Science Fair - Various Artists

Artist: Various Artists (Spare the Rock Records)

Album: Science Fair

Age Range: 5 to 10

Description: A kids' album, but one with ambitions.   Designed to raise awareness about the gender gap in science -- something happens between grade school and grad school -- the album succeeds that without forgetting that awareness-raising combined with dull music is pretty much a press release on a shiny disk.  A diverse set of musicians both kindie and kindie-friendly pitch in on a set of constant-surprising tracks.  Songs are both extroverted (the Nields' "Butterfly" and Wunmi's "Rainbow") and introverted (Frances England's "Goldilocks Zone" and Elizabeth Mitchell's recording of a Molly Ledford original, "Phytoplankton"), and typically focus on the questioning mindset of a scientist rather than nuts-and-bolts explanations of How Things Work.  Highly recommended.  (Listen to my NPR review here.)

Because I Said So! - Big Bang Boom

Artist: Big Bang Boom

Album: Because I Said So!

Age Range: Ages 3 through 8

Description: Filling the niche in your family's kindie CD collection for kindie jam-band music you didn't even know you needed filled, Chuck Folds' North Carolina trio successfully translates its energetic live act to disk with a surprisingly heartfelt set of songs.  "Make Me" is a rocking plea from the point of view of a kid who occasionally messes up and wants (gentle) parental guidance; it's one of my favorite tracks of the year.  Is the band making fun of the "Hippie Mom" or is it affecting teasing coming from a place of love?  (I think it's the latter.)  The band's got more of an attitude than a lot of kindie bands ("Are We There Yet" owes its debt to the Beastie Boys in more ways than one), which sometimes doesn't feel quite right on an album that features a counting song, but is right down the alley of older kids.  Listen to almost all of the 28-minute album on the widget below.  (Watch "Make Me" here.)

The band took a big step forward with the album, it's their best yet.  Recommended.

Picasso, That's Who! - Hope Harris

Artist: Hope Harris

Album: Picasso, That's Who!

Age Range: Ages 5 through 8

Description: What makes this album about famous people from the Virginia-based Harris stand out from most albums about famous people?  1) It's much more narrowly constructed, focusing on artists rather than a broader cross-section of people. 2) The participation of Dan Zanes collaborator Rob Friedman, who produced and plays on the album, and who gives Harris' songs a professional polish without stifling the life within.  While the majority of songs take a more straight biographical, I think the strongest and best songs on the album are the ones that capture the art they create more obliquely (such as "Impression, Monet," or "Who Made the Splash?," which raises a bunch of questions I'd definitely encourage kids to ask about David Hockney's iconic painting A Bigger Splash).  This may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it's straightforward praise -- this would fit right in at your local art museum's gift shop.  Families with young art fans should check it out.

Sing Loud! - Melissa Green

Artist: Melissa Green

Album: Sing Loud!

Age Range: Ages 5 through 9

Description: A muscular guitar-pop album from the Los Angeles-based Green.  A lot of the songs ("Baby, I Love You," the title track) could fit on an album not targeted at the elementary school crowd.  Brooke Shields (who knows her way singing around Broadway tunes for adults) makes an appearance on a couple tracks.  In fact, the specifically kid-focused songs ("The Playdate" or "Heyo") are the exception, not the rule.  Even the classic "Free To Be... You and Me" gets a propulsive arrangement that makes the original sound a little... weak.  It's my favorite of Green's albums, and families looking for a kid-friendly album that doesn't necessarily always sound like "kids music" may find this fits the bill.

Big Don's Brand New Beat - Big Don

Artist: Big Don

Album: Big Don's Brand New Beat

Age Range: Ages 3 through 7

Description: The Austin-based hip-hop Don Robinson comes back with a second album of kid hip-hop targeted at older pre-schoolers and younger elementary school listeners.  The beats are OK, but compared to, say, KBC Kids, Big Don's vocals are much more the focus.  He's more of a storyteller ("The Tortoise and the Hare") and as a result the songs are a shade slower, so your kids might do less bouncing on their feet and more bouncing on their couch cushions.