Quality From Expert Tale-Spinners, Music-Makers

The holidays are a perfect time to curl up with a kid or two and spend some quality time together listening to quality audio recordings for children, courtesy of some expert tale-spinners and music-makers.

Here are some notable gift-giving selections to get you started:

Cajun Ghost Stories. August House Video. Cassette, $10; (800) 284-8784. The first story isn’t so scary, but spooky tale-spinner J.J. Renaux is just warming up. Creating a world redolent of cypress, tattered moss and dark swamps, Renaux tells of cursed treasure, a soul-eating wizard and restless spirits. Into her ghoulish gumbo, she throws some Cajun French, shivery sound effects and Mark Maxwell’s haunting slide guitar accompaniment. For ages 8 and up.

Carnival of the Animals. Dove Audio. Cassette, $11; CD, $13; (800) 345-9945. Audrey Hepburn, Ted Danson, Walter Matthau, Lily Tomlin and Charlton Heston are but a few of the celebrities who lend their distinctive voices to this lushly produced recording of Saint-Saens’ musical menagerie accompanied by Ogden Nash’s humorous verse. Side 2 is all instrumental. Featuring pianists Mona and Renee Golabek and the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra conducted by Lalo Schifrin, this beautiful, digitally mastered recording is a benefit for several animal charity organizations, chosen by the celebrities. (Although the CD is eminently accessible to children, a slightly different version targets that age group, replacing Arte Johnson with “Wonder Years” star Fred Savage in the intro and finale. It comes on cassette, with poster and crayons for $13.)

Chipmunks in Low Places. Epic/Chipmunks, Sony Kids Music. Cassette, $10; CD $14. It’s no surprise that this novelty recording has earned a solid spot on the pop and country charts. Alvin and the gang warble country hits and banter with the likes of the “Achy Breaky” man himself, Billy Ray Cyrus. They rile up Aaron Tippin by correcting the grammar in Tippin’s “There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With the Radio” and add their own sibling rivalry to Charlie Daniels’ “Brothers & Old Boots.” One don’t-miss highlight in this Ross Bagdasarian/Janice Karman creation is Chipmunk Brittany’s exchange with Tammy Wynette about Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.” It seems Wynette has a few qualifiers these days.

Country Music for Kids. Walt Disney Records. Cassette, $10; CD, prices vary. This star-studded, down-home album features music chosen for maximum appeal to young children. You can’t beat Merle Haggard singing “Bingo” or the Oak Ridge Boys’ version of “Oh, Susanna.” Producers Jay Levy and Herb Pedersen contribute top-quality original fare. Among the other vocalists are Emmylou Harris, Mary-Chapin Carpenter and Glen Campbell, while the fine cadre of pickin’ and strummin’ musicians include David Grisman and Earl Scruggs.

The Cowboy Album. Kid Rhino. Cassette, $8; CD, $12. Another one with both child and adult appeal. A collection of cowboy classics, from Frankie Laine doing the “Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ ” “Rawhide” theme and Vaughan Monroe’s haunting “Ghost Riders in the Sky” to Roy Rogers crooning “Happy Trails.” Some others heard from are the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and Marty Robbins. Production values are top-notch in this home-on-the-range trip back to yesteryear.

EarthSongs. NorthSound. Cassette, $10; CD, $16; (800) 336-5666. Singer, composer and naturalist Douglas Wood pays tribute to Earth’s riches in playful songs such as “The Frog and the Flea” and “The Outhouse Blues” and invites thought with such ballads as “The Big Trees Are Down” and “Wind Upon the Shoulder.” Wood’s warm voice, sense of fun, eloquent lyrics and the richness of his 12-string guitar are a winning combination.

Hap Palmer’s Holiday Magic and We’re on Our Way. Kid Rhino. Cassettes, $10 each; CD (“We’re on Our Way” only), $15. Two recordings from “Baby Songs” creator Hap Palmer. In “We’re on Our Way,” Palmer, who’s so adept at putting musical magic into the everyday experiences of childhood, sings about playing in the mud, going to the library, brushing teeth (with a friendly tiger) and waiting for a teddy bear to arrive in time for a birthday. His “Holiday Magic” Christmas album celebrates the spirit of giving as well as the joy of receiving in a bright collection of traditional and original holiday songs.

Happy Feet. Oak Street Music. CD, Cassette, $10; CD, $14; (800) 848-4351, (818) 972-4340. Canadian Fred Penner is one of children’s music’s superstars and this album lives up to that rep. It’s a bubbly collection of feel-good songs from the ‘30s to the present, including such toe-tappers as “Red, Red Robin,” “Ragg Mop” and the zingy title tune.

If the Shoe Fits ... Walt Disney Records. Cassette, $9; CD, prices vary. You can always expect the unexpected from Norman Foote, the Canadian singer who uses “props with attitude” and does takeoffs of Sinatra and Dylan during his concerts. Here, Foote offers young children his unique brand of gentle whimsy with traditional and original tunes, from the jazzy “Straighten Up and Fly Right” by Nat King Cole and Irving Mills to the decidedly different “The Man Who Ran Away With the Moon.”

