Daffy songs for the family

Trout Fishing in America:

It’s a Puzzle

Trout Records

For the family; CD: $14.98

(888) HEY-TFIA

www.troutmusic.com

Guitarist Ezra Idlet and bass-player Keith Grimwood, a.k.a. Trout Fishing in America, are some of the most lyrically creative, musically sophisticated, vocally muscular music-makers in the family music business. Among these clever, parent-savvy and often just plain daffy songs: “Why I Pack My Lunch” (because the cafeteria serves “Chunky milk, eyebrow soup/Refried snakeskin, fresh baked boot....”). In “La La Land,” a big black bug dreams of a belly rub, and “The King of My Mountain,” tender and resonant, perfectly describes how a good day feels.

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Sol y Canto: El Doble de Amigos

Twice as Many Friends

Rounder Records

Ages 4 to 9; CD: $14.98

(800) ROUNDER

www.rounder.com

This aptly named band, led by Rosi and Brian Amador, does indeed warm its bilingual get-up-and-dance songs from Latin American countries with an irresistibly sunny spirit. Expert musicians and bubbly adult and child vocalists invite listeners to count in Spanish and English, learn the “7 dias,” Afro-Brazilian-style; and put on their dancing zapatos (shoes) for a bouncy Puerto Rican children’s circle game.

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Dream With Me Tonight, Vol. 2

A Father’s Lullabies

Sandman Records

Ages 0 to 6; CD: $12.98

(800) 927-9848

www.DreamWithMeTonight.com

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Contributing to a growing trend in tender paternal music-making, Gene Miller’s soft pop vocals match the mood of sweet, quiet- and sleepy-time songs by Lanny Sherwin. A dad thanks his new baby for bringing joy into his life in “The Key of Love,” a rock ‘n’ roll dad happily trades independence for the serene pleasures of baby love (“Rock, Rattle and Roll”). The company donates 10% of proceeds to the Spina Bifida Assn. of America.

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All By Myself: Taking Care of My Pet

Ladybug Productions

Ages 2 to 6; VHS: $14.95

(866) 408-5437

www.allbymyself.com

Buddy the Ladybug is the colorful, simply animated cartoon host of this captivating “I can do it” series, introducing live action segments that feature real kids being themselves. Here, Buddy and his six-legged pet, Squeaky the Pufferdoodle, and some real-life young pet owners demonstrate how to gently care for and play with their pets, from yellow Labradors that outweigh their owners to puffball kittens, sticky-tongued chameleons, assorted fish and hamsters. It’s useful, adorable and genuinely funny. Upcoming titles will cover helping out, bedtime and going to school.

-- Lynne Heffley