Album Spotlight – Rainbow Seekers performed by Ants on a Log
Happy Pride Month! I am very excited to kick-off this June with the newest album from the Philadelphia-based trio Ants on a Log. Rainbow Seekers is a collection of eight original tracks that uplift queer youth through the power of engaging, inclusive, celebratory songs. Things kick off with “Rainbow Seekers,” which is not just the album’s title track, but also a song from the group’s musical of the same name. The album then dives into several empowering messages of self-expression. “River’s Coming Over,” which features performers Evan Greer and Fureigh, is a song about nonbinary friends playing together doing things that they find fun – making a rainbow unicorn cake, having a tea party with Wolverine or Wonder Woman being the captain of the football team. This is followed by “Terry the Nonbinary Canary” (which is just clamoring to be made into a picture book) and “My Suspenders” which encourages kids to dress in ways that bring them joy. The Alphabet Rockers join Ants on a Log for “The History of Blue and Pink,” and updated versions of “Some Girls Have Short Hair” which talks about the various kinds of hairstyles anyone can have, and “They’re My Best Friend” which was the first song on national radio with all nonbinary pronouns and now includes harmonies by Carrie Ferguson and Lavender Blues are also included. Some of the album’s quieter moments come during the lullaby “Moppa” which includes some of the many names that children may call their nonbinary parents and features the beautiful vocals of Strawbitty Yops and Lindz Amer. Be a Rainbow Seeker and listen to this shiny, shimmery celebration of and for queer families (and all families) not just during Pride Month, but all year through! Rainbow Seekers is now available on your favorite streaming platforms.
As New Zealand Music Month wraps up, I’d like to turn our attention to the southern hemisphere and the latest outing from Levity Beet. Levity Beet and the Aotearoa All Stars, the first album from Levity’s new label “Wildbeet Records,” is chock full of New Zealand notables and features collaborations with 12 different writers/performers/producers from New Zealand’s rich family music industry. Special guests include familiar names like Itty Bitty Beats, Music with Michal, and Claudia Robin Gunn as well as names that might be new to American audiences such as Suzy Cato, Craig Smith, fleaBITE, Kath Bee, Judy Cranston, Chris Sanders, Mr. Roberelli, MLO, and Loopy Tunes. 
The picture book Why Do We Sing? is written by Tsui and Breves with illustrations by Tsui. All of the ways that the album answers the question why do we sing (and more!) are depicted in the words and the pictures of the story. As with the soundtrack, the digital illustrations reflect a diverse array of characters and cultures. The pacing of the story and the color palette – steeped in blues and purples with pops of pastels, make Why Do We Sing? a versatile book that can be read with great gusto and excitement during storytime, or a little slower and quieter just before bed.
When 
One of the many great things about children’s music is how it can make learning fun. Sometimes it’s little things like ABCs or counting to 10, but other times, it’s bigger things, like scientific concepts. Over the next two album spotlights, I’m focusing on amazing albums that take science and make it fun. First up is the water-themed album, Aqua Phonic, from Marko Polo. In his second album for families, Marko Polo, aka Mark Pagano, a teaching artist based in St. Louis, takes listeners from the smallest drop of water to the greatest oceans of the world.
Along with the animals, Pagano also focuses on water as place. He takes listeners to the deepest depths where everything glows at the “Bottom of the Ocean” before taking them back into the light with “Follow the Water.” This lovely duet with New Zealander Claudia Robin Gunn features a melody and lyrics that eddies and flows just like the current of the water. The album closes with the beautiful, “Drip Drop.” This final track, so skillfully designed, aptly details the water cycle while also speaking to the experience of parents and caregivers – “Time keeps moving like a river/Feels like it’s going quicker as I watch you grow.”