From Jamaica, Sunny Songs for Little People : Bob Marley’s mother lends her voice and charm to a family album of reggae and calypso music.

You don’t have to know a thing about reggae or calypso music to enjoy “Smilin’ Island of Song,” one of the sweetest, sunniest family albums around. If you’re a fan of the late reggae great Bob Marley, however, you’ll double your pleasure: Marley’s mom, “Mother Booker” (Cedella Marley Booker), lends her warm-voiced, bountiful charm to this celebratory collection of toe-tapping traditional and original tunes from Music for Little People.

Mother Booker has some mighty fine musical company, too, including Taj Mahal, David Lindley, Jim Rothermel and Trinidad drummer Kester Smith.

On the album, a young girl (Kandice Love) jets to Jamaica for a visit with Mother Booker. She and listeners quickly find themselves on a musical tour of the island, clip-clopping along in a donkey cart, while colorful birds, fruit trees and eccentric characters along the way prompt whimsical songs with an irresistible beat.

Booker and Ronald Asher make two original contributions: “Ooey Gooey the Silly Worm,” a sure-fire kid-pleaser about an inattentive crawler on the highway, and “Jah Wanna Dance.” There are a wealth of traditional tunes, among them “Tingalayo,” “Chi Chi Buddo,” “Brown Girl in the Ring” and “The Banana Boat Song.”

The exuberant lyrics are notable as much for their lilting beat as for their exotically-flavored content:

Some a dem a holla some a bawl,

Some a cling-cling,

Some a dem a holla, some a bawl,

Some a laggahead” (“Chi Chi Buddo”).

Mother Booker makes each song’s introduction a storytelling gem. As the sun begins to set and goodbys are said, the album ends with one of Bob Marley’s hits, “Three Little Birds”--”Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cause every little thing is gonna be all right.” Encore, please, Mother B.

“Smilin’ Island of Song.” Music for Little People/Warner Bros. Records Inc. Audio Cassette: $8.98; CD: $11.98 Information: (800) 346-4445.

Family Fare: In GroveShakespeare’s first Family Theatre Series, the Bard takes second place to fantasies and fairy tales. The series kicks off Jan. 30 with “Cinderella Caterpillar,” a musical fantasy suitable for preschoolers performed by Max’s Playhouse at the Gem Theatre in Garden Grove. The second offering, to be announced, will open March 27, followed on July 3 by Greg Atkins’ adaptation of the classic fairy tale “The Fisherman and the Magic Koi,” using traditional Oriental costuming. Max’s Playhouse returns with “Dream Street,” the last show in the series for 1993. “Dream Street” is about a girl in a wheelchair who visits a place where having wheels isn’t “special or weird.”

Subscriptions for the entire series are $20; individual tickets are $6. Information: (714) 636-7213, Ext. 215.

Update: The new order hot-line number for Backyard Productions’ “Original Tales & Tunes” video (reviewed by Kidbeat on Dec. 26) or “Baby Songs” videos, distributed by Video Treasures, is (800) 745-1145.