Search - Tom Chapin :: Great Big Fun for the Very Little Ones

Focuses on lives of pre-school aged children

christinemm - The Thinking Mother | Connecticut, United States | 09/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We first borrowed this from the library and our 1.5 and 4.5 year old loved it, and surprisingly both my husband and I enjoyed it as well. We have listened to Raffi over and over and over and to Disney soundtrack tunes for over 4 years now and we were in need of something fresh. (Our 4.5 year-old was starting to groan when I put Raffi on as he has all the songs memorized.) We are happy to have found Tom Chapin's music and we bought this CD. It has rescued us from boredom on long car trips, the humor and catchy tunes have us singing along. I don't find any of Chapin's music annoying or grating on the nerves (as some other recordings for children are). This is a great one to play when boredom sits in, after playing other music for a while we put in Tom Chapin and this CD when we need a burst of energy. We refuse to install a TV in our car despite regularly traveling 500 miles in one day for our frequent car travel so we rely on music, talking, and reading for entertainment in the car.Some of Chapin's other CDs focus on issues relating to school and social issues that go on in school. This is a collection of some pre-published and new material that is all geared toward the audience of kids not yet in school. I suggest this for kids starting in the toddler years. Of course even kids in school will like this music but what makes it unique is that it is all suitable stuff for toddlers and up.We liked this CD so much we have since purchased other Tom Chapin recordings. What I have found is that his CDs repeat some tunes, each CD is not a completely new work. I guess this is titled for "very little ones" because there are no songs about going to school as there are on other CDs. This CD has 16 songs which is considerably longer than some of his other works so this is a bargain.In "uh oh, accident" the child has accidents in which he labels them in various rhyming ways, i.e. hit thumb with hammer, calls himself "accidumb" that is the worst thing in that song, other descriptions are "it went squish..uh oh accidish". In "I would if I could" which is a about a toddler or child pushing his limits with swiping, painting the wall, jumping on bed, etc. In this story there is never a mention of spanking or hitting. There are joking references of the child singing and labeling his behavior, such as saying his "parents flip when he strips in the park..which I've done"; he mentions they scowl and even yell when he tells his mothers age. ... Also in case you are wondering "You'll be sorry" is about a dog not a child and it is about silly things like if the dog chases the skunk he'll be sorry. Jumpalong Jake does mention very quickly spanking and yelling.This song features a four lovey-lovey feel-good calming songs such as "Happy Birthday", "Blanketville", "Bedtime Round" and "Together Tomorrow". The progression of songs starts off energetic with happy sing-along style and it wraps up with lullaby-type calm and quieter music. I advise listening to the sound snippets here on Amazon.com to see if this music is a style you are interested in.Addendum: I saw Tom Chapin live with our family and we had a great time. The sound quality was excellent, just like on a CD. He and his bandmates interacted with the audience and illicited audience participation so it was much more than just listening to the songs exactly as he plays them on these recordings. Go see him live!"

Iowa Dad

christinemm - The Thinking Mother | 05/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My family and I are extremely pleased with this CD, and we highly recommend it as being far from a "horrible CD" as one reviewer here states.One song mentions things like an aunt who "spanked his bottom" when a boy misbehaved, but the song does not say that is what should have been done--a far cry from advocating violence toward children. Regarding the reference to "stupid," there is a lyric where Chapin says he swung his hammer and hit his thumb and says, "Uh oh, acci-dumb," and there is nothing that encourages anyone to call anyone stupid or dumb.If you've seen Tom Chapin in concert (as we have), there is no mistaking that this gentle man cares deeply about kids and others, and his lyrics and songs are positive, positively silly, fun, or thoughtful, and they are never mean or hurtful.Some songs on the album are geared more toward the younger kids (preschoolers or early school years), but the songs are simple without being simplistic, and Chapin's wordplay is clever and fun. I would gladly listen to the original lyrics and melodies of Chapin's work 1000 times over rather than listen to a collection of songs by a purple dinosaur twice--and so would my kids, who were 5 and 2 and 1/2 when began listening to Tom Chapin a few years ago.Personally, we prefer the birthday song on this CD over the traditional "Happy Birthday," and we've taken to singing it on our birthdays since it is definitely a song of love.The song "Bedtime Round" is a treat for any parent who has put up with the bedtime pleas for one more story, one more hug or kiss, and one more drink of water when it's long after the time for kids to be asleep, as it captures the child's persistence and the parent's patience in handling the requests.Finally, the grownups here dearly love "Together Tomorrow," a heart-tugging song if you've ever had to part with people you love and care about.We've bought other Chapin CDs and given several as gifts, but this one is clearly our family favorite (though we've not heard them all yet!)."

*sigh* I love Tom Chapin...

ebmaloy | Media, PA USA | 01/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Right up there with TFIA for music for all ages. Mr. Chapin's lyrics and music make for some really enjoyable listening (especially when you've got to hear it 8 or 9 or 10 times in a row). He's always thoughtful (sound odd for a "kid's" album?) and really, REALLY funny. See John Flynn for more good stuff for kids and adults."