Named after the world's most recognizable baby whale, Raffi's "Baby Beluga" is a CD that children and parents alike will enjoy. Raffi's familiar voice is accompanied by children singing along in many songs, as well as a large variety of instruments including drums, guitar, kazoo, ukulele, harmonica, bass, bongos, piano, saxophone, accordion, bells, trumpet, mandolin, and congas. The song styles include lullabies, a jig, jazz, reggae, folk, storytelling to music, and standard children's songs. No matter what the situation is - naptime, morning, afternoon playtime, or driving around, "Baby Beluga" has songs to keep your little one entertained.

This recording is full of fun, surprises, and learning opportunities. Although there are certainly children's classics, such as "Kumbaya" and "Day O", there are also plenty of Raffi originals, such as the famous title song, "Joshua Giraffe." The steady beats and repeating choruses in most songs help your child learn the words quickly and feel comfortable joining in. The slower songs, "Morning Town Ride," "Thanks a Lot," and the instrumental "Water Dance" provide a slower beat and gentle music to help your little one calm down and perhaps prepare for bedtime. "All I Really Need" offers a fun tropical sound, while "Joshua Giraffe" is unlike any other children's song you've ever heard! "Joshua Giraffe" has no repeating chorus or versus, as it's one long story filled with multiple tempo changes, from a happy prancing beat, to slow and dramatic, and even mysterious when Joshua is dreaming. It also has humorous lines like, "Trapped in a zoo, with buffalo poo," and fun alliteration such as, "A Lion licking a lemon in the lobby."

A favorite of many young listeners, "Over in the Meadow" involves quacking like a duck, glubbing like a fish, whistling like a bird, ribbeting like a frog, and buzzing like a bee! Each verse also ends in the familiar "Shave and a haircut" ditty. The song, "Oats and Beans in Barley Grow" is set to a fun jig beat that will get your children dancing along and giggling. "Biscuits in the oven" is fun because the music suddenly halts so Raffi and the children singing can look both directions before crossing the street; they whisper, "Leeeeeeft...riiiiiight" as they wait for your little one to actually look both ways too. For more advanced educational opportunities, "To Everyone in All the World" teaches your child some French, as the song is sung in English first, and then French. If your little one is curious about Baby Beluga, you can indulge them with some additional facts from the inside cover.

I played this CD while babysitting my one-year-old friend, Mosley. He wasn't old enough to learn and repeat the words, but he clearly reacted to the beat, waving his arms and smiling to songs like "Day O" and "Baby Beluga", while he calmed down and swayed to "Water Dance" and "Morningtown Ride." This is a CD he can enjoy for a few more years as well.

--Audra

Raffi Cavoukian, a renowned Canadian performer, began his career in children's entertainment in 1974. Wearing many hats, he is a music producer, author, entrepreneur, presenter, and the founder of Child Honouring, a vision for global restoration. The Washington Post has called Raffi, "the most popular children's entertainer in the English-speaking world." His CDs, books and videos have sold over 15 million copies in Canada and the U.S.

Raffi has won multiple awards for his music, videos, and books. Some of the more prominent music awards include the Juno Award, Best Children's Album (1994), Platinum Award for Baby Beluga, a Platinum Award for Singable Songs For the Very Young, Best Seller awards, and multiple more Gold and Platinum Awards for his individual songs and records.

1 - Baby Beluga

2 - Biscuits in the Oven

3 - Oats and Beans and Barley

4 - Day O

5 - Thanks a Lot

6 - To Everyone In All The World

7 - All I Really Need

8 - Over In The Meadow

9 - This Old Man

10 - Water Dance

11 - Kumbaya

12 - Joshua Giraffe

13 - Morningtown Ride