Lullabies of Broadway. Music for Little People. Cassette, $10; (800) 346-4445. An exquisite album from musical theater actress Mimi Bessette, not just for her caressing vocals, but for the thoughtful selections she offers. There are familiar songs: “Castle on a Cloud” from “Les Miserables” and the Jule Styne/Comden and Green “Never-Never Land” from “Peter Pan.” But there are also the delectable “Blueberry Eyes” from a 1970 musical based on “Gone With the Wind” that was commissioned for Japanese audiences and the unexpectedly tender “Not While I’m Around” from Sondheim’s dark “Sweeney Todd.” Perhaps the best treasure of all is Cole Porter’s poignant “My Broth of a Boy,” from an unproduced 1940’s Warner Bros. film.

Mirandy and Brother Wind. Knopf Book and Cassette Classics/Random House. Book and cassette, $17; (800) 733-3000. Patricia McKissack’s captivating, evocative story about a little girl at the turn of the century who wants the Wind to be her partner at the junior cakewalk. Actress Cicely Tyson’s affectionate reading perfectly complements the vivid characters who dance through this happy book.

Nursery Raps. MCA Records. Cassette, $10; CD, $16. This cheerful rap album for little ones is a delightful surprise. Mama Goose, Humpty D, MC Gander and Mix Master Mary deliver amusing hip-hop and R&B; versions of familiar nursery rhymes, which comfortably fit the format. Produced and performed by the For Kidz trio--Eric Allaman, Dexter Moore and Kevin O’Connell--who are joined by executive producer Casey Cole Ray, the bouncy album never panders to adults or loses sight of its preschool audience.

Old World Lullabies. BMG Kidz/Rincon Children’s Entertainment. Cassette, $10; CD, $14; (800) 676-2272. Sweetly sung lullabies from as far back as the 16th Century, with complete verses added to lyrics familiar today. Musical accompaniment is a re-creation of the sound of Old World lutes and flutes, harpsichords and other instruments of the time. Vocals are by Grace Alexander and guitarist Grant Geisman is featured. Side 1 ends with a fetching nursery rhyme medley; Side 2 is an instrumental singalong.

Pure Imagination. Elektra. Cassette, $16. When acclaimed cabaret artist Michael Feinstein turned his attention to music for children, he went as far back as the 1930s to compile a sure-to-please collection of the familiar and the obscure. Feinstein, the Page Cavanaugh trio and other fine musicians serve up such goodies as the title song from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” “The Dressing Song” from “The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T” and the whimsical “Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet.” Encore, please.

Rainbow Sign. Rounder Records. CD, from $10. Retail outlets or Appalseed Productions, (804) 977-6321. An eclectic collection of songs about family and global togetherness featuring Tom Chapin, John McCutcheon, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Apache singer A. Paul Ortega, reggae star Yellowman and many more. The artists are donating their profits to Grassroots Leadership, a nonprofit organization helping to train community-based leadership throughout the South. Bottom line, however: It’s dandy listening.

Snuffy, the Elf Who Saved Christmas. Kid Rhino. Cassette, $7. Sixties’ troubadour Bobby Goldsboro, who has been writing musical stories for children for some time now, comes up with a holiday winner about an elderly elf who proves to doubters that age and experience should be valued. Snuffy saves the day, when it looks as if Santa’s toys won’t be finished in time for the big day.

Stories From Far Away. Joel Ben Izzy. Cassette, $10; (510) 526-4065. Traveling storyteller Joel Ben Izzy crosses age and ethnic barriers in this treasure trove of international humor. With accompaniment by clarinetist David Julian Gray, the far-ranging stories, gathered from Israel to Asia and Eastern Europe, include a gem about an unexpected King Solomon decision and a quirky fable about a village full of fools. Ben Izzy is a master at drawing listeners into his smoothly woven, smiling tales of human folly.

Where Dreams Are Born. Sheera Recordings. Cassette, $10; Silo, (800) 541-9904. Margie Rosenthal and Ilene Safyan calm little ones (and parents, too) at bedtime with tender, sometimes piercingly sweet Jewish lullabies and ballads by Jewish composers. Songs are beautifully sung in Hebrew, Yiddish, English and the Ladino dialect and include serene renditions of “Tumbalalaika” and “Scarlet Ribbons.”

Wild Times at the Water Hole. Metacom Inc. Cassette and coloring book, $13; (800) 328-0108. Bob Dorough lends his distinctive jazz voice to the narration and songs in this unusual recording celebrating the diversity of African wildlife. The music on the album is made up of real animal sounds, played through a computer like musical instruments. Created by Bernie Krause, with music and lyrics by Krause, Janice Lawrence, who also wrote Side 2’s charming story about a hiccupping lion cub, and Dorough, the album’s sales benefit the Nature Conservancy.

Woody’s Grow Big Songs. Warner Bros. Records Family Entertainment/Harper Collins Children’s Books. Cassette and hard-cover song book, $25; CD, $16. A recently discovered, unpublished book of children’s songs written and illustrated by legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie was the occasion for a musical reunion led by son Arlo Guthrie and other Guthrie family members. To accompany the restored book, the Guthries recorded the songs and poignantly mixed their voices with old recordings of their father, who died of Huntington’s chorea in 1967. The emotional resonances in that will add to adult listeners’ appreciation; children will happily relate to such unpretentious, knowing songs as “Cleano,” “Don’t You Push Me Down” and the classic, “Riding in My Car.”