Digital Diversions

The steady stream of children's audio and video releases threatens to never stop ... and why should it? For today's kids, entertainment is a 24-hour-a-day proposition and, for modern parents, it's never too early to start children on the path to success with some form of early learning assistance. Whether it's through a DVD primer on the alphabet or a CD of songs about how to be a better person, there's lots to look and listen for in these multimedia releases.

Brady Rymer, founding bass player for former New Jersey jam band favorites From Good Homes, returns to record racks next month with the release of his fifth child-friendly studio CD, Here Comes Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, on Bumblin' Bee Records, Southold, N.Y. ($15.98). The first release with his current touring band, Rymer's latest includes a batch of road-tested tunes full of feel-good grooves and catchy choruses infused with his typically Americana-inspired roots rock sound and lyrics about being part of the family, whether that family's the nuclear kind, a traveling band or a community.

The second studio CD from New York's Princess Kate & Racer Steve, Fast & Feisty ($15), on Manhattan's RocketNYC label, is like an old-time radio show updated for today's kids. Among its 14 tracks are songs in genres ranging from big band swing to '60s-style Brazilian pop to modern rock, as well as several interstitial skits, all of which offer messages about topics like cultural acceptance, winning and losing, sharing, making friends, kindness, sibling appreciation and other topics that kids—and a few adults—could always use a few reminders about.

The latest stop in New York-based Putumayo Kids' globe-trotting children's music series is Hawaiian Playground ($14.95), a collection of lively tunes that explores the playful side of Hawaii's musical offerings with songs full of ukuleles, steel guitars and harmonious vocals. The family-friendly CD includes songs by Hawaiian artists as well as a few mainlanders pining for the islands' breathtaking beaches.

Hollywood voice-over artist Debi Derryberry, best known outside of kids' music circles as the voice of Jimmy Neutron, last month issued her sophomore CD Very Derryberry ($12.99), on her own Very Derryberry Productions, Los Angeles. The disc's music harkens back to the sounds of late '50s and early '60s rock 'n' roll—an eclectic mix of country & western and rhythm & blues, with a dose of “pop” Latin beats thrown in for a bit of extra spice.

After more than 5,000 performances, The Learning Station, Melbourne, Fla., brings its live show to family living rooms with You Can Dance!, an album's worth of tunes created with a goal of making exercise fun, easy and inviting by teaching kids how to dance like the stars. Its 19 tracks include dances in nearly every style, from ballroom to disco, hip-hop to hula. It even includes a traditional rain dance! Besides its physical benefits, the release could also help kids with their coordination, listening and direction following skills, social interaction, vocabulary and more.

The Tails of Abbygail ($12.99) is the first DVD in a series of live-action adventure stories by Terry Lynn Link, a Sandy, Ore., mother turned filmmaker. The debut story features a dog named Abbygail who wishes that her stuffed animals would come to life and go on adventures with her. And that's just what happens. Embedded into the story are reminders on safety, manners and friendship. The Tails of Abbygail website, Weloveabby.com, allows kids to help write the series' next release.

The DVD series Little Playmates returns this month with two titles from PorchLight Home Entertainment, Los Angeles. Like last year's Little Friends, the new Little Adventurers and Critter Friends ($14.98 each) combine real-world images, music and wholesome fun in presentations designed to encourage a child's social and emotional development. In Little Adventurers, kids explore places like museums and floral gardens, while in Critter Friends, kids interact with land and sea animals.

Classic Media and Genius Products, Santa Monica, Calif., bring Dorothy Kunhardt's classic children's book Pat the Bunny to DVD for the first time next month in Pat the Bunny Playdates ($14.93). The DVD offers interactive play ideas to stimulate children ages 6 months and up while promoting social and mental development. Each of the video's four 15-minute “playdates” invites kids to “touch” the world by exploring sounds, tastes, sights and smells.

Fans of Nelvana's short-lived, early '00s animated TV series Medabots can own the cult favorite's debut season in a four-DVD set, Medabots: The Complete First Season ($39.99) from Shout! Factory, Los Angeles. It features the domestically run version of the Japanese anime series in which kids control supercharged robots in “robattles” against each other.

Last year's Phonics 4 Babies DVD grows into a series this month with Phonics 4 Babies: Colors & Counting ($14.98) by Anchor Bay Entertainment, Burbank, Calif. The DVD uses puppets and original music to engage babies and toddlers as they build a foundation for early speech development, this time through numbers and color recognition. It stars Mallory Lewis, daughter of Lamb Chop creator Shari Lewis.