Holiday Recordings : It’s Ring-a-Ling Recordings Time : KIDS : Selections for the Small Fry (and Those Who Listen Along)

Calendar music critics and writers present their opinions on the year’s recordings to help you through the holiday season. Some of the reviews may assist the gift-impaired: See our Top 40 Shopping Guide for the nation’s most popular or critically acclaimed albums, and subsequent tips on the year’s best children’s recordings, the class of classical releases, which boxed sets are wothwhile (and which are merely long and expensive) and a spin through jazz and pop holiday music. The ratings range from one star (poor) to four (excellent). Five stars are reserved for outstanding historical retrospectives.

* * * 1/2 “Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales,” Dove Audio. (Ages 5 and up.) Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite” is the inspiration and background for a rich tapestry of fairy tales read by Audrey Hepburn in one of her last creative projects. Vivid images of royalty and monsters, forests and fairies are alive in both music and captivating storytelling. Ravel comes to life, too, in affectionate fictional childhood reminiscences. (800) 328-DOVE.

* * * “Candles, Snow & Mistletoe,” Elephant Records/Drive Entertainment. (All ages.) Celebrate the season with Canadian trio Sharon, Lois & Bram who jump back into the children’s music spotlight with this fully orchestrated, cozy collection of new and old Christmas and Hanukkah songs. The trio and a chorus of kids put a new spin on such classics as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” serve up smiles with “Don’t Bring an Elephant” (“to a family meal”) and introduce “Candles Long Ago,” an evocative new Hanukkah song with universal appeal.

* * * 1/2 “A Child’s Celebration of Song,” Music for Little People/ Warner Bros. (All ages.) Quite simply, one of the best collections of familiar children’s songs out there and one that adults may find themselves humming even after the kids are asleep. Loggins & Messina’s “House at Pooh Corner,” the Doobie Brothers’ “Wynken, Blynken and Nod,” Pete Seeger’s “This Old Man” and songs sung by James Taylor, Paul Simon, Judy Garland, Danny Kaye and many more make this a keeper. (800) 727-2233.

* * * “Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals & Dirt,” Ode 2 Kids. (Ages 4 and up.) It’s politically incorrect, but country legend Waylon Jennings’ first children’s album, with its unapologetic masculine bias, is also exuberant, tongue-in-cheek and disarmingly tender. Jennings’ tunes about little boys’ hi-jinks, sung in his trademark whiskey baritone, were inspired by the real-life kids in his life, including his youngest son.

* * * * “Daydreamer,” Music for Little People. (All ages.) Eloquent, family-affirming songs evoking the past, present and a hopeful future, sung in the gorgeous alto of folk singer extraordinaire Priscilla Herdman and written by some of the best songwriters going--John McCutcheon, Bob Devlin and Bill Harley among them. One musical celebration of life after another, ending with Harley’s exquisite “Where Have You Been?,” about a child helping a parent rediscover the magic of imagination. (A portion of the album’s sales goes to UNICEF.) (800) 727-2233.

* * * 1/2 “Daydreams and Lullabies,” Classical Kids. (All ages.) A weaving of poetry, classical songs and music around morning-’til-night family activities. “The Sandman” by Brahms segues into Humperdinck’s Prayer from Hansel and Gretel; Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 accompanies a lyrical lullaby poem by Dennis Lee, while Wynken, Blynken and Nod set sail to Bach’s Air on the G String. Beautifully performed by two sopranos, a baritone and the Canadian Children’s Opera. (800) 668-0242.

* * * “Horse Sense for Kids and Other People,” Music for Little People. (Ages 5 and up.) For car trips or campfire sing-alongs, Justin Bishop’s rootin’ tootin’ roundup of authentic cowboy songs is the one. Selections include musical sagas about a pig-eyed buckin’ bronco and “Bill Pickett,” a black cowboy who was “the last of the great cowhands,” plus such familiar classics as “The Old Chisolm Trail,” “Red River Valley” and “Cielito Lindo.” Instrumentation and vocals are top-notch. (800) 727-2233.

