Here’s a recommendation for those of you out there with little ones: the Canadian rock group Barenaked Ladies has released their first ever kids’ album, Snack Time! I’d recommend it for “Crazy ABCs” alone (“A is for Aisle, B is for Bdellium, C is for Czar…” through “P is for Pneumonia, Pterodactyl, and Psychosis” to the end–as they say, everyone knows Apple, Ball, Cat!). And “7 8 9” is awfully clever. (“1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10–WHAT ABOUT 9?!” I’m not telling, but I bet your 6-year-old knows what happened.) My in-house expert (seen below) also gives a big thumbs-up to “Pollywog in a Bog” and “The Ninjas”:
The Ninjas are deadly and silent
They’re also unspeakably violent
They speak Japanese; do whatever they please,
And if you tear off the masks they’ll be smiling.
Is it just me, or is there something very … Canadian … about this album? (“I don’t want to be a bother, / But I think you’re in my seat.”)
(Rockin’ to “Eraser”)
Novel Readings 