Behold! This week we bring you four reviews of CDs. As we did in our previous installment of book reviews, I'll rank these in descending order of awesomeness. Watch out, Terrible Twos!

What a Ride! by Eric Herman and the Invisible Band

To our minds, children’s music doesn’t get any better than this. Other CDs have come and gone in our household, but Eric Herman’s stay in heavy rotation - and his latest, What a Ride!, is among his best.

We were introduced to Eric Herman’s music when we won a contest listed on Prizey. His YouTube video for "The Elephant Song" is ridiculously popular, with more than 8 million views so far, and it’s very cute:


But we soon learned that Mr. Herman is no one-hit wonder. All of his songs are good. Not one that I want to skip. And so Sarina and I both became huge fans when she was just 18 months old. She picked up on the lyrics easily, and before she turned two, we filmed a “tribute concert” where she sang her favorites. Take a look and a listen to this:


This music is fun, funny, catchy, and optimistic. You just can’t pout and listen to What a Ride! at the same time. Most of the topics are silly, like the snacks a baby leaves behind in a car seat, a stinkbug who bathes ten times a day, and a monster who sits on a school. But there’s also a serious side here: Two songs reminding kids and parents to enjoy themselves in the busyness of life (“Take a while to laugh and smile and say, ‘Hey, what a ride!’”) and to notice that their world is bigger than they can see (“So whether you're an itty bitty bug or a kid in a galaxy/Your life is always as big as you dream”).

Field Trip by Recess Monkey

Very closely pulling in to the second spot is Seattle band Recess Monkey with their latest album, Field Trip. Three elementary school teachers got together and decided to rock. For kids. And the thing about it is that they are all kinds of great. I listen to this CD in my car when my daughter isn’t even with me, ON PURPOSE. It’s that much fun.

It amazes me that these three people just happened to be teaching at the same school. They sound perfect together, with layered arrangements and a Beatles-esque vibe (though decidedly goofier).

Upbeat, very memorable, very danceable. And generous with their samples, too - check their website for free full-length videos. If you can get through “Haven’t Got a Pet Yet” without bopping around in your chair… well, I’ll be horrified. What kind of person are you, anyway? Just listen:

Picnic Playground by Putumayo Kids

I’ve seen so many positive reviews of Putumayo Kids around the web, and honestly, I couldn't help but wonder if there might be a “cultural correctness” at play - reviewers afraid to criticize a multicultural project for kids. I would not have picked up a multilingual CD on my own for my 2-year-old daughter because we like to be able to sing along to music.

I received Picnic Playground for review and was pleasantly surprised, for the most part. With the exception of "Mes Parents Sont Bio" (My Parents Are Organic) - which, if paired on repeat with eye surgery in a humid room, might qualify for legal torture - I thought it was a good album, with solid production values and bubbly melodies. But I swear if I hear "bio, bio, bio, bio, bio” one more time, I will not hold myself responsible for the safety of that CD.

Bad album spotlight: Jerzy the Giant by The Terrible Twos

What happened to my Terrible Twos? This album was a colossal disappointment for me. I loved their debut, If You Ever See An Owl. It’s our main breakfast CD - perfect for starting the day because it’s energetic, yet gentle and sweet. (Recess Monkey makes great car music; the Terrible Twos used to make great morning music.)

Their second album, Jerzy the Giant, came out last year, and somehow it lacked least 83 percent of the charm of the first one. It’s nowhere near as innocent-sounding, nowhere near as loving, despite that the song titles sounded just as cute. This selection of songs is more uneven, with some that seem to have been written because someone, somewhere told them they should be more "edgy.” How they made a song named “Olly Olly Oxen Free” sound angry is beyond me:


What’s funny to me is that my 2-year-old often requests The Terrible Twos, but now she always specifies for me: “I want the old Terrible Twos.” Me too, kiddo.

Jenna Glatzer is the author of 19 books. Her latest is the inspirational Christian memoir Unthinkable with Scott Rigsby, a double-amputee who completed the Hawaiian Ironman. Visit her at www.jennaglatzer.com. - Jenna Glatzer