The Chickadees is a quartet hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who perform children’s songs that incorporate messages about nature, the environment, as well as just silly songs, all with a bit of a country twang. The band began with Mary Karlzen, a musician who has toured with the likes of Bob Dylan and The Indigo Girls before settling down to start a family, and that’s where it all began.

The latest album from Karlzen and company is titled The Froggy Hop. Unlike some of their peers The Chickadees keep the music accessible without downplaying it for the sake of the kiddies. Its enjoyable tunage that I wouldn’t mind listening to, if my kids were at the age the CD represents, and the stories and messages found within have heart. If it’s not a song about recycling then it’s a song about the metamorphosis of a tadpole into a frog or just being healthy. On some levels it has an in for smaller kids whose attention might be grabbed by silly voice intro’s but also slightly older kids will enjoy the catchy tunes and will even learn something from it. I really liked how the intro to Reduce, Recycle & Reuse not only offer up a song about being green but offers up the math in a way that children can understand. So if you’ve got small child this will definitely be to their liking without all the headache of it being manufactured white noise that the kids music market sometimes produces and we, the parent, are forced to listen to on long car rides. Good educational fun for the whole family. Enjoy.