Go across the universe and back with Eric Herman on his fifth CD of cool tunes for kids and families, What a Ride!. What a Ride! is an amazing musical journey through childhood and beyond that includes several catchy tunes that are sure to get stuck in your head (“Heartbeat”, “Stink Bug”, “Come Play”), interactive fun tracks (“Ants in Your Pants #99″, “How to Move a Monster”) and even songs that explore the meaning and size of life, the universe and everything (“What a Ride”, “How Big”, “Extraordinary”).  What a Ride! is $14.99 to purchase, $12.99 for MP3 download on CDBaby.

Funky Kidz is a CD of familiar kids’ songs with a New Orleans funky-jazz twist. Artists include Ivan Neville of the Neville Brothers; The Radiators; George Porter Jr. of The Meters; and Bonerama. What I love about this CD is how these familiar songs have been jazzed up to appeal to both kids and adults. You can definitely here the New Orleans influence in the songs. Our favorite tracks are Papa Grows Funk’s version of The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine”, Theresa Andersson’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, and Amanda Shaw’s version of “Garden Song”. You’ll listen to this one even when the kids aren’t around! $13.99 + S&H from Funky Kidz Music.

You get three discs of fun with The Fairly Odd Parents Season 2 . My 13 year old one chose this from a list of potential review DVDs because he thinks it’s one of the best seasons of the series. Highlights from the season include the anti-fairies wreaking havoc in Dimmsdale… Timmy trying to out-fool the April Fool himself… and Vicky kidnapping singing sensation Chip Skylark. Our favorite episodes on this box set include Christmas Every Day, Super Bike, Information Stupor Highway, and Scary Godparents. Well worth the Amazon price of $35.98.

Rock ‘N Learn Life Science is an exciting way to learn important facts and get ready for a life science test! Marko the Pencil and his friend Bailey take learners on a fascinating journey to Marko’s Super Science Station where it’s easy and fun to grasp science concepts and boost test scores. Topics covered include photosynthesis, plant parts, the life cycle of a butterfly, plant and animal cells, food chains, food webs, and more! After the main portion of the DVD, students can go back whenever they want to review any section. The DVD menu makes this easy. Finally, when students are ready, they can join Kevin, Marko, and Bailey to take a practice Life Science test in the Bonus Section of this DVD.  Marko even shares his secret website where students can download free study materials to complement this DVD. Rock ‘N Learn Life Science is available from Rock ‘N Learn for $19.99.

In a spirit of outrageous fun, Mama Doni brings her special brand of “funky music with a Jewish twist” to the holiday season, with the November 24 release of her new CD, Chanukah Fever. The album, done in Mama Doni’s signature wild and wacky style, features 10 new original songs plus 4 favorites from last year’s EP, I Love Chanukah!. Chanukah lasts only eight days, and Doni Zasloff Thomas, aka Mama Doni, says, “Enjoy!” The popular singer/songwriter expands the horizons of traditional Jewish music, with a contagious and unexpected blend of reggae, rock, disco, Latin, klezmer and “Jewgrass” – all woven together with a hip Jewish sensibility. In Chanukah Fever, Mama Doni spices these eclectic, colorful elements with a razor-sharp, sophisticated humor that makes latkes, dreidels and Yiddish expressions cooler than ever. Buy Chanukah Fever for $15.00 on CDBaby.