When my daughter was two weeks old I discovered that she responded very favorably to music. I love music and have the stereo on at home and in my car much of the time and I started noticing that certain melodies seemed to catch her attention. I decided to get her some music of her own. I remembered seeing a Time-Life commercial on television advertising a four c.d. set of 100 Children’s Songs for $24.99. The commercial showed favorites like Here We Go Looby-Loo, Muffin Man, Old McDonald Had A Farm, and Skip To My Lou. Even though this seemed like it was meant for older children, I decided to order the set. I thought that even if she doesn’t pay much attention to the music right now, some day she will be old enough to appreciate the songs.

The c.d.’s arrived about ten days later. I excitedly opened the package and popped one of the c.d.’s in for Kayla. A few seconds after the first song started, Kayla’s eyes got real big, she stopped squirming, and turned her head toward the music. She held very still for about 20 seconds, then a big smile came across her face and she began kicking her feet! She loved it!

THE MUSIC
100 Songs for Kids is a 4 cassette or 4 c.d. set by Mommy and Me Enterprises, Inc. Each disc contains 25 popular children’s songs performed by The Countdown Kids.

The packaging did not include much information about The Countdown Kids other than their names and that they are 3 boys and one girl, and three of them are age seven and one is age six. The children do a wonderful job with these songs and I was amazed when I found out they were so young. They pronounce the words clearly so that the lyrics are understandable. The music is light, simple, catchy and definitely appealing to children.

Many of the songs I was familiar with and had heard and sung as a child, such as, On Top of Old Smokey, I’ve Been Working on the Railroad, Polly Wolly Doodle, This Old Man. There are also a few that I had never heard of before, such as, How Many Miles To Babylon?, Sing a Song of Sixpence, Oranges and Lemons, Billy Boy, but I am quickly learning them with my daughter.

One thing I really like about this collection is that the words to all of the songs are included. There are a few of these old songs that I had forgotten the words to, or never knew the correct ones. As kids we sometimes made up new lyrics to our favorite tunes and along the way I had forgotten which ones were the correct words to some of these songs.

Listening to these songs, I have had a mixture of reactions. Some of the songs are a little silly, and sometimes even pointless. I wonder how they became children’s songs and what the story was behind them, or where they originated. For example, the song Polly Put the Kettle On; the whole lyrics consist of “Polly put the kettle on (repeated 3 times), We’ll all have tea. Sukie take it off again (repeated 3 times). They’ve all gone away”. It is a cute and catchy song, but I really don’t understand how it got to be so popular. There are several songs such as this that I wonder if they originally contained more lyrics.

Some of the songs are silly and fun, such as, Michael Finnigan with all of it’s rhyming lyrics:

There was a man called Michael Finnigan
He had whiskers on his chinigan
Along came the wind and blew them inigan
Poor old Michael Finnigan-igan-igan

And then there is There Was a Crooked Man:

He bought a crooked cat
Which caught a crooked mouse
And they all lived together
In a crooked house.

Songs such as these are also silly, but they tell a story with lyrics that are fun for children to learn.

Then there are songs that I can’t help but wonder who would think these lyrics up for children’s songs. For example, in the song Three Blind Mice the lyrics are:

They all ran after the farmer’s wife
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife
Did you ever see such a thing in your life?
As three blind mice, three blind mice.

And the song Sing a song of Sixpence, which says:

The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes
Along came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.

The lyrics are not exactly scary, but I can’t imagine that they would be comforting to small children if they understood the meanings.

Probably my favorite of these one hundred songs is Six In a Bed. I am not sure if I have ever heard this one before, but the way the Countdown Kids sing this song is adorable and so funny. If you aren’t familiar with this one, it goes like this:

There were six in the bed
And the little one said
“Roll over, roll over”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out.

There were five in the bed
And the little one said
“Roll over, roll over”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out.

The song continues until the last:

There was one in the bed
And the little one said
“I’ve got it all to myself”.

This is one of the more simple songs, but the children do a great job with it and it really caught my attention. After quite a few of the songs, the Countdown Kids adlib comments to the lyrics. Some examples are:

After Polly Put The Kettle On, one of the children says, “Want a spot of tea?” (in a British accent), and another says, “Don’t mind if I do”.

After Hot Cross Buns, one of the children says, “These are sure hot!”

The children make comments on close to half of the songs. The comments don’t really add anything to the songs, but some of them are cute and probably get the attention of smaller children.

