbes had a soundtrack, this would be it. Ratboy Jr’s new album, Smorgasbord, has a classic rock sound with just enough mischief thrown in for good measure.

Ratboy Jr sings about worms (my favorite song on the CD) and dirt. These are great little boy songs, but sung in a style that dad will enjoy too. And who can turn down the chance to sing along to songs about snowmen who never melt and robot pirates?

Putumayo is at it again with another stellar collection of songs. Putumayo is by far the best music label producing children’s compilation CDs and the latest installment, Rock & Roll Playground, won’t disappoint. With songs from artists like Brady Rymer and our friends from StarFish, you’ll find enough rhythm to bop and dance to all day long!

Putumayo often thinks outside the box when selecting their songs, so when you see that the hilarious story teller & singer Bill Harley is on this rock album alongside artists like Uncle Rock and Charity and the JAMband, you may scratch your head. But believe me, Bill Harley’s Sleep the Whole Day Through is clearly a rock song, with electric guitar and a sassy saxophone to boot. No need to second guess Putumayo; they know what they’re doing!

The new album from The Dream Jam Band, Leave it in the Soup, isn’t coming out ’til July 13th, which will be too late for Father’s Day, but it’s still a good one to check out for rock dads.

Their songs range from the silly, like Dance like a Skeleton, to just plain fun, like Have a Party When You Get the Blues, but the theme of the album is pretty clear: Have a good time, dance, party, and appreciate your friends. They sound like one of those happy bands out of the ’70s who just can’t get enough of life. Another great album for dads to share with their kids!

There are so many choices in kids’ music these days, from hip hop to rock, pop to reggae, and everything in between.

But if you’re looking for something that is simple, mellow, and has a folksy flair, Fox & Branch may be the band you’re looking for.

Fox & Branch (also known as Dave Fox and Will Branch) play old time Americana songs hailing from bluegrass, blues, or even cajun traditions. This is the kind of music that really is “family-friendly” because there’s something here for everyone. These are the kind of guys who’ll pull out a fiddle or an old jug at the drop of a hat.

On their albums songs like Sunny Side of the Street sit comfortably next to Turkey in the Straw. And of course they have a perfect rendition of Mama Don’t Allow.

Their newest album, Take Time in Life, would make a great father’s day gift. What a nice CD for dad to listen to with his kids!

Want to hear more of these guys? You’re in luck! They’ll be playing at Club Passim on August 21st at 10:30am and at the Hyde Park Public Library on August 24th at 10:30am. Check them out!

Justin Roberts isn’t just a musician; he’s a phenomenon. When we hear that Justin has a new CD coming out, we begin pining for it immediately. We don’t worry if it will be good or not—it’s just a question of which songs we will love the most.

And Justin has been receiving some much deserved accolades in the mainstream press lately. The New York Times wrote about him in April and I was glad to see that the reporter was a true fan who recognized Justin as a “natural poet,” quoting some of his best lines from classic songs like Picture Day and Sandcastle.

Justin was also featured in a recent article in Time Magazine, which was accompanied by a video interview online:

At his root Justin is an incomparable lyricist. His songs move smoothly from verse to chorus and are divine to sing along to. He gets you thinking, laughing, and every so often even crying—and sometimes that can all happen in the same song (like From Scratch, which gets to me every time I hear it).

His new CD, Jungle Gym, is no exception. The songs take the perspective of a child, but in a way that we can all relate to. We all know what it feels like to get an unexpected day off—whether we’re a kid finding out school’s canceled due to a Snow Day or a mom who’s just been given the afternoon to herself. And in the song Never Getting Lost, is he really singing about a child getting lost in a mall or about losing our way in life and needing to reconnect?

Justin’s new CD is set to release next week but can be pre-ordered now. In the meantime, you can check out this video for Obsessed by Trucks:

And once you’ve got your new CD and you’re singing every song by heart, you’ll be ready for Justin’s upcoming performance at the Regattabar in Cambridge on July 25th. Yes, it’s time to get excited.