Music

Cloying, cringe-inducing, a colossal waste of time. All of these describe a decent percentage of the children’s music making its way onto DVDs every year. The real gems have what’s called cross-generational appeal, meaning you can enjoy the songs together with your DCs. The best of this class are even iPod-worthy.

Renee and Jeremy produce the kind of music that falls into this last category. The L.A. duo’s second children’s album, C’Mon, will be released next month, and it’s the type of CD deserving of a pre-order. With their soothing vocals and an upbeat-but-relaxed, folk pop style, their music is reminiscent of Carly Simon and James Taylor of years past. You won’t mind hitting replay a few times. Packed with songs you and your brood won’t want to “skip,” standouts include It Makes You Feel Good, BFF, Rely, Share and the album’s title song. The lyrics are simple and child-friendly without being patronizing. They talk about dreaming, playing hide ‘n’ seek, being a friend, and feeling good about everyday, little accomplishments (something more of us should take to heart).

Bring it on.

C’mon is available on barnesandnoble.com. Download a free song from C’mon at reneeandjeremymusic.com.

We’re getting a powerful tool in our efforts to mold kids into rocket scientists, microbiologists and nuclear physicists: a new CD from They Might Be Giants.

Alternative rock heavyweights John Flansburgh and John Linnell are releasing their new children’s album, “Here Comes Science,” on the heels of their Grammy-Award-winning “Here Come the 123s.” The dynamic duo from Brooklyn tackle hard core science subjects like no other rock stars could. Not only do they deal with planets and the body’s circulation system but also photosynthesis and computer-assisted design. To ensure their material was accurate, TMBG called on Eric Siegel, the director and chief content officer at the New York Hall of Science, to serve as a consultant. The album’s standout iPod-worthy song is “Meet the Elements.” Bet you never thought you’d want to get up and dance to a song about the periodic table. Also particularly ear-worthy are “I am a Paleontologist,” “How Many Planets?” “Speed and Velocity” and “Science is Real.” The CD comes with a full-length animated DVD of engaging and artistic videos. Here Comes Science is geared toward post-toddlers but there’s certainly enough to keep the sippy-cup set entertained while learning a thing or two.

Not sure whether to give these guys another Grammy, a Nobel Prize in one of the sciences, or both.

Available on amazon.com.

Watching a movie with a young child can be a dicey proposition. What can seem like a harmless kid flick can contain scenes of animal torture (The Secret of Nimh, Babe: Pig in the City) or snuffing (Bambi), the death of parents (practically every Disney flick ever made), and a host of other horrors. If you have a sensitive kid, you’ll want to know in advance what you’re going to see.

That’s where Commonsense Media comes in. Like a Consumer Reports for kids’ media, Commonsense rates movies, games, books, music, TV shows, and websites for parents. What might give parents pause? What age is it intended for? What might parents want to discuss with kids? Commonsense flags anything that might be worrisome, including violence, sex, cursing, and consumerism.

Parents can look up particular movies or games by name or age group, or get ideas for what to consume from Commonsense’s lists of recommended media picks.

Pictured: Rodents are sucked down a vent to their deaths in The Secret of NIHM.

In 1983, Gandhi won an Academy award, a stamp cost 20 cents and the Styx song Mr. Roboto hit the airwaves. Twenty-six years later, the under-five crowd has its own version of Mr. Roboto in the form of Mr. Leebot.

Mr. Leebot (a.k.a. Austin-based artist Lee Davila) is out with his follow-up album to Activate! Robot Dance is “80s kids music” complete with techno, synthesized sounds and shades of Talking Heads and Devo. “Twirl! Twirl! Twirl!” has some nice, dancey, pop elements. “Green Family” highlights ways to recycle and conserve energy, and “Paper Airplane” gives instructions on how to make one (manual dexterity required). And for this post-camp, pre-start-of-school abyss of time we’re in, there’s “Bouncing off the Walls.”

Domo arigato …

Available at cdbaby.com.

A is for…aren’t you sick of all that cloying kids’ music? They’re too young for T-Pain, but you need them to get on board with something with soul.

B is for Bob is a new collection of Bob Marley recordings re-imagined for kids. Produced by son Ziggy (whose own child-friendly CD, Family Time, recently hit stores), it features a host of Bob classics (known around the world for its powerful political and spiritual message that touches people of all ages) with a new spin. Hear songs like “Jamming” and “Three Little Birds” transformed by new sounds that create a feeling of hearing them for the first time (others, like “Could You Be Loved,” remain untouched).

