What he does like, in English, (and what I can listen to repeatedly without slowly going mad) are mellower collections of the traditional and original like Raffi's "Singable Songs for the Very Young" and the Limeliters' "Through Children's Eyes" (both of which I'd recommend for kids learning English as the lyrics are very clear and appealing -- there's also a book called Rise Up Singing that has collections of lyrics to hundreds of songs, with guitar chords, and references to recorded versions, for those of you out there seeking this sort of thing). We also have a lot of fun dancing around to big-band jazz standards (of the sillier variety) for kids sung by John Lithgow on "Singing in the Bathtub".

• Raffi (for ages 2-5, a Canadian performer, "can start wearing on adult nerves after a while")


• Burl Ives ("not at all irritating to adults as some of these types of recordings are", "a classic, US folk songs")


• Fred Penner, also Canadian


• There is a series of tapes called Wee Sing.


• Walt Disney kids favorite music tapes ("They will have a lot of the classics such as: Oh Susannah, She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain; This Old Man. Good stuff to listen in the car and sing-along.")


• http://eleaston.com/music.html#Children'sSongs ("an extensive collection of children's songs and lyrics online)


• Family Planet Music has samples you can listen to. See the family favorites Sara in Minnesota listed (below).

• The Chenille Sisters


• Priscilla Herdman


• Sally Rogers


• Bill Staines


• John McCutcheon