According to the liner notes, these c.d.’s can be purchased separately, as well as a set. There is a note that says: For more information on 100 Songs For Kids or other Heartland Music Products, call 1-800-788-2400. For anyone interested, the names of the individual c.d.’s, as well as, the songs contained on each, I have listed them at the end of this review.

I was very curious about the Mommy and Me logo on the package, which also includes the phrase: “Laughing, Loving, Learning-Together!” I had never heard of Mommy and Me, so I decided to search the Internet to see if I could find out more about the makers of these c.d.’s. I found information at www.mommyandme.com and found that they distribute audio tapes, video tapes, and books. According to the website, the founder of Mommy and Me is Dr. Cindy Nurik, a child development specialist and family therapist. She promotes a line of products for positive interaction between parents and their children. Also, on the website there is a section for “Daddy and Me” with ideas for activities for fathers and their children


MY RECOMMENDATION
I have been very pleased by the reaction of my 13-week old daughter to these songs. We have been listening to these c.d.’s in the morning while I get her fed and dressed, and in the evening after her bath. She seems to genuinely like the songs on these c.d.’s. This was a great idea: songs for kids, performed by kids! The Countdown Kids did a wonderful job with the lyrics making it enjoyable for me to listen to, as well as my daughter.

I highly recommend this entire set. As I mentioned earlier, these can be purchased separately, but it is nice to have a wide selection so that the child (not to mention the parents) does not get bored listening to the same 25 songs over and over again. I think this was a wonderful idea of reproducing these wonderful songs with children singing them. On the package and on the website, the recommended age for these c.d.’s is for children over three years old. I am not sure why they set the age so high because I am sure there are many other younger children like my daughter who like to listen to music and to other children’s voices.


The c.d. set is broken down by title and contents as follows:

Old McDonald Had A Farm
Old McDonald Had A Farm
This Old Man
The Grand Olde Duke Of York
Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be?
Yankee Doodle
How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?
Michael Finnigan
The Farmer In The Dell
Polly Put the Kettle On
I Had A Little Nut Tree
Skip To My Lou
Frere Jacques
Bingo
Peas Pudding
Here We Go ‘Round The Mulberry Bush
Ring-A-Ring-A-Roses
I Saw Three Ships
Oranges and Lemons
Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!
The Big Ship Sails On the Ali-Ali-O
Simple Simon
Pat-A-Cake
Tom, Tom The Piper’s Son
Happy Birthday
For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow


Rock-a-bye Baby
Polly Wolly Doodle
Aunt Rhodie
Cockles and Mussels (Molly Malone)
Hey! Diddle, Diddle
The Old Grey Mare
Aiken Drum
Winkum Winkum
Little Boy Blue
Rock-A-Bye Baby
There’s A Hole In My Bucket
Waltzing Matilda
Incy-Wincy Spider
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Daddy Wouldn’t Buy Me a Bow-Wow
Three Little Pigs
Skye Boat Song
Daisy, Daisy
I’m H-A-P-P-Y
You Are My Sunshine
God Bless The Moon
Humpty Dumpty
Rub-A-Dub Dub Three Men In A Tub
This Little Pig
Happy Wanderer
Lullaby And Goodnight

Mary Had A Little Lamb
Lavender’s Blue
My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean
London’s Burning
Five Green Bottles
On Top Of Old Smokey
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Ride A Cock-Horse to Banbury Cross
To Market, To Market
There Was A Crooked Man
I’ve Been Working On The Railroad
‘Twas On A Monday Morning
One Man Went To Mow
The Grandfather Clock
The North Wind Doth Blow
Bobby Shafto
Here We Go Looby-Loo
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain
A-Tisket, A-Tasket
Bluetail Fly (Jimmy Crack Corn)
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Billy Boy
Home On The Range
The Yellow Rose of Texas
Pop Goes the Weasel
Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The Muffin Man
Three Blind Mice
Hickory Dickory Dock
I’m A Little Teapot
Hush Little Baby
Baa-Baa Black Sheep
Boys and Girls Come Out to Play
This Is The Way The Ladies Ride
Six In A Bed
Bye Baby Bunting
Hot Cross Buns
Jack And Jill
London Bridge Is Falling Down
Little Jack Horner
Little Miss Muffet
Lucy Locket
Three Little Kittens
Little Bo Peep
Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
See-Saw Margery Daw
How Many Miles To Babylon?
Sing A Song of Sixpence
John Brown’s Baby
Do You Ken John Peel?


Thanks for reading!

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Waking up