![]() Covert's classes caught on he began to write children's songs and then Jim Powers, president of the indie-rock label Minty Fresh, approached him to make a CD for a new children's-music subsidiary, Mini-Fresh. Covert's five CD's -"Ralph's World," "Ralph's World Under the Sea," "Happy Lemons," "Miss Peggy's Pie Parlor" and the new "Amazing Adventures of Kid Astro" - have topped 120,000. "We as parents are the consumers of this music," Ms. "We have more disposable income, fewer kids. We're putting it on the big stereo and listening to it with them." We're not putting on a record and closing the door. Covert isn't the only rock musician cultivating the juvenile audience. Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner, Justin Roberts, Peter Himmelman and even They Might Be Giants have released entertaining, parent-friendly children's CD's. Covert will turn out to be that genre's Elvis Presley, or at the very least its Elvis Costello. Covert was losing his voice from a sinus infection he was mysteriously reluctant to treat, the downside, perhaps, of his seemingly inexhaustible can-do spirit. By the time he hit Southpaw, his warm, flexible tenor had been reduced to an eardrum-grating rasp. Covert estimates that the Bad Examples occupies only about 5 percent of his time, though he will occasionally doan adult and a child show in the same place. "We raised our glasses to the kids," said the drummer, Terry Wathen, "and they raised their juice boxes back to us." Last year, at FitzGerald's in the Berwyn suburb of Chicago, the band's booze glasses were still onstage the next morning when they came out before a horde of screaming children. Many children's performers are sickeningly solicitous of their audience, but it's not even clear that Mr. "It's more about who can get inside their heads and think like a child, and be smart the way that kids are smart. Covert had a revelation when a 7-year-old named Ben queried him about "The Amazing Romero," a song on one of his adult albums. "It's about a blind tightrope walker," Mr. I said that a blind tightrope walker would just have to fumble his way as he goes and make mistakes and hope not to fall." Covert said, "but it's really about that adult sense of having to find a balance in what seems to be a perennially desperate situation - life. Covert is so in touch with his inner kid that he merged a song he wrote 35 years ago about his lemonade stand with one that Fiona, now 9, wrote about hers. Many of these songs are easily found on YouTube, The Wiggles, Peppa Pig, Super Simple, The Wizard Of Oz, and Barney.(The other is a gorgeous plaint called "Puddle of Mud.") The result is one of two songs on "Happy Lemons" with their co-credit. Just a few more songs we couldn't leave out. Songs about rainbows and dreaming of nicer days pares well with finger painting and coloring on a rainy day, or snowy day. It's a great way to get your kids to try some new foods. We put out snacks that go with the songs. Singing about food can be fun and may make you hungry. Plus there are a couple with fingerplay too! Singing about the ocean and it's creatures is an awesome way to learn. Your kids will learn proper handwashing technique, and get them in the habit of washing regularly. Need a little help getting your preschooler to help clean? These songs make it a bit easier. Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?. ![]()
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