Children’s Jukebox

Our author, Rob Reid, holds a special place in my heart. The very first book I signed as an acquisitions editor at ALA Editions was Cool Story Programs for the School-Age Crowd (now, as I’m ending my career at ALA, I have had the pleasure of signing him to two more books: More Family Storytimes and Great Read-alouds, based on his Book Links column). Back then, he already had a couple of other popular ALA Editions books under his belt: Something Funny Happened at the Library, Family Storytimes, Children’s Jukebox.

When he told me last year he wanted to do a revision of Children’s Jukebox and an accompanying book on bringing music into storytimes, Something Musical Happened at the Library, I quickly learned what a labor of love writing about children’s music was for him. He mentioned that the second edition of Children’s Jukebox would be “more comprehensive”…he wasn’t kidding. It’s more than double the size of the original. I wouldn’t have thought it was humanly possible to listen to as many children’s tunes as this man has, but I was wrong. If there is an authority on children’s music, he’s got to be it. Below is an excerpt of an interview I had with him. Both books are currently in production. Children’s Jukebox, 2nd Edition will be out this spring and Something Musical Happened at the Library this summer.

Me: You say in your introduction to Children’s Jukebox that you truly believe that you’ve listened to more children’s music than anyone in the history of humankind. From the comprehensiveness of your book, I see that that’s very likely. You said that you listened to over 650 children’s recordings in 2006. How on earth did you manage to fit in so many songs?

Him: Last year, I was on the Newbery Award Committee and I read all of the time- between teaching classes, during meals…I had no social life and my wife can attest to that. This year, I listened to children’s music between teaching classes, during meals…my wife’s patience was remarkable, but wearing thin. She was great and knew I’d come back to Earth eventually. I think I’m back, but I’ve been prone to belting out a children’s song at odd times more than I used to.

Me: How were you able to keep track of what you listened to…to keep them all in mind so that you could write about them in the book? Was there anything in particular you were listening for when you included them?

Him: I kept a separate sheet for each recording with each track listed and then whatever subject headings I assigned to it. Many songs had more than one subject heading. I also kept track of which songs would be good for non-musicians to try, which songs featured sound effects, etc. I also kept a running track of my favorite songs and they are listed in Children’s Jukebox.

There were some songs that I couldn’t come up with any viable subject heading for it and those songs didn’t make it into the book. When I first started the project, I tried to fit in every single song. Eventually, I made a deal with myself that the project would be better if I was more picky in which songs I included. That, plus the fact that I would have wound up with a 2,000 page book that no one would have purchased if I went ahead and included every sing song.

Me: You’ve probably had more of a bird’s eye view of children’s recordings than anyone around. What are your thoughts on the state of children’s music today? Did you find any common threads in the music?

Him: I was pleasantly surprised at how strong the state of the music industry is today. After working on the first edition of Children’s Jukebox in the early 1990s, I continued to review children’s music for School Library Journal and Booklist, but then stopped doing that to work on my other books. I didn’t pay attention to the children’s music scene for about 5 years and when I did, I found it full of creative new artists like Ralph’s World, Dan Zanes, and Laurie Berkner, and that many of the “older” artists, like Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Bill Harley, and Tom Chapin were still cranking out great tunes.

One big change over the years is the Internet. Almost all of the artists now have their own websites and many sites have sample music clips, lyrics, and other good stuff. A lot of them even have a Kids activity page and lessons for teachers and librarians based on their music. The artists seem to have a closer connection to their audience now.

There seems to be the same subject threads that have always been out there. Familiar themes such as school, concepts, family, etc. For the last 30 years, there have been strong children’s songs about the ecology, brotherhood/sisterhood, resolving conflicts, and other serious issues. The artists continue to write new songs on all of these topics. I see a lot more songs about libraries and reading nowadays, music to my delight. There are several songs featuring literary characters. There are also covers of popular songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s that appeal directly to young kids today, like Cab Calloway’s “Everybody Eats When They Come to My House.”

Me: What about using music in library programs for children. You indicate that it hasn’t caught on as much as you would like. Why is that and what would you say to librarians who are doing children’s programming about mixing it up with a little music?

Him: There are a lot of librarians who are self-conscious because they don’t sing in public or play an instrument. They are more comfortable reading picture books, doing fingerplays, and making crafts. More power to them. Kids need that. I personally think music adds a little more spice to a program and there are plenty of songs out there that someone with virtually no musical experience can share with kids and there are more complex songs that librarians and teachers with plenty of musical experience can share. My workshops showcase all levels of songs that have been a hit with my audiences.