Dadnabbit

DVD Review: Princess Katie and Racer Steve, “Revved Up and Ready to Rock!”

Princess Katie & Racer Steve – Revved Up and Ready to Rock! (2008, RocketNYC) purchase this DVD (CD Baby) I’d never heard of Princess Katie and/or Racer Steve before my copy of Revved Up and Ready to Rock! arrived in the mail, but they apparently have quite a loyal following, and have released a pair of CDs (Fast & Feisty and Songs for the Coolest Kids), selected songs from which are collected on this live DVD. Katie and Steve seem to have come to kids’... Read More

CD Review: “Yo Gabba Gabba!”

Various Artists – Yo Gabba Gabba! (2008, Nickelodeon) purchase this CD (Amazon) For the record, I can’t watch this show — I want to punch DJ Lance Rock whenever he comes on the screen, with his big grin and all of his hand-talking — but I know when I’m beat, and for the last couple of months, my three-year-old has been obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba! Also, much as DJ Lance gives me the creeps, I have to admit that any children’s show that makes... Read More

Book Review: Wendell Berry, “Whitefoot: A Story from the Center of the World”

Wendell Berry – Whitefoot: A Story from the Center of the World (2009, Counterpoint) purchase this book (Amazon) This is a beautiful little book, and the calmest, gentlest illustrated short story about a mouse fighting for its life against a terrible flood that you are ever likely to read. That should come as no surprise to longtime fans and followers of Berry’s prolific output, which reflects the pride and commitment to tradition of his agrarian lifestyle. In his... Read More

Website Review: Jitterbug.tv

Tired of listening to your kids’ same old CDs over and over again? Jitterbug is here to help! The site seems to be in something like beta right now, with just a handful of artists available, but the premise is awfully cool. In the site’s words: “Discover great independent music for kids. we hand pick the good stuff…you won’t find Barney here.” It’s a sentiment I can’t argue with, certainly, and I can personally vouch for Jitterbug’s... Read More

CD Review: “Come Dance with Us”

Various Artists – Come Dance with Us (2007, First Wave) purchase this album (Amazon) First Wave, the company behind Come Dance with Us, is also responsible for the Fundamentals series of DVDs, which is geared toward teaching very young children to speak clearly — so it should come as no surprise that this CD is a perfectly old-school slice of kids’ music, about as far removed from the hipper, more rockin’ stuff that’s popular with the parental units... Read More

CD Review: Mama Doni, “I Love Herring (& Other Fish Shticks for Kids)”

Mama Doni – I Love Herring & Other Fish Shticks for Kids (2008, Mama Doni) purchase this album (Amazon) Let me begin this review by saying that I think children’s music with a Jewish focus is a terrific idea. Speaking as someone who gets up to his pupik in holiday songs every year, the overall lack of explicitly Jewish modern American music is a sad, troublesome thing, and any album that nudges the scales in the other direction is a good thing in my book. Earphones.... Read More

DVD Review: “Readeez Volume One”

Billing itself as “brain fruit” that will help your kids “giggle and grin as the knowledge sneaks in,” the Readeez series of animated educational DVDs has just kicked off with its first volume. If you have young children, and are the type of parent who tries to avoid exposing your kids to the fast-paced, commercial-laden shows on channels like Nickelodeon, Readeez may be right up your alley. The setup is simple: Each Readee consists of roughly a one-minute... Read More