Wilbur the Calf Puts on His Overalls to Charm, Interact With Young Children

Video

Wilbur Goes to the Farm, Wilbur Sings the Classics, Wilbur Teaches Parts of the Body. EKA Productions, 30 minutes each; $14.95 each. Ages: 6 months to 4 years. (800) 945-2875. There’s nothing new about videos featuring a singing puppet host, real kids and activity music, but don’t expect a ho-hum “Barney” or “Baby Mugs” rip-off in these happy, colorful sing-along, play-along videos. They’re loaded with genuine charm. Puppet Wilbur--a spotted calf in overalls--introduces easy-to-follow, simple songs and activities, and there’s lots of great footage of frolicking real animals and kids.

Creators Jill Luedtke and Tracey Hornbuckle have managed not only to create imaginative, interactive fun for young children but have done it without the cloying sweetness in many kid-vids that make replays torture for parents. You may not agree with the video makers about the appropriateness of infant viewing, but watching with toddlers and preschoolers can be a blast.

Audio

Bigger Than Yourself. John McCutcheon. Rounder Records. CD: $15; cassette: $9.50. (800) 443-4727. Ages 6 and up. Award-winning folk singer-storyteller and virtuoso musician John McCutcheon gets an A for the kid-empowering messages of unity, principle and possibility in this new family recording.

That’s only half of it, however. McCutcheon also gets top marks for the warm, expressive folk rhythms that wrap up each of these thoughtful songs, sparked by his labor activist, people-affirming roots. Among the 15 selections written by McCutcheon and Si Kahn: “I Got a Dime,” in which it just takes some will and friends to fuel big dreams; “The Principle,” showing how one voice joined with other voices can make things happen; “Write It Down,” a family exercise in fair play; “Safe at Home,” a poignant reminder that there’s at least one place kids should feel secure; and “Friends Don’t Let Friends (Down)”.

The music, soft as well as toe-tapping, is played on everything from guitar, hammer dulcimer, mandolin, banjo to brass by McCutcheon and a terrific band that includes country singer Cheryl Wheeler’s harmonies and guitarist Pete Kennedy. The thread that connects each can be found in the standout title track:

“For one can only do so much

But lots of us can be

A steady ship that carries us

Across an angry sea.”