Elizabeth Mitchell masterfully covers unique choices for a children's CD, including Velvet Underground's "What Goes On," Neil Yong's "Little Wing," and Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds." She also does a beautiful rendition of Woody Guthrie's "Who's My Pretty Baby." Mitchell includes some classic children's songs such as "Little Bird", but her originals are most impressive. Mitchell's songs are progressive, displaying a mature blend of instruments and lyrics, clearly not assuming a children's song must be elementary in sound and lyrics. Two foreign language songs are included to help expose children to other cultures; the Korean song "Pam Na Tu Ri", and the Spanish song "Los Pollitos" are sung in their native language first, and then repeated in English.
Mitchell's daughter, Storey, is involved in each song, exuding her angelic voice whenever she knows the words. Her intermittent participation mimics how your child would sing - joining in excitedly when they know the words, and either humming along or getting ready for the next verse when they do not know the words. Mitchell speaks directly to her daughter in "Little Bird", asking her to name different types of birds she knows, and then she sings another verse using that bird. Your child can jump right in and play this game too, changing the repeating verse to include their own bird. The gentle real bird sounds at the end of "Little Bird" are a fun addition that was unexpected but soothing. Your little one may join in whistling. Overall, you can expect the soft sounds and slower beat of this CD to slow your child's heart rate and calm them.
My niece, Emily, received this CD as a Christmas gift when she was three years old. It has been a favorite evening-time CD ever since. If her mom pops this in after dinner, Emily will typically crawl onto the couch and play with her stuffed animals until she starts getting sleepy, and often falls asleep right on the couch. When I asked Emily what she thought of this CD, she said, "It makes me really happy."
--Audra