For Easy-Going James Durst, It’s Always a Great Day for Singing

Video

A Great Day for Singing! and Another Great Day for Singing!, Sidewalk Songs. $13. Ages up to 8. (877) 433-9255; https://www.sidewalksongs.com/

Mild-mannered folk singer James Durst plays the guitar and sings easy-to-learn songs with the help of kids and other friends, and the result is as charming as all get out. In the first video, Durst--who is based in New Hampshire but tours internationally--sings 25 classics in various settings, including “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Bingo” and “Skip to My Lou”; “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” beguiles a comically attentive black lamb down on the farm.

In the follow-up video, Durst (sans beard) unexpectedly branches out and plays multiple characters. His most memorable numbers are “A Hole in the Bucket” and “Buffalo Boy,” in which he’s joined by an increasingly irritated lady companion, Flo (Durst in curly wig and dress). Other songs include “This Old Man,” “Workin’ on the Railroad” and “Old King Cole.”

Audio

All You Need Is Love--Beatles Songs for Kids. Music for Little People. CD: $16. Cassette: $10. For the family. (800) 409-2457. https://www.mflp.com/

If you like kids and the Beatles--or want your kids to like the Beatles--this is a musical treat. “With a Little Help From My Friends,” “When I’m 64,” “Hello Goodbye,” “Blackbird”--this collection of 13 songs performed by a bunch of nifty kid singers proves that the Fab Four has timeless, all-ages appeal. Raffi and blues artist Eric Bibb perform as guests on the album. Raffi does a big-band-style “Octopus’s Garden” and Bibb sings “Here Comes the Sun”--but this recording really belongs to the child performers. “Yellow Submarine” and “Dear Prudence” are particularly delightful, as are short spoken introductions to some of the tracks. The stand-out is young lead singer Bernie Steinberg whose beautiful voice lights up “Mother Nature’s Son” and “When I’m 64.”

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World Playground, A Musical Adventure for Kids. Putumayo World Music. PUTU 154-2. CD: $16. Cassette: $11. (888) 788-8629. https://www.putumayo.com/

A little girl in Senegal dreams of singing with the little elephants and giraffes in “Fatou Yo,” sung in Mandingo. Bob Marley’s mom, Cedella Marley Booker, and Taj Mahal perform a sunny reggae song, “Three Little Birds.” And that Australian classic “Waltzing Matilda” is sung in the Aboriginal language, Pitjantjatjara.

Celtic singer Teresa Doyle’s spooky “Home by Barna,” Buckwheat Zydeco’s “Mardi Gras Mambo” and Eric Bibb & Needed Time With the Deacons’ “Just Keep Goin’ On,” with words to live by, are a few other terrific cuts. The liner notes from this musical tour around the globe are not only read-aloud fun, but a window on the world for parents and their children to share.