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My Green Kite
(2007, Children's music, by Peter Himmelman, Label: Rounder)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 0; suggested age 2. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Children's CD that's not all sugary and sweet.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 2 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About My Green Kite
Parents need to know that the 12 songs on this short album are both witty and wise, with plenty of goofiness mixed in. These pop-infused tunes celebrate life's simple moments such as splashing in the rain in red rubber boots, flights of fancy inspired by a favorite watercolor set, and appreciating one's feet. Peter Himmelman asks some big questions, too -- actual meaning-of-life kind of stuff -- in songs like "Another Bite of Hay" and the touching "My Father's an Accountant," a tribute to his dad, who died of lymphoma. Animals make frequent appearances on this album, even when you don't expect them, like in "Baseball Tips with Professor Buckley," which isn't really a song, but a faux radio interview about how fast various animals might throw a baseball. A fish? Only about 3 miles an hour.
Read our full review by Amy Weaver
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about issues raised in each song such as how kids feel when they eat eggs that might have become chickens. (Warning: A bit of seemingly pro-vegetarian didacticism lurks in "Have You Ever Really Looked at an Egg?" even though the liner notes proclaim otherwise.) Or, what parents really mean when they say "maybe" in response to kids' questions--"Maybe is a Bad Word" is a wry ode to ambiguous authority and the eternal frustration it causes kids. This album might also inspire families to actually fly a kite, paint some watercolors, make up their own silly jazzy rap song (like "Nothin' to Say"), or just slow down and enjoy the moment, which is what this album is really all about.
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