If you know kids who like stories or kids who like songs, you won't have to look far to find CDs and cassettes that will please them. Record companies are increasingly catering to these young consumers. Here's a look at a few of the latest possibilities:
- Sure there's Barney, but if you're looking for dinosaurs of a different color, DINOSAURS: Classic Tales (Walt Disney) offers four fairy tales with a prehistoric twist. There's "Goldiscales and the Three Giant Sloths," "Cinderellasaurus," "Hanselsaurus and Greteldactyl," and "Little Red Riding Horn." The tape features the cast from the "Dinosaurs" TV series, with not-your-usual fairy tales.THE DINOSAUR ALBUM: A Musical Adventure Through the Jurassic Age (Kid Rhino) brings the ancient world to life through catchy, humor-filled, subtly educational songs such as "Hunting for Meals In All the Wrong Places," "Ugga Bugga" and "Sweet Dinosaur of Mine."
- For Winnie the Pooh fans, Disney offers a three-cassette STORYTIME GIFTSET, with Christopher Plummer narrating three classic Pooh stories: "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree," "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day," and "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too." The tapes also feature the Hundred Acre Wood's original cast of Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Piglet, Eeyore and all the rest. Songs include "Rumbly in My Tumbly," "The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down" and "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers," all classics from the Sherman Brothers.
- Also from Disney is a new MICKEY MYSTERY SERIES, which comes with an audio tape, a picture book and a secret clue decoder. Kids read and listen and try to help Mickey solve the crime by following the train of clues that unlocks the mystery. In "Portrait Of A Crime," the dastardly deed is the theft of a priceless Patrick "Picasso" O'Brian painting stolen from millionaire J. Paul Petty.
- Author, songwriter, singer, storyteller, poet Barry Louis Polisar in known for capturing the fun, the silliness, the pure act of being a kid in both his stories and songs. He's popular not only with children but also with their parents, teachers and librarians. Three new Polisar collections are available from Rainbow Morning Music: OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS, featuring best-loved animal songs; TEACHER'S FAVORITES, with songs about school; and FAMILY TRIP, a collection of songs about families.
Some of the song titles tell it all: "I've Got a Dog and My Dog's Name Is Cat," "One Day My Best Friend Turned into a Frog," "Underwear," "The Alfabet Song," "I Don't Wanna Go to School" (from the principal's point of view), "Oh No, I Like My Sister," "My Brother Threw Up on My Stuffed Toy Bunny." Crazy fun for all.
- Muppet mania is as strong as ever. Rowlf the Dog celebrates 30 years in show business (that's 210 in dog years) with a rollicking collection of his favorites in OL' BROWN EARS IS BACK (Jim Hen-son Records/BMG Kidz/Zoom Express). Done with a bow (or bow-wow) to Frank Sinatra, but in Rowlf's inimitable style are such songs as "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady," "I Never Harmed an Onion" and "The Garden Song." Backed by a full orchestra, Rowlf's piano playing and his singing are top dog.
Another offering from Jim Henson Records is FRAGGLE ROCK: Music and Magic, featuring favorite songs from the popular television series. The music spans the spectrum of styles from rock and jazz to reggae, swing, country and gospel - but the underlying message is clear: "Dance your cares away/Worry's for another day/Let the music play/Down at Fraggle Rock."
- Older children may enjoy MMC (Walt Disney), a collection of R&B, hip-hop and pop music from the stars of the Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club." The album features 12 new songs written for the group of eight, including "Real Talk," "Flava" and "Hanging on for Dear Life."
- As a reminder that childhood is not all fun and games, Disney Records also presents FOR OUR CHILDREN: The Concert, a benefit for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Both kids and adults will enjoy this collection featuring a potpourri of today's recording artists: Paula Abdul, Kris Kross, Celine Dion and Maurice Davis, Melissa Etheridge, Bobby Mc-Fer-rin, Patti LaBelle and more. Song selection also covers the field from Disney classics such as "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and "Beauty And The Beast," to old-time standards ("You Are My Sunshine," "I've Been Working on the Railroad) to wacky newcomers ("I Am a Pizza," "Haircut").