Children's Favorites

AMG Review of Children's Favorites

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

This was one of the most popular children's albums of the '50s, and not just because it featured Rosemary Clooney -- then at the peak of her popularity as a singer -- giving the songs her best effort; tracks such as "The Syncopated Clock" were featured on Captain Kangaroo for many years, and millions of younger baby-boomers awoke to and spent their mornings with that version of the song, plus other parts of this album, running through their heads. Clooney sings in her most accessible style, and gets to use that perfect diction -- which she was forced to compromise on hits like "Come On-A My House" -- to her advantage here; there's also a lot of involvement by the singer, no doubt helped by the fact that she was raising her own family by then. A classic of its kind, and kids of the era had no idea what a treat they were getting from this singer.