For Kids, Tapes to Heighten Holiday Mood

Children don’t generally need any help getting into the holiday spirit, but parents can fan the flames with plenty of choices in the world of audio and video entertainment. Here’s a roundup of some recent releases that aim to bring cheer to all ages.

Audio

A Classical Kids Christmas. Classical Kids/Atlantic Recording Corp. For the family. CD: $19; cassette: $11. (800) 668-0242, www.child rensgroup.com.

Birds riding the first autumn winds; angel wings brighter than the stars; candlelight spilling over the snow; the Three Kings; Santa Claus and a tour of Christmas traditions all over the world. This album is an exceptional, uplifting audio Christmas pageant, weaving together eloquent and lively narrative and poetry into varied renditions of beautiful choral and orchestral seasonal music. Performed by children and adults, and produced by Classical Kids originator Susan Hammond, it is a yuletide treasure for all ages.

‘Tis the Season: Holiday Songs for the Child in All of Us. For the family. CD: $15. (800) 234-9228. www.bestchildrensmusic.com.

A welcome re-release of Fred Koch’s exuberant musical holiday celebration. Well-crafted for cross-generational appeal, Koch’s arrangements, performed by top-notch musicians, with adult and child vocals, include traditional and popular Christmas and Hanukkah songs and instrumentals in styles from klezmer and jazz to rock ‘n’ roll. A sampling of tracks include “Up on the Housetop,” with a Dixieland swing; the obligatory “Jingle Bells” kids’ chorus with an unexpectedly brash sax solo; and the album’s sunny wind-up, “Feliz Navidad.”

Celebrate Hanukkah: Hanukkah Songs to Treasure. Craig ‘n Co. For the family. CD: $15.(800) 6-CRAIG-8; www.celebrateseries .com.

Classy vocal and instrumental artistry defines this album of contemporary songs by Jewish music artists Jon Nelson, Debbie Friedman, Julie Silver, Craig Taubman and others. The tracks are all standouts, from Grammy-winning guitarist Laurence Juber on “Maoz Tzur,” with lead vocal by Taubman--one of children’s music’s most dynamic artists--to the traditional “I Have a Little Dreidle,” transformed into two separate little jazz wonders by saxophonist Ben Sidran with vocalist Lynette, and by pianist Jon Simon.

Chanukah, Holidays & Heritage: Jewish Traditions. Moonlight Rose Publications. Ages 4 to 8. CD: $15; cassette: $10. www.janicebuckner. com.

Janice Buckner reaches out to young listeners with gentle warmth, clear, sweet vocals and bouncy accompaniment in this comfortable collection of traditional and original songs celebrating Jewish holidays. Child singers in “Dreidel” and “The Macabee Song” add cozy charm, as do Buckner’s short, child-friendly song introductions.

Video

Jingle-Bell Baby. Small Fry Productions. 30 minutes. Ages 1 to 5. $16, plus shipping. (800) 521-5311. www.small-fry.com. Baby Santa’s Music Box. Baby Einstein/Family Home Entertainment. 30 minutes. Ages 1 to 5. $15; DVD, $20. (800) 793-1454. www.babyeinstein.com.

These two Christmas videos for tiny tots are similar--seasonal tunes and short segments featuring colorful images of glittery ornaments, toy trains, snowy scenes, Christmas trees and lots of real little tykes--but “Jingle-Bell Baby’s” added action gives it the edge. With simple, observational narration, little viewers go on a fascinating trip to a candy cane factory, see how water freezes in a winter-scape, watch peers make cookies for Santa and discover gift box surprises.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & The Island of Misfit Toys. GoodTimes Entertainment. 74 minutes. $23; DVD, $25. Ages 4 and older. The 1964 stop-action fantasy has been remade with computer animation and the celebrity voices of Jamie Lee Curtis, Richard Dreyfuss and Rick Moranis. Composer Bruce Roberts did the musical score, and Tony Bennett sings Rudolph’s theme song.

Rudolph, his laser-beam nose and his friends--including Bumbles the abominable snowman, go to the rescue when a mysterious, vengeful “Toy Taker” threatens to spoil Christmas. A rather plastic-looking snowman narrates the action, and a glamorous queen hippo, a flying lion, broken toys and a helpful elf dentist figure into the mix in this good-natured adventure.

Note: For fans of those original stop-action and animated storybook holiday specials, Golden Books has released a new DVD three-pack for $57: “The Original Television Holiday Classics,” with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman/ Frosty Returns” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town/The Little Drummer Boy.”

Bob the Builder: Bob’s White Christmas. HIT Entertainment. 45 minutes. $15. Ages 3 to 6. (888) 427-0720. www.bobthebuilder. com.

From TV’s popular, stop-action animation preschooler series, three winter-themed episodes starring construction worker Bob and his pals Wendy, Scoop the backhoe, Travis the tractor, Farmer Pickles, his dog Snuffty, and bumbling Spud the Scarecrow. The charming sets and characters, the gentle messages of friendship and teamwork, and all those tools and trucks make a winning combination.

Barbie in the Nutcracker. Artisan Family Home Entertainment. 75 minutes. VHS and DVD: $20. Ages 4 to 12.

Not surprisingly, this elaborate, computer-animated version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann classic “Nutcracker” fantasy can be viewed as one long, lush commercial for all the Nutcracker-themed Barbies and related merchandise tie-ins that now line toy shelves. But the story, although departing considerably from the original, is candy-colored, plastic-coated fun, taking Barbie Clara and the enchanted Nutcracker into a fantasy landscape on a search for the Sugarplum Princess. The object: to undo the wicked Mouse King’s evil magic.

Prancer Returns. USA Home Entertainment. 90 minutes. $15. DVD: $20. For the family.

This sequel to the holiday film “Prancer” is awash in sentiment as big-eyed, vulnerable little Charlie (Gavin Fink) finds an orphaned young reindeer in the woods and is sure that it is Prancer Jr.

Charlie’s mission: to return young Prancer to Santa by Christmas Eve. With a crusty misanthrope (Jack Palance) to win over, a mean school vice principal to thwart and cynics of various ages due for a wake-up call, and with Charlie’s lonely, divorced mom (Stacy Edwards) about to find her soul mate--the sexy and kind town handyman (John Corbett)--nary an opportunity for a teary moment, or teary music, is missed.