Best Kids' Music of 2009: #1 Here I Am! by Caspar Babypants

This is modern folk music at its best, and some of these tunes are destined to become classics. Chris Ballew, formerly of the indie rock band The Presidents of the United States of America, delivers a debut children's album that's full of witty, wordy, silly, gentle, quietly acoustic new traditional tunes. Here I Am!, recorded under the guise of Caspar Babypants, is an endless string of catchy, quiet, and imaginative songs that'll put a smile on your face. It's easy to see that Ballew didn't force the songs, that he didn't set out to write a "children's album:" these are images, tunes, and thoughts that might pop into a real kid's head, making Caspar Babypants' Here I Am! the best kids' music CD of 2009.

Number 1: Here I Am! by Caspar Babypants

Best Kids' Music of 2009: # 2 Family Time by Ziggy Marley

The fact that this album begins with the lines "Lift up your hearts with a smile, Lift up your feet with a dance, Lift up your spirits with a song, It's family time," speaks volumes about the tremendously warm vibes emanating from every tune on Family Time, easily landing it near the top of the list of best kids' music of 2009. Some well-known friends (Paul Simon, Toots Hibbert, Elizabeth Mitchell, and several family members) dropped by to help Ziggy, resulting in an album of loving, fun tunes backed by rootsy, poppy Reggae. Family Time is a great introduction to contemporary Reggae for kids, and Ziggy Marley's message of love and family just can't be beat.

Number 2: Family Time by Ziggy Marley

Best Kids' Music of 2009: # 3 Thank You for Joining the Happy Club by Billy Kelly

Billy Kelly and The Blah Blah Blahs present a super set of indie rock songs for kids on their debut CD Thank You For Joining the Happy Club. Their musical mix will remind you of Jonathan Richman, They Might Be Giants, R.E.M., and Wilco, and those influences perfectly compliment the band's breezy, slyly humorous tunes. Billy Kelly is definitely a new force to be reckoned with in the kids' music field, delivering a 1-2-3 punch of catchy tunes, witty lyrics, and songs that are fun for the whole family, easily landing Thank You For Joining The Happy Club on the list of best kids' music of 2009.

Number 3: Thank You for Joining the Happy Club by Billy Kelly

Best Kids' Music of 2009: # 4 Get Fruity!! by Apple Brains

With the innocent enthusiasm of Jonathan Richman, the eclectic inventiveness of Mr. David, and the general kookiness of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Apple Brains bursts upon the kids' music scene with their debut album Get Fruity!! L.A.-based Allen Bleyle is the brainy apple behind Apple Brains, and his free-for-all, lo-fi, indie rock style is a refreshing addition to the children's music world. Some of the best kids' music of 2009, and definitely some of the most unique!

Number 4: Get Fruity!! by Apple Brains

Best Kids' Music of 2009: # 5 Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants' previous two albums for kids, Here Come the ABCs and Here Come the 123s, were fun romps through the concepts of letters and numbers, but few hard facts were presented. Not so on Here Comes Science, a CD chock full of some of the best kids' music of 2009. The band's trademark quirky, catchy musical style and witty word play meld perfectly with concrete concepts like states of matter, paleontology, the planets, and photosynthesis.

Number 5: Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants

Best Kids' Music of 2009: # 6 Hello Night by Kesang Marstrand

Kesang Marstrand's kids' music debut is touching and playful, mysterious and warm, and is certainly one of the most beautiful lullaby albums you'll ever hear. Full of pastoral scenes of water and wind, flowers and insects, setting suns and rising moons, Hello Night is an aural testament to the power of simplicity, and deservedly finds a place amongst the best kids' music of 2009.

Number 6: Hello Night by Kesang Marstrand

Best Kids' Music of 2009: # 7 Field Trip by Recess Monkey

The fifth album by these three elementary school teachers from Seattle is full of ridiculously catchy songs, witty and silly lyrics, and a smidgen of fascinating scientific facts, all combining to make Field Trip some of the best kids' music of 2009.

Number 7: Field Trip by Recess Monkey