Lift those spirits in song

Here’s a roundup of recent audio releases aimed at children.

Dan Zanes and Friends, House Party

Festival Five Records. For the family. CD: $15.(800) 448-6369.www.cdbaby.com; www.festivalfive.com.

Dan Zanes, the wild-haired lead singer of the gritty 1980s rock group the Del Fuegos, has become one of the best family music artists around, as demonstrated by this spirit-lifting multicultural collection of rock, folk and pop songs -- sung by Zanes with Bob Weir, Deborah Harry, Philip Glass, Barbara Brousal and other notable artists. Zane makes music that adults can enjoy as much as their offspring do. Zane has a gift for giving each album the warm, cozy feeling that a bunch of talented friends and neighbors of all ages just got together at his house for a casual jam session -- which is pretty much the case. Terrific.

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Hear & Gone in 60 Seconds!

Rounder Kids. Ages 4 to 10. CD: $9.99. (800) 768-6337. www.rounder.com

No, Raffi’s not on this delightful new CD, but 29 of his music-making peers are. Conceived and produced by Regina Kelland and “Beethoven’s Wig” creator Richard Perlmutter, the album is a who’s who of children’s artists performing one-minute, eclectic, comic and soulful songs. Among them are folk great Tom Paxton, National Public Radio humorist Bill Harley, children’s music pioneer Ella Jenkins, zany veteran Dan Crow and another Canadian star, Fred Penner. Longtime favorite Parachute Express serves up its signature harmonies; Jessica Harper plies her velvety alto; the Bobs’ co-founder, Gunnar Madsen, is the cat’s meow in his offbeat “There’s a Bowl of Milk in the Moonlight”; and “Ralph’s World” creator Ralph Covert gently nails a familiar childhood protest (“I’m Not Tired”) with his trademark humor and empathy.

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The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: The Amulet of Samarkand.

Jonathan Stroud. Random House/Listening Library. Eight cassettes, 13 hours and

31 minutes.Ages 10 and older. $35. www.listeninglibrary.com

British actor Simon Jones gives an unforgettable performance of Jonathan Stroud’s richly textured, spellbinding book about a magician’s boy apprentice and a demon who are caught up in a wizards’ plot of revenge, murder and world dominance. Most of the narration is from the demon Bartimaeus’ cynical, lip-curling point of view; magical subject matter aside, the setting and characters are more Dickensian than Harry Potter-ish, with a supernatural ruling class, involuntary, uncoddled child apprentices and a second-class, apparently nonmagical citizenry, among whom are strangely powerful children engaged in a growing rebellion against wizardly control.

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The World’s Very Best Opera for Kids ... in English.

The Children’s Group. CD: $15.99. CD and teacher’s guide: $31.98. (800) 757-8372.

Ages 7 to 14. www.childrensgroup.com.

The Canadian company that exposed young listeners to the lives and works of great composers in its theatrical Classical Kids series offers an introductory, fairly child-accessible sampler of famous arias from “Carmen,” “The Barber of Seville,” “The Magic Flute,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” “La Boheme,” “Rigoletto,” “Tales of Hoffmann,” “Madame Butterfly,” “Xerxes” and “Die Walkure.” Opera singers include Michael Schade, Jean Stilwell and others; the CD notes include a synopsis of each opera and lyrics. Young converts can warble to five karaoke tracks.