C is for cool.

Available at amazon.com.

Forget the baby stuff: Your kids like real music, but it’s a challenge to find something the whole brood can enjoy.

Ziggy Marley’s new album, Family Time, will be released tomorrow with a rainbow of kid-friendly tunes that adults will want to jam to as well. Themes of family, from those at home to the worldwide community, are echoed through the voices of Marley and friends like Paul Simon, Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, Elizabeth Mitchell and Laurie Berkner, who collaborate on various serene songs. Inspired by Marley’s two young children, this feel-good music inspires peace, creativity, open minds and open hearts.

Play it during family time.

Available at ziggymarley.com.

Winter with young kids means one thing: bunker mode. Instead of wrestling to get them into cold weather gear, you’ve got the unenviable task of warding off cabin fever. A little music never hurts, especially at nap time. Arm yourself with these new albums:

Two Flowers
Danielle Sansone
This Atlanta-based singer-songwriter wows with her superb vocals (think Natalie Merchant). The simple but sophisticated lullabies and love songs are infused with folk and bluegrass styles, and pack a powerful punch in the emotions department. The standouts are too numerous to name — and while the lyrics are sweet and PG-friendly, it’s not bad stuff for reconnecting with your DH, either.

Round and Round
Melissa Green
Melissa Green also has vocals parents can appreciate. Especially earworthy: the danceable Coo Coo and the closing lullaby. The mix also includes a rendition of Do Re Mi, an a cappella version of In My Heart, and good old 5 Little Monkeys set to music. Green, who got her musical start in a New York City preschool, seems to have a penchant for weather-related songs.

It’s Time to Sleep, My Love & On the Night You Were Born: The You Are Loved Collection
What do you get when you put together Sally Taylor, daughter of Carly Simon and James Taylor, with New York Times bestselling children’s author Nancy Tillman? Magic in the form of an audiobook. Each story is set to music (hint: it helps to own the books, which are sold separately). But the real gem of this short and sweet CD (only five tracks total) is the lullaby Taylor crafts.

Tell Me What You Want to Be
Jetta and the Jellybeans
More typical kiddie fare, this is chockfull of silly lyrics set to happy, upbeat music. A noticeable ’50s, doo-wop style pops up throughout, making you feel as if you’re on your way to a sock hop. The album includes songs about being a “good pet mommy” and the importance of hand washing. There’s a cool cat of a number called Scat Cat, plus two zany songs about gravity and the solar system. But hey, all you want to know is when the stars and planets in your world will align.

Rewind to 1974: The Dow was around 600, polyester was far too prevalent and Vogue featured Beverly Johnson on the cover. It was also the year actress Marlo Thomas released the kids’ cult classic Free to Be…You and Me, a book (the record actually preceded it) celebrating diversity and challenging stereotypes about gender, class and race.

How timely that the book’s 35th anniversary edition hit shelves as Obama gets ready to take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Free to Be has all your old faves — “Boy Meets Girl,” “William’s Doll” and Shel Silverstein’s “Ladies First” — plus selections from new contributors, including Tony DiTerlizzi of The Spiderwick Chronicles. A new CD and whimsical illustrations are also part of the makeover. Plus, all book proceeds go to the Free to Be Foundation, a subsidiary of the Ms. Foundation for Women, which benefits children and families.

Sometimes even the classics need a facelift.

Visit freetobefoundation.org.

You’ve promised your future rock star guitar lessons — but not until he’s old enough to actually hold one without falling over.

Until then, French design team Olivelse’s handmade ukuleles are even better than a Yamaha. Each stuffed cotton instrument is one-of-a-kind, and adorned with cleverly designed pears, pink horses or elephants. He’ll have fun singing “Tiny Bubbles,” and when he’s onto the next phase (soccer? dinosaurs?) it’ll look super cute as a bedroom accessory.

Rock on.

Available at fawnandforest.com.

Your infant loves music, but your head is going to burst if you sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” one more time. He’s down with contemporary tunes, but you feel too guilty cranking “Soulja Boy” in the car.

Pop in a CD from Babies Go, which produces melodic reinterpretations of songs by popular artists like Sting, Bob Marley and Elton John — as well as kid-friendly scores from Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi. The lullaby-inspired renditions are soft enough to soothe a baby to sleep and sane enough to keep you humming along. Listen to sample tracks on the site before you decide if your baby is more ABBA or Aerosmith.

And save “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for when you really need it.

Available at babiesgo.com.