Firehouse Visit, Soulful Poems and Uplifting Songs for Kids

VHS

Elmo Visits the Firehouse. Sony Wonder. 45 minutes. VHS: $9.98; DVD: $12.98. Ages 3 to 6.

Little Elmo is shaken up when his lunch with Maria is interrupted by a grease fire at Hooper’s Store. A friendly (and real) firefighter invites him to the firehouse for a reassuring visit. Reassurance is what this carefully crafted, thoughtful release is all about. Using live action, Muppetry and animation, it offers safety tips and provides a comforting, up-close look at firefighters and how they help in many emergencies.

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Audio

This Land Is Your Land. Music for Little People. CD: $15.98; cassette: $9.98. All ages. (800) 346-4445. www.mflp.com.

This beautifully produced album celebrates humanity with a soulful treasure trove. In addition to the folk anthem by Woody Guthrie that gives the album its title, some of the heartfelt tracks include poems by Langston Hughes (“The Kids in School With Me”) and Maya Angelou (“Human Family”), both read by Danny Glover, and songs by Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Neville Brothers, Taj Mahal, John McCutcheon and others. Ted Danson reads moving excerpts from Guthrie’s writings; Freyda Epstein wraps things up with “Dreams of Harmony.”