Never Mind the Blocks, Here’s Jumpin’ Jamie Performed by Jumpin’ Jamie
In this follow-up to his debut album, Kookie, Jumpin’ Jamie turns his kindie rock style up a few notches with a punk sound that parents will find reminiscent of Green Day, Blink-182, and most recently, Fall Out Boy. On his sophomore effort, Jamie takes on the theme of activism with even the youngest listener in mind. Children activists of today (Greta Thunburg) and yesteryear (Susan B. Anthony) are celebrated in their own songs while listeners are encouraged to fight for freedom and against injustice in “Stand Up.”
Jumpin’ Jamie also takes the time to encourage children to practice everyday activism by emphasizing the importance of gratitude in “Grateful,” how showing a little kindness can make a big difference in “Lonely Lisa” and the importance of being honest and not cheating in “Honesty’s the Policy,” With Never Mind the Blocks, Here’s Jumpin’ Jamie debuting on Earth Day, it seems only fitting that Jamie takes on a topic that is rare in children’s music – veganism. In the country-tinged “Same As You And Me” listeners are encouraged to let baby cows stay with their mothers and choose alternatives to milk, cheese, and meat. Like all of the songs on the album, this is a fun one to listen to, yet full of information that may lead to good conversations started by inquiring young minds. After eleven energy-filled songs, Jamie closes out the album with “Great To Know You,” a celebration of friendship that features his solo voice and guitar.
Never Mind the Blocks, Here’s Jumpin’ Jamie is a good choice for anyone looking for an alternative to kindie pop that is filled with solid messages that are easy to understand but never overwhelm the music. For a preview of some of the fun to be had with Jumpin’ Jamie, check out the first video from the new album, “I Don’t Wanna Dance (Just Like Everyone).”
Just in time for planning summer programs comes Dana’s Best Jump & Jam Tunes. This high octane album is filled with songs that would be perfect during library storytimes, summer camp dance breaks or just getting the wiggles out at home. Dana Cohenour’s 20+ years of experience working with children is evident in the way that she crafts each song to engage children from beginning to end. The opening track, “Jump and Jive” is perfect to get kids up and moving while songs like “Jumping Beans,” a fun freeze dance will keep the kids (and you!) jumping to the beat for almost three full minutes. The only song not written by Dana is the traditional, “Five Green and Speckled Frogs” which in this case is set to a rousing bluegrass beat. Also included are the story song “Fish Tale” and the beautiful closing track, “I Love Mommy” which sends love to all members of a child’s family circle.
We are thisclose to the beginning of August already and many families that I know are beginning to experience the summer slump. That time of year when most of the fun activities that you’d been looking forward to all winter are now over and the rush to get ready for school has begun. Stir into that mix some really unpleasant temperatures, and all anyone wants to do is hang out inside and chill. That’s where 
The first album is Moving to the ABCs from Kansas-based Jammin’ Randy. Clocking in at almost 75 minutes, this album features 26 songs – one for each letter of the alphabet – with titles ranging from “Awesome Alphabet Rap” to “Zany Zebra.” Jammin’ Randy performs this collection of all original songs with just his solo voice set against simple melodies that children will find easy to follow along with. Many of the songs encourage participation either through movement or echo/repeat in the lyrics. Clear instructions to perform various actions like stomp, clap, hop, jump and count to four are given on songs such as “Clap Your Hands,” “Penguin Hop,” “Wiggle Wiggle Waggle,” and the “Egg Shaker Dance.” Additional movements include move to the front, the back, the left, and the right. All movements are developmentally appropriate for the target age group and are set at a pace that most preschoolers will be able to follow with little difficulty. Jammin’ Randy, or Randy Sauer as he is known in his every day life, let’s his experience as a K-6 music teacher shine in the lesson plans that he provides for this album. For each song, he provides suggested art, music and physical education activities making the songs easy to incorporate into the storytime planning process. For more information, or to check out the 
The second album is from Chicagoland-based Jeanie B! Jeanie B! & the Jelly Beans released the album I Love Music this year, but it is Jeanie B!’s solo album, Come Together that I would like to highlight. This album is split into two parts. The first part is “Come Together Songs” and the second, “Classroom Transitional Songs.” Thirteen of the fourteen songs in the first part are Jeanie B! originals. It is clear that she knows her audience because the songs all range in length from 1 to 2.5 minutes, making them perfect for storytimes. Several of the tracks are beautiful songs about nature that are just lovely to listen to, including “How Do You Build a Nest” and “I’m a Little Butterfly.” The rest of the tracks in this section of the album are very interactive including “If I Was An Ant” which gets kids snapping, clapping, and stomping, “Marching On My Feet” which highlights various body parts and “5 Little Pieces of Bubble Gum” which gets kids counting down from five to none. Additional songs include “Mary Had a Little Farm” during which children are encouraged to make the sounds of a variety of animals and “Zim Zamma Zoom” a fun call and response tune. The second part of the album would work best in a preschool environment with song breaks averaging around 30 seconds and covering topics from “Time To Wash Hands” to “Snack Time” and “Right Hand On The Rail.” Jeanie B!’s live shows are always a lot of fun and a real hit with the preschool set. If you find her performing in your area, make sure to check it out. For more information about Jeanie B! and all of her music, visit