On his first children's album,
Tony Bennett presses into service some familiar titles from The Great American Songbook, such as
Harold Arlen and
Johnny Mercer's "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," Jimmy Van Heusen and
Johnny Burke's "Swinging on a Star," and
Arlen, Billy Rose and E.Y. Harburg's "(It's Only) a Paper Moon." He also dips into his own repertoire for "Firefly," his 1958 hit. And he calls upon such partners as
the Muppets' Elmo ("Little Things") and Kermit the Frog ("Bein' Green" and "Firefly"), and
Rosie O'Donnell ("Put on a Happy Face"). All of that is very good, but the best parts of the collection are unexpected discoveries and commissions, such as
Alan and
Marilyn Bergman's newly written lyric for the
Bill Evans-composed title song,
Bobby Timmons and
Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Dat Dere" and
Dr. Seuss' assertive declaration "Because We're Kids," with music by Frederick Hollander. The Ralph Sharon Quartet provides typically sympathetic accompaniment and a child's chorus jumps in here and there, while
Bennett exudes his usual warmth, which is perfect for the mood of the album. ~ William Ruhlmann