* * * * “The Little Prince,” Music for Little People. (Ages 7 and up.) This reissue of the 1974 Grammy-winning recording of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic novel is pure gold. The poignant, funny life-and-death odyssey offers a timeless lesson as a mysterious child teaches a cynical pilot that “what’s important can only be seen with the heart.” A tour-de-force ensemble effort with Richard Burton, Billy Simpson, Jonathan Winters, Jim Backus, John Carradine and Mark Conrad. (800) 727-2233.

* * * “Merry Christmas: A Sesame Street Sing-Along,” Golden Music. (Ages 3 and up.) Sesame Street Muppets and humans sing the old familiar carols straight--as straight as they can be when Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster get into the act. The voices of the late Jim Henson as Ernie, Carroll Spinney as Big Bird, Frank Oz as Grover, Bert and Cookie Monster make this an especially appealing, family-friendly holiday sing-along. Bob McGrath’s smooth tenor is an extra plus.

* * * * “The Moose Tales,” Dove Audio. (Ages 5 and up.) Author/illustrator/National Public Radio humorist Daniel Pinkwater satirizes adult foibles in his hilarious collection of yarns about a backwoods blue moose who becomes a snooty waiter, writes a bestseller, makes a movie deal, succumbs to media stardom and then gets mixed up with a 50-foot moose monster. For families, with humor that works on all age levels. (800) 328-DOVE.

* * * “Not for Kids Only,” Acoustic Disc. (All ages.) The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and jazz mandolin great David Grisman in an unpretentious class act. Pickin’ and singin’ their way through old-time folk and traditional songs, the pair give unique voice to a Dixieland jazz version of “Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” a loopy, rather dark oddity called “A Horse Named Bill” and a lusty drinking song, “Hot Corn, Cold Corn.” There’s silliness aplenty and they don’t clean up saltier lyrics, but there’s tenderness, too. “Shenandoah Lullaby” is a caressing blend of the old folk ballad with Brahms’ classic lullaby.

* * * 1/2 “Rock ‘n Toontown,” Walt Disney Records. (Ages 2-10.) Yes, the title track is a blatant promo for Disneyland’s newest attraction, but the rest of this terrific, upbeat album from Craig Taubman and his Craig ‘n Co. band is not to be missed. Taubman’s on-target original songs, such as “Get Up” (“Can ya, could ya, would ya, got to, Dad”) are inspired by his own experiences as a dad and the music is a combination of jazz, rock and Latin styles performed with an adult-pleasing sophistication.

* * * Rowlf the Dog: Ol’ Brown Ears Is Back, Jim Henson Records. (Ages 4 and up.) Muppet saloon singer Rowlf gives Ol’ Blue Eyes a run for his money. This memorable selection of shaggy solos, given lusty, humorous voice by the late Jim Henson, includes the poignant “I Never Harmed an Onion” (“so why should they make me cry?”) and a musical stroll down “Memory Lane” (“without a single thing to remember”). A comic celebration of Rowlf’s 210 dog years in show biz, yes, but a tribute to the genius of his creator as well.

* * * * “Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty,” EMI Classics. (Ages 7 to adult.) A quality two-CD boxed set of the fine London Symphony Orchestra recording, conducted by Andre Previn, along with a 32-page full-color soft-cover book. Each page features fairy-tale illustrations of the story, plus vivid descriptions of the music, instrumentation and ballet as it progresses, so that readers can easily follow along, understand the music and picture the ballet.

* * * “WOOF’s Greatest Bits,” Well-In-Tune Productions. (Ages 7 and up.) From the fictional “World of Folklore” multitalented Bill Wellington serves up treats from past “Radio WOOF” recordings. The zany radio-style show is filled with authentic mountain music, silly commercials--”Whine-A-Day Vitamins”--and the stuff of folklore: songs, riddles, stories and jokes. Wellington is joined in his wily nonsense, superb strumming and fiddling by some perky kids and a host of first-rate musicians. “Old King Cole” never sounded so good. (800) 541-9904.

* * * * Boomerang, audio magazine. (Ages 6-12.) An outstanding monthly magazine on tape, featuring highly entertaining and informative features to help children understand complicated issues. Kid reporters and adults offer lively, real talk about money matters, history, current affairs and politics. Jokes, storytelling and interviews round out this well-produced program. (800) 333-7858.