I don't spend a lot of time posting stuff that fails to entertain, but this... this approaches a realm of badness that it's hard to resist. We can argue whether or not kids assuming classic punk poses and statements of people 15 to 30 years older would ever be funny, but when a 7-year-old smears peanut butter on his stomach and says "I wanna be your dog," I think we can all agree that it's moved beyond funny into, well, sad. (You, my little one, are no Iggy.) I'm gonna go listen to my Dan Zanes duet with Deborah Harry on "Waltzing Matilda" and try to forget this now... (Via Stereogum.)

Long before I spent lots of time with children's music -- or at least spent lots of time writing about children's music -- I wrote a baseball blog. There's not much to say about it -- I enjoyed the writing, but got burned out by the daily nature of it. Covering a team that ended up losing more than 100 games in 2004 didn't help, either. Trying to figure out how to write, "we're really bad" in new ways every day is a creatively draining experience. It's almost as bad as trying to figure out how to write, "we're neither good nor bad" in new ways every day (which was my 2005 experience). That's right, I'm an Arizona Diamondbacks fan. I've got a soft spot in my heart for other baseball squads -- the Twins, the Rangers, even the Giants -- but the Diamondbacks are my favorite professional team in any sport. So I'm excited to be going to Game 2 of tonight's National League Divisional Series against the Cubs. My seats are waaaay the heck up there, and one of the friends I'm going with is a Cubs fan, for goodness' sake, but I'll be there. It's weird, because it's clear the Diamondbacks, though talented, are here in large part due to luck (and an excellent bullpen). As a result, there's an excitement around the team that isn't laden with pressure or nervousness. It's kinda exhilerating. My record in attending playoff games is mixed. Went to a game against the Mets in '99. Lost that one. Been to first-round playoff games for the Suns and Coyotes, and they've lost those, too. But I was in the crowd for Arizona's first professional sporting championship. OK, it was Arena Football and the Arizona Rattlers, but still. Oh, and I was there for Game Seven of the 2001 World Series where the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees. Total pandemonium. So on the whole, I guess I've done OK. Anyway, to those of you whose teams didn't make it (sorry, Seattle), my condolences. To those of you cheering on the 8 playoff teams, best of luck (except once they play the Yankees). And to all of you, which children's song would you choose as your "strolling to the plate" music?

My talk with NPR's Melissa Block yesterday was only 9 minutes long, not nearly enough time to cover all the great music that's been released recently. If you're new here, a very brief guide is below, but if you're looking for more music for kids and families, here are some suggestions: -- The Deedle Deedle Dees - Freedom in a Box: I do wish that I'd had a couple more minutes to talk about this band, a group of history obsessives who marry historical narratives (and some non-historical narratives) to fabulous, rollicking songs. (Review, interview with songwriter Lloyd Miller) -- The Nields - All Together Singing in the Kitchen: A personal collection of family favorites (and a few originals) sung by a female folk duo recorded in an appealing ragged, lo-fi manner. (Review) -- Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World (DVD/CD): This DVD about a yellow alien now living on earth has some great pop tunes (found also on the accompanying CD) and simple but arresting animation. (Review) -- Sugar Free Allstars - Dos Ninos: Funky keyboard-and-drums duo lays down grooves set to songs about taking a bath, going to the zoo, and banana pudding. A bunch of fun. (Review) -- Rocknoceros - Dark Side of the Moon Bounce: For the young'uns, to be sure, but sharp, simple arrangements and a sense of humor make this a great CD for the preschool set and their families. (Review) -- Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang - Get Up and Dance!: Another CD mostly for preschoolers, Gwendolyn's enthusiasm and the musicianship of the Good Time Gang make multiple listens easy on the ears. (Review) -- Asylum Street Spankers - Mommy Says No!: Some of the songs and humor will go right over the kids' heads (I hope), but there's a big heart here, too, and the Americana and roots playing is killer. (Review)

... are doing for kids literature. The Cybils (The Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literature Awards) announced their 2006 winners today. If you and/or your kids like to read (and I imagine that covers a fairly high percentage of readers here), you should check out the list of winners and finalists. As a coordinator of the Fids and Kamily Awards, I can only imagine how much work coordinating those awards must have been.

Not only does The Lovely Mrs. Davis continue her romp through the nation's media (this time in the Toledo Blade), Warren Truitt gets some print time in Tennessee. Oh, and some random guy helps inspire a column in the San Jose Mercury News. (Thanks to Gwyneth for the heads up.)

This entry has nothing to do with kids music. No Laurie, no Barney, no Wiggles, no Ralph. (Really, I tried to think of a way to tie them in, and nothing clicked, short of using song titles that were a particular stretch.) So click below only if you want to read about, well, you'll just have to find out...