Reggae for Kids (by Various Artists, Dancehall/Reggae)

Though these tracks aren't the artists' best efforts, they're gentle, child-oriented songs. There's a noted absence of reggae giants Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, but a healthy dose of dancehall, or reggae-rap, attracts older kids.

The album's tone is sweet and positive, with songs about peace, love, and harmony, and some classic folk songs such as "Puff the Magic Dragon," "This Old Man," and "Joy to the World."

Dancehall rapper Brigadier Jerry gives a delightful Jamaican geography lesson in "Jamaica, Jamaica," wherein he visits his farmer grandfather, and then drives through each parish selling (and enumerating) his fruits and vegetables. The bragging King Yellowman turns "This Old Man" into a playful, well-phrased song all about himself. Freddie McGregor offers a nice rendition of Marley's classic "Three Little Birds" with help from a children's chorus, and although Eek-a-Mouse's song sounds like a child wrote it, his unmistakable vocal style is a real kid-pleaser.