Music: Kidiscography, 1960

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Stories of Mark Twain (Walter Brennan, Brandon de Wilde; Caedmon). Richly furrowed and pecan-sweet, Actor Brennan's voice is perfectly flavored for Twain's famed saga of a betting man, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Ex-Child Actor de Wilde, 18, does equally well by a boy's excitement, awe and terror at the shooting of Boggs as seen and told by Huck Finn.

Captain Kangaroo (Columbia). If Gibbon were alive, he would probably blame the Decline of the West on Captain Kangaroo. Culture snobs notwithstanding, the fact is that the gentle captain makes small fry happy, and these two bouncy collections of songs, capers and "riddle-a-diddles" are calculated to make them happier still.

Tall Fireman Paul and Busy Policeman Joe (Victor). In the mythology of the city child, the policeman and firefighter are noble Hector and great Achilles. It is a brave myth, and this record, enriched by the street noises of everyday reality, does nothing to tarnish it.

Hear the Animals Sing (Columbia). There was this little boy and he had a magic stick and when he rubbed cows, cats, dogs and lambs with his stick, these animals (real sound effects) began to sing (real tape technician) songs like The Farmer in the Dell and all like that. Three to-sixes go positively daft over it, but Papa and Mama need magical first aid while the cowcophony is on.

More Selections from Alice in Wonderland (Cyril Ritchard; Riverside). Actor Ritchard has style, a quality increasingly confined to British actors and aristocrats. He is quipsy, quirkish, quibblesome and wopsical, as Alice's high-styled brand of insane logic and sane illogic demands. Children who teethe well on The Mock Turtle's Story and Advice from a Caterpillar may be treated to Riverside's full-length Alice.

Through the Looking-Glass (Joan Greenwood, Stanley Holloway; Caedmon). Actress Greenwood's voice suggests that she may have eaten the looking glass on the way through. In this impeccable recording, she makes a piquant Alice ably seconded by Narrator Holloway and a neatly meshed cast. No fear of Tweedle-doldrums.

Songs and Fun with the Baby Sitters (Vanguard). This winning semipro quartet gives one the sensation of visiting with rather than listening to. Giving off an air of artless improvisation, they intertwine pretend games, traditional ballads and "activity songs." Low on actorish gloss, the Baby Sitters are as soft sell as a lullaby and just about perfect for the just-out-of-the-nursery set.

Thimble Corner (Jim Copp and Ed Brown; Playhouse). Copp and Brown are to Kidiscs what the early U.P.A. was to film cartooning. While they have confected nothing on the order of Gerald McBoing-Boing or Mr. Magoo, The Dog That Went to Yale is certainly close, and this entire record is fresh, clever and inventive. Strictly for the U-child.